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My Friends |
Not rated. () |
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All Flixster |
(194) |
82 |
421 |
Female |
(38) |
17 |
81 |
Male |
(156) |
65 |
340 |
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| Letters from Iwo Jima (0%) |
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Plot: A Japanese soldier experiences a spiritual awakening during World War II and turns all his energies to burying the dead.
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Recent Reviews
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MCT:April 5, 2008I kind of wish Ichikawa had opted for shooting in full color instead of black-and-white. But hey, singing soldiers and disquieting ending earns this film at least 3 stars.
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MCT:February 17, 2008Once more I got tricked by the hype surrounding a movie. I wouldn't say this is bad, but it is certainly not too good either. Some images are quite beautiful and the studio reproduction of Burma is very kitsh (in a good way).
But there is a painful dichotomy between the sober realism of the image and the poetic mushiness of the story. It is a complete fairy tale which deprives the film of human intensity. I mean once you saw Japanese soldiers kindly singing in the jungle of Burma, burying diamonds because they are the souls of their friends and dedicate their lives to give the right funerals to their fallen comrades you are floating in so much onirism that the characters feel more like Simbad the Sailor than a creature of flesh and blood.
Besides, the anti-war message was maybe very well tailored for the Japanese public of the 1950s, but now it sounds terribly old-fashioned. We know they died for nothing. -
MCT:January 5, 2008People said that I probably wouldn't like Ichikawa. Where the hell did that decision come from?
I actually loved this movie. Okay, I was thrown at first by the singing. When I think World War II, I normally don't think about the Japanese side of the war. Letters from Iwo Jima changed that philosophy for me, so I'm good now. But singing from a Japanese standpoint? Yeah. There's singing. It's not a musical, but there's a ridiculous amount of singing. The funny part is that it really works. The story makes sense and the singing, in no way, is a gimmick. I did think that the platoon sang and played the harp a litle too well, but they explained it enough for the suspension of disbelief to take over.
I don't know what it is about P.O.W. camp stories that really catch my interests. Two of my favorite movies are Stalag 17 and The Great Escape. This movie is slightly different than those two in the sense that escape has little to do with the movie itself. Really, this is about the brotherhood that comes with a military unit. While other movies also cover the sanctity of life and the uselessness of battle, this movie really examines it in another fashion. Beginning during the final days of the war, it is enlightening to see Japanese characters not looking like Klingons, obsessed with dying in the glory of war. Yes, those characters are in The Burmese Harp, but not for the main characters. Rather than being seen as cowards, the main characters just want to see everyone go home to their families. Japan is seen as a warm place, almost heavenly. Heck, at one point, I wished I was a Japanese soldier (until my History minor kicked back in and I remembered that there was that whole Axis issue.) Really, I think this movie is quite accessible despite being a foreign language film. What I did find hilarious is the lack of British actors in this movie. There were clearly Japanese actors speaking English and and almost everyone else was an Aussie playing a Brit. But I guess we can't complain. Look at Mickey Rooney in Breakfast at Tiffany's. Every other country can do whatever they want and I can never complain because of that flagrant racism. -
MCT:December 31, 2007
In order to wage war, in order for human beings to kill other human beings on a massive scale, there must be some rationalization. Historically, we, as warriors, create in our minds a caricature of those we call our enemies. It's a phenomenon that's universal and cross-cultural. We see those who oppose us as less than human, men who don't laugh, don't shed tears and are, essentially, evil. In this manner they become non-people. In this manner we need not have sympathy or guilt when we destroy them. The Burmese Harp, a product of post-war Japan released in 1956, breaks down this wall of propaganda and reminds us of the toll that war takes on the souls of men.
Its been called an "anti-war" film but I'm not so sure that was foremost in the minds of those who brought this story to the screen. It seems, in retrospect, to be more of a soldier's portrait that has been stripped of its patriotic facade. Whatever their intent, the film makers have given us an under-rated gem that should not be missed. -
MCT:October 7, 2007
Utterly fascinating. The way the shots were done and the way the characters acted and everything about this film was so beautiful. Sentimental yet thought-provoking, especially the main character.
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