thedrifter
01-31-07, 08:40 AM
`Iwo Jima' Star Watanabe Finds Japanese Commander Had Soft Side
By Michael White
Jan. 31 (Bloomberg) -- After agreeing to star in ``Letters From Iwo Jima,'' Ken Watanabe perused the correspondence of the Japanese general who turned the Pacific island into the U.S. Marine Corps's bloodiest battleground.
In those papers, Watanabe found the human side of Tadamichi Kuribayashi, a distinguished officer who opposed war with the U.S. and, in his spare moments, wrote thoughtful, poignant letters to his family.
``Some of the letters are so intimate,'' Watanabe said in an interview. ``He can never show his weakness on the battlefield, but in the letters home, that was the only time he could say what he wanted to say and even show his softer side.''
Watanabe's portrayal of Kuribayashi has helped lift the Japanese-language film to critical and box-office success. ``Letters From Iwo Jima'' was nominated for four Academy Awards, including best film and a best director nod for Clint Eastwood, and won a Golden Globe for best foreign-language film from the Hollywood Foreign Press Association.
In Japan, the film spent five weeks at No. 1 after its Dec. 9 debut, collecting $36.7 million. The movie, which played in only five U.S. theaters until expanding last week, has taken in $5.1 million domestically.
Before his research, Watanabe, 47, knew little about Iwo Jima and nothing about the man he plays. The history of the battle isn't taught in schools in Japan and, until the film had its debut there, wasn't a conversation topic.
Suppressed Memory
``I had to learn about the history of World War II and why the Pacific war started, what wrong decisions were made by the Japanese government,'' Watanabe said. ``For the Japanese, Iwo Jima is an unfortunate event, so people don't like to talk about it.''
Watanabe is best known to American audiences for his supporting role opposite Tom Cruise in ``The Last Samurai,'' which earned him an Oscar nomination. Other U.S. films include ``Memoirs of a Geisha'' and ``Batman Begins.''
Kuribayashi's letters, illuminated through flashbacks, help provide the emotional balance in a film that also focuses graphically on the close-quarters combat that typified the battle. Watanabe said a trip to Kuribayashi's hometown and meetings with his descendants helped round out the character.
The battle, fought to provide a base for U.S. fighter planes escorting bombers to Japan, took the lives of almost 7,000 Marines and sailors and more than 20,000 Japanese soldiers, according to Dan Crawford, head of the reference branch of the U.S. Marine Corps's History Division in Quantico, Virginia.
Clint Calls
When he first heard that Eastwood was making ``Flags of Our Fathers,'' Watanabe sent out feelers to see if there was a role for a Japanese actor. He was told there were no Japanese parts. Months later, Eastwood called him to say he had decided to make a second film showing the Japanese side of the fight and asked Watanabe to take the starring role.
``I was surprised that Clint even thought about doing this movie, showing it from the Japanese side,'' Watanabe said. ``I got a call from him, and we met and talked. It started there.''
For Watanabe, the purpose of Eastwood's two-film project was illustrated during the one day that the cast was allowed to film on Iwo Jima itself.
After shooting several scenes, a small group of cast and crew climbed to the top of Mount Suribachi. The prop master, Mike Sexton, took out two small flags, one American and the other Japanese. Watanabe held the U.S. flag and Sexton the Japanese as the small group paused to remember those who died on both sides.
``I totally recognized this movie's meaning,'' Watanabe said. ``Sixty-one years ago we were enemies, but right now, today, we can make this film together.''
To contact the reporter on this story: Michael White in Los Angeles at mwhite8@bloomberg.net .
Last Updated: January 31, 2007 00:16 EST
Ellie
By Michael White
Jan. 31 (Bloomberg) -- After agreeing to star in ``Letters From Iwo Jima,'' Ken Watanabe perused the correspondence of the Japanese general who turned the Pacific island into the U.S. Marine Corps's bloodiest battleground.
In those papers, Watanabe found the human side of Tadamichi Kuribayashi, a distinguished officer who opposed war with the U.S. and, in his spare moments, wrote thoughtful, poignant letters to his family.
``Some of the letters are so intimate,'' Watanabe said in an interview. ``He can never show his weakness on the battlefield, but in the letters home, that was the only time he could say what he wanted to say and even show his softer side.''
Watanabe's portrayal of Kuribayashi has helped lift the Japanese-language film to critical and box-office success. ``Letters From Iwo Jima'' was nominated for four Academy Awards, including best film and a best director nod for Clint Eastwood, and won a Golden Globe for best foreign-language film from the Hollywood Foreign Press Association.
In Japan, the film spent five weeks at No. 1 after its Dec. 9 debut, collecting $36.7 million. The movie, which played in only five U.S. theaters until expanding last week, has taken in $5.1 million domestically.
Before his research, Watanabe, 47, knew little about Iwo Jima and nothing about the man he plays. The history of the battle isn't taught in schools in Japan and, until the film had its debut there, wasn't a conversation topic.
Suppressed Memory
``I had to learn about the history of World War II and why the Pacific war started, what wrong decisions were made by the Japanese government,'' Watanabe said. ``For the Japanese, Iwo Jima is an unfortunate event, so people don't like to talk about it.''
Watanabe is best known to American audiences for his supporting role opposite Tom Cruise in ``The Last Samurai,'' which earned him an Oscar nomination. Other U.S. films include ``Memoirs of a Geisha'' and ``Batman Begins.''
Kuribayashi's letters, illuminated through flashbacks, help provide the emotional balance in a film that also focuses graphically on the close-quarters combat that typified the battle. Watanabe said a trip to Kuribayashi's hometown and meetings with his descendants helped round out the character.
The battle, fought to provide a base for U.S. fighter planes escorting bombers to Japan, took the lives of almost 7,000 Marines and sailors and more than 20,000 Japanese soldiers, according to Dan Crawford, head of the reference branch of the U.S. Marine Corps's History Division in Quantico, Virginia.
Clint Calls
When he first heard that Eastwood was making ``Flags of Our Fathers,'' Watanabe sent out feelers to see if there was a role for a Japanese actor. He was told there were no Japanese parts. Months later, Eastwood called him to say he had decided to make a second film showing the Japanese side of the fight and asked Watanabe to take the starring role.
``I was surprised that Clint even thought about doing this movie, showing it from the Japanese side,'' Watanabe said. ``I got a call from him, and we met and talked. It started there.''
For Watanabe, the purpose of Eastwood's two-film project was illustrated during the one day that the cast was allowed to film on Iwo Jima itself.
After shooting several scenes, a small group of cast and crew climbed to the top of Mount Suribachi. The prop master, Mike Sexton, took out two small flags, one American and the other Japanese. Watanabe held the U.S. flag and Sexton the Japanese as the small group paused to remember those who died on both sides.
``I totally recognized this movie's meaning,'' Watanabe said. ``Sixty-one years ago we were enemies, but right now, today, we can make this film together.''
To contact the reporter on this story: Michael White in Los Angeles at mwhite8@bloomberg.net .
Last Updated: January 31, 2007 00:16 EST
Ellie