Considering that it’s more of a life-long obsession, it might be inaccurate to say that I’m currently on a Clint Eastwood kick.  But after taking in a second viewing of Gran Torino, I was inspired to finally watch his telling of the battle of Iwo Jiwa that spans two films, Flags of Our Fathers and Letters From Iwo Jima.

The latter film got most of the critical praise, and rightfully so, for when taken individually, it’s a superior work.  But both have a lot to say about war, and when viewed back-to-back, it makes for an enlightening (if a bit overwhelming) portrayal of the realities of war.

As an American, I’m used to seeing war films from one perspective and one perspective only.  Whether they’re gung-ho flag-waving spectacles or introspective condemnations of the horrible practice, they all put the primary focus on the American soldier(s) (or, in some cases, the former American soldier training/leading a new group).  Sure, some films have moments that cause you to sympathize with the enemy, but they continue to remain the “other.”

The same is true of Flags of Our Fathers…until you then see Letters From Iwo Jima.  You get to know a new set of characters as it leads up to the major battle, and suddenly you realize that these were the same people you were rooting to be killed before.  (Rooting for the survival of the American soldiers invariably means rooting for the death of the Japanese soldiers, such is the consequence of war.)  But now the tables have turned, and it makes you focus on the very real truth that every single person involved in a war is just that.  A person.  Not a soldier or a casualty, but a person.

There are some films that I’ve heard shift between two opposing sides at war, but I can’t imagine they have the same effect.  In this case, you become so engrossed with the story of one side that you momentarily forget the other side is even human, a rough equivalent of what happens for many people in an actual war.

Individually, each film focuses on a specific topic.  Flags explores the idea of “heroes,” revealing a deeper story behind the famous flag photograph than most knew existed.  Some of these men were paraded around like movie stars for what thousands of people do every day around the country…raising a flag.  Obviously the circumstances were very different, but in the minds of the men involved, it’s nothing worth praising.  They loathe the idea of being called “heroes” and practically worshipped while so many that died are ignored in all but the occasional moment of silence.  During the film you think only of the fallen fellow soldiers, but when paired with Letters, it forces you to acknowledge the “enemy” soldiers who had to died in order for these “heroes” to exist.

Letters is ultimately a study of partiotism, particularly blind patriotism.  The commanders know what the soldiers eventually realize; they were never expected to win this battle.  To contine fighting in such a situation is often called heroic (i.e. The Alamo), and indeed, these soldiers are heroic in their own way.  But the film constantly throws the irrational (by most assessments, at least), stubborn behavior of commanders and soldiers in your face, making you appear foolish if you accept them as heroes without question.

The parallels between the Japan of the 1940’s and the America of today don’t go unnoticed.  Perhaps even those that have no interest in viewing any sort of critique on blind American patriotism, no matter how balanced, can learn a lot from this film.  It’s a portrayal of the truth more than a commentary on contemporary events, but the message still hits home.

Clint Eastwood obviously has a lot to say, but unlike many people his age, he never bores you while he does it.

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