Both "Flags" and "Letters" were shown here a few months ago and I had the opportunity to watch both movies.

The former was shown first. My initial expectation was the movie would be something like "Sands of Iwo Jima" but it changed when it tends to focus more on the personal lives of the Marines (and one Navy corpsman) who planted the flag and less combat. Though there not a lot of battle scenes, it was a pretty good movie as far as the story-telling is concerned. The movie showed (of course) there is no glory in war and the men who planted the flag maintained their humility and did not let glory get into their heads and preferred to stay with their buddies.

The latter was shown about a month later and it provided a good counterpoint and the scenes of both movies are intertwined. It's not that I'm trying to be an apologist for the Japanese but IMO, it was a rather honest depiction. It showed that the Japanese were humans too, especially in one scene that centered on one inept private who did not seem to share the fanatical patriotism of his superiors and some of his comrades. If there's one thing I learned from this movie, it made me reconsider how I view the Japanese during the war.

Maybe advertising, to tell you the truth I had never heard of the movie until this post

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Both "Flags" and "Letters" were shown here a few months ago and I had the opportunity to watch both movies.

The former was shown first. My initial expectation was the movie would be something like "Sands of Iwo Jima" but it changed when it tends to focus more on the personal lives of the Marines (and one Navy corpsman) who planted the flag and less combat. Though there not a lot of battle scenes, it was a pretty good movie as far as the story-telling is concerned. The movie showed (of course) there is no glory in war and the men who planted the flag maintained their humility and did not let glory get into their heads and preferred to stay with their buddies.

The latter was shown about a month later and it provided a good counterpoint and the scenes of both movies are intertwined. It's not that I'm trying to be an apologist for the Japanese but IMO, it was a rather honest depiction. It showed that the Japanese were humans too, especially in one scene that centered on one inept private who did not seem to share the fanatical patriotism of his superiors and some of his comrades. If there's one thing I learned from this movie, it made me reconsider how I view the Japanese during the war.

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Ron-- I am rather pleased and somewhat surprised by your response. The Japanese were so brutal and barbaric in their occupation of various lands during WW II that I cannot hardly believe anyone would forgive and forget their inhumanity to their fellow man. That the film allowed you to take another look at how we view other human beings is certainly food for thought. I have not seen letters, but based on your comments, I certainly want to view it.
thanks
DJ

the wholesale slaughter of every native population

I watched "Flags" about a month ago, and "Letters" last Sunday, and I thought the latter was better. More of a war movie really. There was a nice link though -- there's one scene in "Letters" where a US marine is captured and then brutally murdered, and it sort of was like Eastwood was showing us what he didn't show us happening to the marine in letters.