July 25, 2007

Letters and Flags from Clint

I bought a boxed set of the recent Clint Eastwood movies about the battle for Iwo Jima earlier this week from the local supermarket. I had wanted to see them at the cinema but missed them because there was such a short theatrical release for them particularly in the North East of England.

First and foremost, I must say that the sentiment, to try and view the same event from both sides, is highly commendable. It is easier to do it when there is a substantial time elapsed afterwards. It could not be done even handedly nearer the event because of emotions running high on both sides. I can still remember the old John Wayne war film - “The Sands of Iwo Jima” which was basically US propaganda determined to show the Japanese as evil enemies and fuel up support at home for the War. “Flags of Our Fathers” shows the US propaganda machine at work trying to extract money from the American public for the war by using the the remaining soldiers from the iconic photograph of raising the flag on Iwo Jima and parading them as heroes. “Letters from Iwo Jima” traces the last days of the doomed Japanese defenders of the island and the internal conflicts between them as well as the battle raging about them. Both films have a black and gray look taking their cue from the photograph and the barren volcanic rock that is Iwo Jima but the similarities end there. There is no real intermingling of the films.

These films act more as historical documents with the benefit of hindsight, more so “Flags of Our Fathers” which concentrates on what happens to the three remaining soldiers when they are paraded back home to help the war effort. While it is extremely interesting to see ordinary guys being branded as heroes and used by the government and the armed forces, the lack of a strong central performance causes the film to lose its way a little bit. The battle scenes are bloody and harrowing but the lack of character development at the beginning means that the emotional pull is not as strong as it should be. In the heat of battle it is difficult to know who is getting shot or blown up. The use of flashbacks rather than clarifying the story adds to the confusion in my opinion. The later attempts to take you into the later lives of these men are poorly realised.

“Letter from Iwo Jima” on the other hand is the better of the two films simply because the script (by Iris Yamashita) is better, the characters are better developed in the first half of the film and the use of flashbacks is limited but telling in the overall feel of the film. The internal conflict between the old guard loyal to the Emperor and an honourable death and those just trying to survive is brought out clearly. There is irony and pathos in abundance. Not even the presence of sub titles could detract from the telling of the story.

It is helped by two strong central performances, one by Ken Watanabe as the commander-in-chief of the Japanese defensive force and one by Kazunari Ninomiya as one of the less than willing conscripts. The story is told through their eyes. You cannot help but get emotionally involved with the characters and as one by one they die you are left with the feeling of an awful tragedy. A strong and affecting film which deservedly received an Oscar nomination for best picture.

The two films are nevertheless an outstanding achievement by Clint Eastwood (and Steven Spielberg as producer) and together have added depth and complexity to the war film genre.

CLINT EASTWOOD DIRTY HARRY ULTIMATE COLLECTORS EDTION