I have recently watched a movie titled ‘Letters from Iwo Jima’. It’s a war film made from Japanese perspective of a World War II event. I generally don’t like to watch war films but this one was directed by Clint Eastwood and that pulled me towards it. I do realize now the effect reputation has on people! It’s a Japanese language film with English subtitles so… watchable. It shows the human aspect of war.
The movie starts with a team of archaeologists visiting a very small island ‘Iwo Jima’. They are excavating and find something useful. They try digging it out and the movie enters flashback. The scenes in the movie are brilliantly shot and so are the Japanese actors. Coming back to the story… we enter into a flashback straight into 1944 just at the end of the war. Saigo, a baker and his friend who are forcefully inducted into the Japanese imperial army like many others are digging trenches on the beach. They do their work grudgingly. They are annoyed by the war and are talking to each other.
They speak against the army and about the uselessness of protecting the island which in any case was to fall in American hands. Their supervisor overhears them and the scene is worth watching where they protect each other by lying and the supervisor leaves. General Kuribayashi arrives and takes command of the garrison. He inspects the island thoroughly and decides to stop digging on the beach and to dig tunnels instead into Mount Suribachi. Everyone thinks of it as a wrong move. But he warns them not to underestimate the American warfare technology and says it is far superior to theirs as he has just returned from there recently. Kuribayashi walks along the beach and sees the supervisor spanking the two soldiers and calls them traitors. The reason is given on asked that they were speaking against the country and the war.
Kuribayashi: “Do you have many soldiers with u?”
Supervisor: “No Sir. infact, they are less than required ”
Kuribayashi: “Then why are u spanking” Cut their rations instead. A good General uses his head more than his hand.”
This scene is definitely worth watching.
The movie proceeds. It tries to show all kinds of beautiful emotions during war. I call it beautiful coz, all emotions are basically beautiful from a photographers point of view. And, It is traumatic or pleasurable from the experiencer’s point of view.
But, you will have to watch the movie to find out the significance of this film’s title.
Definitely, a belief changing experience.