DVD Review: Letters from Iwo Jima - BigScreen Journal: The BigScreen Cinema Guide

Front Cover Artwork Letters from Iwo Jima (Two Disc Special Edition)
DVD - Two Discs
Warner Home Video 111292 - Region 1
140 minutes

List Price: $34.99 (Check Price at Amazon.com)

Available on DVD 5/22/2007

	Theatrical	This DVD
Aspect Ratio:	2.35:1	2.35:1
Audio:	Dolby Digital DTS SDDS	Dolby Digital 5.1

Disc 1 Contents

Intro Ads

Trailer for "Flags of Our Fathers" on DVD
Trailer for "Ocean's Thirteen " in theaters

Soundtracks for "Flags of Our Fathers" and "Letters from Iwo Jima"
Trailer for "American Pastime" on DVD

Movie

Disc 2 Contents

Extras

Red Sun Black Sand: The Making of Letters from Iwo Jima
An inside look at the creation of the film with all key players
The Faces of Combat: The Cast of Letters from Iwo Jima
Cast members introduce the characters they portray in the film
Images from the Frontlines: The Photography of Letters from Iwo Jima
A still photo montage
November 2006 World Premiere at Budo-kan in Tokyo
November 2006 Press Conference
Theatrical Trailer

About the Movie

After director Clint Eastwood finished "Flags of Our Fathers," his movie about how the publicity surrounding the photograph of the flag raising at Iwo Jima immortalized in the popular photograph, he decided to look at the Iwo Jima battle from the Japanese perspective. The result is "Letters from Iwo Jima," a movie done in Japanese with English subtitles, where the Americans are viewed as the invaders of the homeland of outnumbered defenders.

How Does it Look?

General Kuribayashi

The video quality was very impressive. The muted tones fit the movie perfectly, and I saw no artifacts.

Since quite a bit of the movie takes place in caves and at night, I recommend viewing it in a darkened environment with a calibrated display, so that you can enjoy the detail that went into the cinematography and how the shadows and light play a part in the look and feel of this movie.

How Does it Sound?

The audio served the movie well. Since the movie is in Japanese, I couldn't tell if the dialogue was clear or not, but it sounded right to me. The sounds of the American invasion were loud and clear!

Extras

Fortunately, we are graced with several features which enhance the enjoyment of the movie. Red Sun Black Sand and The Faces of Combat are the most interesting, although watching Clint Eastwood address everyone at the press conference was amusing as he accepted the applause of a welcoming audience. As always, I appreciate seeing the theatrical trailer included.

Conclusion

Even though this movie was an afterthought, it's a better movie than Flags of Our Fathers, in my opinion. The Academy had the same opinion, as they bestowed more Oscar nominations on it, including Best Picture and Best Director. You don't need to see the other movie to enjoy this one, and in fact, I watched "Letters from Iwo Jima" before seeing "Flags of Our Fathers."

Warner Home Video put together a nice two-disc package here. If you rent it, make sure that you get the second disc, so that you can enjoy the extras contained there.

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