The 2006 film Letters From Iwo Jima was co-produced and directed by Clint Eastwood. It starred Kazunari Ninomiya and Ken Watanabe and depicted the Battle of Iwo Jima from the soldier’s perspective. Its companion film, Flags of Our Fathers, describes the same battle from the Amerca point of view. Both films were shot back to back, and Letters was mostly in Japanese with English subtitles. This excerpt from the script is well known and demonstrates the depth of the story.
Men, the time has come to show your true colors. As a member of the Honorable Imperial Army, I trust that you will fight with honor. This island is of utmost importance to Japan. Should the island fall, the enemy will use it as their base to attack our homeland. For the mainland…For our homeland…Until the very last man. Our duty is to stop the enemy right here. Not one of you is allowed to die until you have killed ten enemy soldiers. Do not expect to return home alive. I will always be in front of you.
