Debbie Schlussel: Clint Eastwood's Iwo Jima Movie (From Japanese Point of View)
I just got back from seeing Clint Eastwood's "Letters from Iwo Jima," told from the point of view of the Japanese fighting in the Battle of Iwo Jima during World War II. YA-A-A-AWN.
Sorry, but I just can't see why everyone's ranting and raving over how fabulous this movie is. It's possibly one of the most boring movies I've seen in my lifetime. A total snoozer. I struggled--and failed--to stay awake during this 2.5 hour movie told completely in Japanese (and English subtitles). The thing could have been told in half the time (and still would have been boring, though not at much so).
Fortunately, the movie was not as I'd feared, in sympathizing with the enemy. It didn't do that very much, a few brief--but patently unfair--scenes showing Americans shooting Japanese soldiers who'd already surrendered. There is no evidence anything like this ever happened, but the point is to make American soldiers look bad. And it does the trick. But, again, this movie does the trick for the insomnia-inflicted.
I only hope that when Clint Eastwood's grandchildren, 60 or 70 years from now, make their movie "from Al-Qaeda's" point of view, it is equally boring and ineffective.
Stay tuned for my complete review when the movie is released.
Posted by Debbie on December 8, 2006 03:48 PM to Debbie Schlussel