Letters From Iwo Jima Analysis

With many war films being released year after year, sometimes films that claim to be based on historical events are occasionally altered to create a more interesting story. There is an incredibly fine line between what is real and what fiction is and when it comes to films based on the Second World War. With these four films I have chosen we can explore the realism and entrainment value that is portrayed in these stories and understand what level of dedication is present within these interpretations to maintain historical accuracy.
Letters from Iwo Jima: Letters from Iwo Jima was Clint Eastwoods critically acclaimed epic story of the World War Two battle for the pacific island in 1945 released in 2006. The film tells the opposite side to
Equipped with the knowledge of American culture because of his research on their military and industrial power whilst living there, he understands what is necessary to cripple the invading force on the island by the use of well-constructed tunnels and pillbox defences. The tactics he displays fully represent the fighting style of the Japanese at the time with their adaptation of Guerrilla warfare and the shift away from the traditional banzai charges. Even though the representation of struggle is evident from the Japanese perspective, unity and tradition continues to drive many of the soldiers forward, even if they don’t fully believe in the cause. One key notable point that is historically accurate, is that the speech delivered by general Kuribayashi before he leads his men to battle is the actual set of instructions delivered to the soldiers of the Courage Division. With the introduction of Colonel Baron Takeichi Nishi, a former 1932 Olympic gold medal equestrian show jumper, we can understand the incredible amount of accuracy and research that has gone into the production. Whilst remaining loyal to their country, Kuribayashi and Nishi both display sympathy and empathy for the American enemy, when in particular an American prisoner is treated with respect and cared for his injuries. This is possibly a humanisation as we would understand because as reports from Japanese prisoners of war have revealed, the Japanese were some of the most violent soldiers and ordinarily would not relate to their enemy. This is possibly done for the benefit of the film to make the Japanese characters more relatable. By comparison this is a stark contrast to how the Americans were portrayed with the unprovoked murder of Japanese prisoners. Because of this apparent