Eastwood attacks Japan war myths

The Observer (U.K.) ^ | 05/28/06 | Justin McCurry

[Pokey78]

Two new movies based on a bloody 1945 battle are stirring up memories and forcing both sides to re-examine their history

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More than 60 years after it became one of the bloodiest battlefields of the Second World War, Iwo Jima's tragic history retains the power to overwhelm. As his plane prepared to land on the isolated Japanese island last month, the actor Ken Watanabe found he could not hold back the tears. Accompanying Watanabe, who shot to stardom playing a feudal warlord opposite Tom Cruise in The Last Samurai, was another hard man of Hollywood whose time on Iwo Jima would lead to something of a professional epiphany.

When Clint Eastwood's two films about Iwo Jima, one of the darkest periods of the Pacific War, reach cinemas this year, audiences could be excused for forgetting the man behind them was once the trigger-happy Dirty Harry.

The 75-year-old director has promised Flags Of Our Fathers and Red Sun, Black Sand will attempt to show for the first time the suffering of both sides during 36 days of fighting in early 1945 that turned the island into a flattened wasteland.

[PISANO]

IMHO showing BOTH sides as neither good nor bad does a terrible injustice to BOTH NATIONS at war.

Look.....the US was attacked we DID NOT ATTACK JAPAN!!

In the 'simpler' world that I grew up in that MEANT JAPAN was the BAD GUY and the US was the GOOD guy.

Nationalism and patriotism ASIDE, each country fights to survive.......but to paint the portrait that WAR is NEVER WORTH the suffering on both sides, diminishes both the INTITIAL ATTACK and the SUBSEQUENT victory as so much garbage.

I am so sick of the Politically Correct crap coming out of Hollywood that I could PUKE!!!

So much for the CONSERVATIVE Eastwood.

[DoughtyOne]

Thanks for your alternate point of view. I appreciate it.

[tongue-tied]

An excellent point. In the near future, perhaps we will see only movies that minimalize our talent, skill, bravery, and compassion as Americans.

"We are no better than anyone" could be the new hollywood mantra.

[Romanov]

Well I never really "bought" that Eastwood was a Conservative - more a Libertarian. Regardless, it's a freakin' movie. I'm more p.o.-d about State Department and the US government repeatedly denying Battan Death March survivors and other former US POWs of the Japanese the opportunity to sue them for compensation. How about channeling some of that energy about a movie that hasn't been release yet and joining me in writing our elected officials about the US government's refusal to allow our surviving POWs some justice from the Japanese?

[brazzaville]

Good evening.
"Please tell me this isn't going to be some sort of anti-war flick from Eastwood."

It doesn't really matter what message Eastwood means to send. He's a great movie maker and well crafted antiwar movies often turn out to be great war movies.

It's got to be next to impossible to warp the story of those brave Marines who raised the flag away from what they did, and you can look on the bright side: 21 thousand Japanese are going to get killed.

Michael Frazier

[Petronski]

Not necessarily so.

I disagree. It is definitely a bad sign.

Now mind you, it might be a false sign, but it is most certainly a bad sign. I hope the films are better than implied by this article.

[BW2221]

I think Eastwood's reputation as a conservative is greatly exaggerated. Sandra Locke claims Eastwood convinced her to have abortions when they were living together around 1980. Million Dollar Baby certainly isn't conservative.

[Romanov]

And I appreciate yours as well. Now, I'll really be p*ssed if this movie turns out to be a Japanese soldier lovefest!! ;) I'll come back on here and "virtually" eat my hat.

[DoughtyOne]

LOL, I've lost a lot of hats that way.

[Romanov]

I guess what's riling people is it's Eastwood? If this had been some other smuck would we have just said, "typical Hollyweird"?

[Vermont Lt]

Most of the folks who frequent this site understand that war sucks. It sucks a lot. We know this from personal experience, or through the experiences of our fathers, brothers, and sisters.

War sucks for everyone. The soldiers on Iwo, on the Japanese side, were not responsible for bombing Pearl Harbor any more than the guys on our side are responsible for dropping the A-bomb.

The men on both sides were thrust into a horrible situation. As long as we dont make the Jap Army, as a whole, victims, it shouldnt be a problem. We werent perfect, but we were the villians in this story either.

I watched Das Boot and I found myself empathetic to their plight. It didnt make me an apologist for the Nazis. I just felt bad for those poor SOBs in the boat.

I think sometimes, we need to remind ourselves that these are only movies.

[beaelysium]

I'm more p.o.-d about State Department and the US government repeatedly denying Battan Death March survivors and other former US POWs of the Japanese the opportunity to sue them for compensation. How about channeling some of that energy about a movie that hasn't been release yet and joining me in writing our elected officials about the US government's refusal to allow our surviving POWs some justice from the Japanese?

They are perfectly happy to give illegal immigrants all these benefits but not POW, or even veterans.

[Romanov]

Amen! And add to that the limp wristed response about our personal data being stolen from a VA employee. I live in the DC area and our local newsfolk (God bless 'em) have been stirring up the Rolling Thunder guys (thousands of 'em in town for Memorial Day) about this - very good sound bites from them.

[Petronski]

Perhaps I'm a fool to believe it, but I think something like what is implied here would be beneath Clint Eastwood.


Yes, you're right, a big part of this is the idea of the Reagan-era mayor of Carmel would sink as low as insinuated herein.

[investigateworld]

Actually, about 950 Japanese were hung/executed by the combined war crimes tribunal. A tiny fraction of what was deserved. Even those given life imprisonment were out by 1955 or so.

[RobbyS]

It is too easy sixty years later to forget the ferocity of the Japanese in war. Yes, do give the Japanese soldiers credit for their stand. But remember that their cause was as evil as that of the SS troopers, so many of whom fought bravely and well.

[andyk]

It's not about winning or losing, but mostly about the interrupted lives of young people

Just wow, Clint. I hope you're talking about the thesis of your movie, and not about the nature of war itself.

[TET1968]

When Clint produced that little showpiece for Tim Robbins and Sean Penn , he lost points in my book. After John Wayne died, there were those who said Clint would take his place as Hollywood's symbol of heroic manhood.
Not.

[stevem]

My father was one of the guys that invaded Iwo Jima. He also joined the invasion of Okinawa. I think it's fair to say he hates the Japanese as the devil hates holy water. He might even say a single Japanese escaping Iwo alive was one too many. Yet, I think he has spoken with respect of the folks on the other side of that struggle.

I don't think a movie from that perspective shows disrespect for the invaders. I look forward to seeing the movie from the US perspective. I likley won't see the other, even if it has sub-titles.

I have read a thing or two about General Kuribayashi, who was the Japanese commanding officer. Anything I have ever read about him suggests that telling the story from his perspective would be a tremendous compliment to the invaders. The way he commanded that battle suggests he certainly respected them.

[tongue-tied]

I am not quite sure how to take this:

...and you can look on the bright side: 21 thousand Japanese are going to get killed.

Either you are a truly sick man or you don't give s sh!t about humanity and tragedy of war. 21,000 people killed--even if the enemy--to secure a position, is nothing to "look forward to".

List for me please, the great war movies that are anti war?