Clint Eastwood joined the WWII movie bandwagon a while ago, but I just finally got around to watching his two part study of Iwo Jima, Flags of Our Fathers and Letters From Iwo Jima.
Each of these films is independently enjoyable, but the real magic happens when you watch them sequentially. Eastwood has done something truly remarkable in presenting both sides of this story; he should be praised for his unflinching portrayal of both what was nobel, and what was despicable about both the Japanese and the Americans at Iwo Jima.
This thought is particularly relevant to the Japanese whom we have been taught to believe were clearly in the wrong, and if not evil, then certainly ruled by evil men. There is no doubt that the Japanese were the aggressors, and yet we cannot fall into the trap of thinking them less than human. And it is precisely here where Eastwood succeeds, in showing us that humanity in all its fragility and grace
Much of the glorifying of World War II seems to focus on the European theater. This is probably because the evils of Hitler and his SS squads are so tangibly evident that one cannot help but to recoil and shudder when confronted with them. However, it seems unjust in great measure to ignore the Pacific campaign, and here again Eastwood succeeds, brining us closer to the hectic battles over incredibly tiny swatches of land, closer to the reality of island-hopping and the brutal struggle win out against the enemy.
All in all, Eastwood’s films deserve to occupy the same echelon as Saving Private Ryan and have shown us once again that a man known primarily for his gunslinger appearance has an adept handle on aspects of the human condition.
