What are the similarities and differences between Flags of Our Fathers and Letters from Iwo Jima?
Both movies are based upon the WWII battle for the Pacific Island of Iwo Jima which was occupied by the Japanese and considered a necessary jumping stone for invading Japan. Flags is the story from the American perspective–the drive to succeed with the invasion of the island at any cost. The cost was horrific. Letters is the defense of the island from the Japanese perspective and humanizes, through several soldiers, their preparations to defend the island at all costs. In Flags the American preparations to bombard the island prior to invasion, the optimism during the early minutes of the invasion because there appears to be no defense, and the human stories about the ultimate sacrifices are portrayed. In Letters, you get insight into the tunneling defenses, the motivation of the Japanese defenders and their personal stories and honor in the face of a foregone conclusion. In this manner both movies are similar–the futility of war, the huge loss of life, devastation of an island and th
