Poll: Letters from Iwo Jima

[Snuggle]

Just saw Letters from Iwo Jima, and I must say that I'm very impressed. This is probably the most touching war-movie I've seen, ever. But what are you're thoughts on the film? Do you feel, like many of the users on IMDB, that the film portrays the Japanese as "too nice"?

 

[Snuggle]

I wouldnt put too much stock in the IMDB forums or their rating system for that matter.

Agreed, the discussions fairly often disintegrate to "I'm right, you're wrong!" That never, ever happens on the Escapist

 

[Sark]

Not everyone who was Japanese in WWII was completely evil. Everywhere has normal, thinking people. Japan had it's nasties, as did everyone else.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unit_731

Read at your own pleasure.

 

[oliveira8]

It's a great movie. Much better than Flags of our Fathers, which is the american view of the attack on Iwo Jima and the famous picture with the soldiers getting the flag up, that fooled everyone.

Letters from Iwo Jima=Awesome
Flags of our Fathers=Don't bother

 

[The Infamous Scamola]

It's a great movie, probably one of Eastwood's best.

Gasp!
How dare someone portray soldiers as people.

At least, that's what I assume the problem is - I've never seen the movie.

No no no no, the problem is they portrayed the Japanese soldiers as people. It's ok if the soldiers are Americans, but not Japanese.

After all, it is a widely believed fact that all soldiers of the Axis nations were monstrous subhumans that feasted on the bodies of babies, while the Allies (read Americans, cos they're the only ones that did anything in the war) were White Knights, and paladins of justice.

Or so says Hollywood history.

 

[Nickolai77]

It's a great movie. Much better than Flags of our Fathers, which is the american view of the attack on Iwo Jima and the famous picture with the soldiers getting the flag up, that fooled everyone.

Letters from Iwo Jima=Awesome
Flags of our Fathers=Don't bother

No, no, no lol- I liked Flags of Our Farthers- it is a film about how the public and media generate their own heros- and shows how this is a big farce. It also shows the stresses of being a famous figure, and also the discrimination in US society back then. Good movie, but not as good as Letters from Iwo Jima.

I didn't really have any problem with how the Japanese where portrayed in that movie, i mean it is obvious that Japanese and also Nazi soldiers had a family, or a wife and kids back home.

I would not however recommend this movie to a ww2 film rookie, who does not have much knoledge about the Japanese war crimes- such as the Baatan death march, mass rape of Nanking and of course Unit 731. Seeing this movie may miss-lead less knowledgeable people into thinking the Japanese where not that evil.

To someone who is more familiar with WW2, they will find the humanised portrayal of Japanese soldiers interesting, as it's one part of the WW2 genre not yet explored.

 

[The Infamous Scamola]

I would not however recommend this movie to a ww2 film rookie, who does not have much knoledge about the Japanese war crimes- such as the Baatan death march, mass rape of Nanking and of course Unit 731. Seeing this movie may miss-lead less knowledgeable people into thinking the Japanese where not that evil.

Well, people who think in absolutes, obviously. Then again, I wouldn't think someone with no interest or knowledge whatsoever of ww2 would even be interested by a subtitled tale of the Iwo Jima landings from the Japanese point of view.