A LETTER OF EMOTIONS (Review)

Letters From Iwo Jima

Severity is a success when cinema portrays it in the form of war epics, usually in the lines of more familiar and popular perspectives. The mere lack of gentleness when blended with a lot of poignant scenes works extremely well with the audience and gives them no less than patriotic embankments in their hearts. More or less, that’s what the creators aim for and in most cases they achieve their goal. Moving out of the genre of action and adventure, war movies have carved out a place for themselves in cinema categories and each carries out its message or story in every different way than the other. Love, hatred, struggle, decisiveness and inexpressible sadness are some of the themes of the many battle stories exemplified on screen. It becomes a journey for the viewer while watching the epic and brings out emotions in its truest nature and leads the mind to reminisce the story again. Letters from Iwo Jima was indeed a long journey through war, sadness, love, anger and most importantly, kindness and forgiveness. Probably, a first time in Hollywood where a war involving America is not seen through the eyes of an American which when done tends to erase the picture of humanity on the enemies’ side. Director Clint Eastwood, gracefully understood the need for change and tells us the story of the island, Iwo Jima and how the Japanese army defended their home island from the marines. The complete narrative is from the Japanese point of view and tells how they fought bravely, a losing war against the massive American force. The director has taken three different standoff’s to state, that of the commanding general and two privates and the letters they write to home with the very little hope left inside them. But the most striking feature in the entire picture was, magnifying the human touch among both sides of the conflict. Clint Eastwood has etched out the scenes so intricately with all the subtleties required and helps us in understanding that it is only humans who fight wars and not emotionless beasts. The scene where the American soldier is treated by the Japanese even with very little medicine left is extremely intriguing, similar to the case where the Japanese patrol soldier is forced to shoot an innocent dog. The screenplay and editing is fascinatingly smooth as that of a spotless green pasture. Music though comparable to the lines of Thomas Newman, is neatly composed and sails along with the sequences. One another important fact of the movie was the use of the native Japanese language displaying the creative genuineness of the director. As the soldier in the movie understands that they are the same as that of the enemies in their feelings and emotions, it enlightens him and us too that wars are in a way fought for nothing. This is even more firmly supported with the final scene where Saigo is rescued by the marines and he looks out with a smile. Letters from Iwo Jima is indeed a letter to the world which conveys in the most definite sense a message, a message that says everyone is human and that part of gentleness cannot be erased even during critical times of warfare.