Word: kuribayashi
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: all
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
...screenplay, based on a book of letters written by General Tadamichi Kuribayashi to his wife, adds historic validity as well as emotional sincerity to the film. The actors, all Japanese, speak in their native language, the fluency further easing audiences into the story...
...Watanabe of “The Last Samurai” plays Kuribayashi. Watanabe never fails to impress, and in “Letters,” he delivers a powerful performance as the American-trained general whose must constantly prove that his personal and patriotic convictions are one in the same...
...What did you learn as you researched your character, Lieut. General Kuribayashi, and the story of Japan's defense of Iwo Jima? He was a commanding officer, so I was interested in how this war began, how they made such a mistake and ended up on the wrong path. I re-studied the war because I could not understand the thinking process he went through. It was a good chance for me to find out that there were people like Kuribayashi who fought in such a way, to find out how much they suffered...
...What did you conclude about Kuribayashi's tactics, which some argue extended the battle of Iwo Jima at great cost to both American and Japanese lives? He knew that Iwo Jima would eventually fall to the United States and that he and his soldiers would all perish. So he worked for the end of the war, so it did not spread to the Japanese islands, and so the Americans would not have to fight any longer this senseless war. All he was thinking was how he could make the Americans want to finish the war as soon as possible...
...Does the film show that Japanese soldiers are worthy of respect and honor? During the last assault, Kuribayashi said to his soldiers: "One day, our ancestors will console our souls and sing odes to your bravery and shed many tears." There are such lines in the film. But war should not be worshiped or justified. We should always accept the reality of our military past and think calmly about what we can do in the future...