My family went to the movies every week back in the 1940's when I was a young kid. Before each movie there was a newsreel. One newsreel which made an indelible impression on me contained footage of the battle on Iwo Jima. It showed terrifying images of U.S. soldiers using flamethrowers, aiming them in the caves the Japanese soldiers had hidden in. When a Japanese soldier ran from the cave, his hands up, his whole body engulfed in flames, the audience in our theater applauded and cheered. I was horrified and have never forgotten the awful feeling I had then. I was only nine.
When I saw the same scene enacted in "Letters from Iwo Jima", I was taken back to that time so long ago and I relived the extreme sadness I felt then, but even more so. Tears flowed during the rest of the movie. I couldn't talk for an hour afterward as I was grieving so.
This movie is honest and truthful, a must see for those who feel that war is the answer to anything.
I used to think Clint Eastwood was a "crybaby" when I watched Rowdy Yates in the first episodes of "Rawhide". Now, I believe Clint is one of the best things to come out of "Hollywood" ever!
When I saw the same scene enacted in "Letters from Iwo Jima", I was taken back to that time so long ago and I relived the extreme sadness I felt then, but even more so. Tears flowed during the rest of the movie. I couldn't talk for an hour afterward as I was grieving so.
This movie is honest and truthful, a must see for those who feel that war is the answer to anything.
I used to think Clint Eastwood was a "crybaby" when I watched Rowdy Yates in the first episodes of "Rawhide". Now, I believe Clint is one of the best things to come out of "Hollywood" ever!