By just looking at the
street pole banners of the two films about the conquest of Iwo Jima, that is over half a century ago, was the invasion really necessary, and at the cost of thousands of lives on both sides. The depiction in the film just shows the brutality of war at the time, the show of ultimate conquest and victory for the invading American forces and the agony of defeat of the defending Japanese.
The first movie banner "The Flags of our Fathers" offers the perspective of war as viewed from the American side. The first movie was actually a cynical, skeptical, pointed view of arrogance as shown by the conduct of the American forces. It drives at all cost the idea of putting the enemies at bay, and eliciting sustained momentum by raising the American flag at the mount in Iwo Jima.
On the other hand the movie banner of "Letters from Iwo Jima" shows a forlorn image of a defender, actually different from the first but a remarkable achievement in itself. It offers a pure and lucid depiction and almost poetic vision as seen and understood through the eyes and language of the Japanese, a heroic and idealistic interpretation of duty and dying for one's country.
Comparisons have been made between the two films, but Clint Eastwood who shot the film back-to-back has shown vivid understanding of the poignant themes and images and how he did it is immeasurable, describing him as a machine, of course blessed with a mind and heart.
The film is shot in olive-and-brown color that makes it almost in black and white, but when explosions were shown on screen it created a horrifying contrast of brighter shades of orange and red.
by:
The Flagman
