2006 - Letters From Iwo Jima

The Letters from Iwo Jima Podcast Enters the 2006 Bracket Welcome to the Letters from Iwo Jima podcast episode from Movie of the Year: 2006. This week, Ryan, Mike, and Greg take on Clint Eastwood's Japanese-language war film. The movie tells the story of the Battle of Iwo Jima from the side that lost it. Moreover, it arrived just two months after Eastwood's own Flags of Our Fathers, which showed the same fight through American eyes. As a result, the Taste Buds have plenty to unpack. Specifically, they debate the general who planned the defense, the baker who tried to survive it, and the American filmmaker who brought both to the screen. They also explore the real letters that gave the film its title. Notably, the season has already featured heavy hitters like Almodóvar's Volver and Little Miss Sunshine. Therefore, this war epic faces stiff competition. Can a quiet, grief-soaked combat film earn a deep run in the Movie of the Year 2006 bracket? About the Film Letters from Iwo Jima premiered in Japan on December 9, 2006. Warner Bros. then opened it in limited U.S. release on December 20 to qualify for the Oscars. Iris Yamashita wrote the screenplay from a story she developed with Paul Haggis. Meanwhile, Steven Spielberg co-produced alongside Eastwood and Robert Lorenz. The story opens in 2005, when Japanese archaeologists explore the island's tunnels and find something buried. From there, the film jumps back to 1944. General Tadamichi Kuribayashi arrives to command a doomed garrison. He orders his men to stop digging beach trenches and to tunnel into the mountains instead. Consequently, the Marines who land on the island face a hidden, underground enemy. The film earned four Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture and Best Director. Ultimately, it won the Oscar for Best Sound Editing. It also took the Golden Globe for Best Foreign Language Film. For the full production history, visit the film's Wikipedia page or its IMDb listing. Kuribayashi and Saigo on the Letters from Iwo Jima Podcast Ken Watanabe plays Kuribayashi with calm, weary authority. The real general spent time in the United States as a young officer in the late 1920s. As a result, he knew exactly how much industrial power Japan was up against. The film treats that knowledge as quiet tragedy. Kuribayashi fights a battle he expects to lose, and he fights it smartly anyway. Saigo gives the film its ground-level view. Kazunari Ninomiya, a member of the Japanese pop group Arashi, plays the conscripted baker. Saigo misses his wife and his shop. Furthermore, he openly grumbles about the island, which nearly earns him a beating. Unlike Kuribayashi, Saigo is a fictional character. However, he stands in for every ordinary soldier who never chose this war. On the Letters from Iwo Jima podcast, the Taste Buds dig into how these two men mirror each other. Kuribayashi saves Saigo's life more than once. In return, Saigo carries out the general's final request. Additionally, the panel discusses Baron Nishi, played by Tsuyoshi Ihara. Nishi was a real Olympic gold medalist in show jumping. His scenes with a wounded Marine give the film one of its most humane moments. By contrast, officers like Lieutenant Ito cling to the suicidal code Kuribayashi rejects. The film lets these philosophies collide inside the caves. In practice, honor itself becomes the real battleground. An American Director Tells a Japanese Story Clint Eastwood built his legend as the Man with No Name and Dirty Harry. So how did that icon end up directing a film almost entirely in Japanese? The Taste Buds wrestle with that question directly. Eastwood shot the movie back to back with Flags of Our Fathers. Most of the production took place in Barstow and Bakersfield, California. Additionally, Ken Watanabe filmed some scenes on Iwo Jima itself. The crew needed special permission from the Tokyo Metropolitan Government to work there. The island still holds the remains of more than 10,000 missing Japanese soldiers. In Japan, the film became a major hit and spent five weeks at number one. Notably, Japanese critics praised its use of native Japanese actors. Earlier Hollywood films often cast non-Japanese performers in Japanese roles. Consequently, those films often sounded wrong to Japanese audiences. Eastwood's film avoided that trap. Still, the panel asks harder questions too. Can an American filmmaker fully grasp the Japanese experience of this war? Moreover, does the film soften the realities of imperial Japan? Aaron Gerow's essay on Eastwood's balancing of perspectives offers useful context. Meanwhile, Jim Emerson's review at RogerEbert.com captures the film's stark visual power. Listen to hear where each Taste Bud lands. The Actual Letters Behind the Letters from Iwo Jima 2006 Podcast The title is literal. The film draws on Picture Letters from the Commander in Chief, a collection of Kuribayashi's real correspondence. Tsuyuko Yoshida edited the volume, and Shogakukan published it in Japan in 2002. The production also drew on Kumiko Kakehashi's book So Sad to Fall in Battle, which reached English readers in 2007. Kuribayashi wrote home often. As the collection's title suggests, many of his letters included his own small drawings. Furthermore, his messages from the island dwelt on ordinary family matters rather than glory. That gentle voice shaped Watanabe's performance. The Taste Buds explore how the film turns these documents into its emotional spine. Soldiers read letters aloud in the dark. Others write letters they will never send. Additionally, a letter from an American mother changes how Nishi's men see their enemy. Ultimately, the buried bag from the 2005 prologue pays off in the final scene, and the dead finally speak. For listeners who want more of the season, the 2006 season intro explains how the Taste Buds built this year's field. Genre Blast: The War Movie In Genre Blast, the Taste Buds step back and look at a film's genre as a whole. This week, that means the war movie. Letters from Iwo Jima sits in a long line of World War II combat films. Specifically, it arrived eight years after Saving Private Ryan reset the genre's standard for battlefield violence. However, Eastwood takes a different approach. Cinematographer Tom Stern drains most of the color from the image. Much of the action also stays inside cramped tunnels. As a result, the film often feels closer to a chamber drama than a combat spectacle. Tune in to hear how the panel sizes it up against the genre's greats. Why Letters from Iwo Jima Still Matters Two decades later, Letters from Iwo Jima still stands apart. Few Hollywood war films tell their story entirely from the enemy's side. Moreover, few manage it with this much respect. The National Board of Review named it the best film of 2006. Critics have kept returning to it ever since. The film also remains a high point of Eastwood's late career. Above all, it asks a question that never ages. What does a soldier owe his country, and what does he owe his family? That question makes it ideal bracket material for Movie of the Year: 2006. Related Episodes from Movie of the Year: 2006 Movie of the Year 2006: Intro Part 1 The Movies of 2006 Bracket Reveal 2006 Mixtape Part I Volver Podcast: Movie of the Year 2006 Little Miss Sunshine Podcast: Movie of the Year 2006 Browse Every Movie of the Year Episode FAQ: Letters from Iwo Jima Podcast and Film What is the Letters from Iwo Jima podcast episode about? In this episode, Ryan, Mike, and Greg debate Clint Eastwood's 2006 war film for the Movie of the Year 2006 bracket. They discuss Kuribayashi and Saigo, Eastwood's approach as an American director, and the real letters behind the story. The episode also includes a Genre Blast segment on war movies. What is Letters from Iwo Jima about? The film depicts the 1945 Battle of Iwo Jima from the Japanese perspective. General Kuribayashi leads a doomed garrison against an American invasion. Meanwhile, a young baker named Saigo simply tries to survive and return to his family. Who directed Letters from Iwo Jima? Clint Eastwood directed the film. He also co-produced it with Steven Spielberg and Robert Lorenz. Iris Yamashita wrote the screenplay from a story by Yamashita and Paul Haggis. Is Letters from Iwo Jima based on a true story? Yes, in large part. The battle and several commanders, including Kuribayashi and Baron Nishi, are real. The film also draws on Kuribayashi's actual letters to his family. However, some characters, including Saigo, are fictional. More Letters from Iwo Jima Questions Was Saigo a real person? No. Saigo is a fictional character. Nevertheless, he represents the many ordinary conscripts who fought and died on Iwo Jima. How is Letters from Iwo Jima connected to Flags of Our Fathers? Eastwood made the two films as companion pieces and shot them back to back. Flags of Our Fathers shows the battle from the American side. By contrast, Letters from Iwo Jima tells it from the Japanese side. You can watch them in either order. Why is Letters from Iwo Jima in Japanese? Eastwood wanted the Japanese soldiers to speak in their own language. Therefore, the film plays almost entirely in Japanese with English subtitles. Native Japanese actors fill nearly every major role. Why does Letters from Iwo Jima still matter? It remains one of the few Hollywood war films told entirely from the enemy's point of view. Furthermore, it treats both sides with empathy. That humane approach keeps it relevant two decades later. Where can I listen to Movie of the Year? Movie of the Year streams on all major podcast platforms through the PopFilter network. Additionally, full episodes and archives live at popfilter.co.