EASTWOOD CHATTER ON THE RISE

National Board Loves 'Letters'

Wednesday December 6 4:42 PM ET

"Letters From Iwo Jima," the second half of Clint Eastwood's two-part look at World War II, is the National Board of Review of Motion Pictures' pick as the best film of 2006.

Also on the list, announced Wednesday: "Flags of Our Fathers," in which Eastwood shows the aftermath of war through the eyes of the military men who raised the American flag during the Battle of Iwo Jima.

"This is his masterpiece," NBR President Annie Schulhof said of "Letters From Iwo Jima." "I was blown away by its delicacy, the poignancy of how he talks about war. I think it's also a searing condemnation of war. It was a unique view of the Japanese side of the battle. We don't always see that."

Martin Scorsese was the organization's choice for best director for "The Departed."

Top acting honors went to Forest Whitaker as Idi Amin in "The Last King of Scotland" and Helen Mirren as Queen Elizabeth II in "The Queen." The awards for supporting performances went to Djimon Hounsou in "Blood Diamond" and Catherine O'Hara in "For Your Consideration."

"Letters," which depicts the war from the Japanese perspective with a mostly Japanese cast, originally was scheduled to hit theaters in February 2007, but Warner Bros. recently bumped up the release date to Dec. 20. "Flags" came out on Oct. 20 to good reviews but disappointing box office.

The rest of the group's top 10, in alphabetical order: "Babel," "Blood Diamond," "The Departed," "The Devil Wears Prada," "The History Boys," "Little Miss Sunshine," "Notes on a Scandal" and "The Painted Veil"

The board chose Pedro Almodovar's "Volver" as the year's best foreign film and "An Inconvenient Truth," Al Gore's warning about global warming, as best documentary. In a year that was flooded with animated films, "Cars" was the group's top choice.

"The Departed," about Boston cops and mobsters starring Jack Nicholson, Matt Damon and Leonardo DiCaprio, was singled out for its ensemble cast. Three actors were recognized for their breakthrough performances: Ryan Gosling in "Half Nelson," Jennifer Hudson in "Dreamgirls" and Rinko Kikuchi in "Babel." And veteran actor Eli Wallach, who currently has a supporting role in the romantic comedy "The Holiday," was chosen for a career achievement award.

The National Board of Review is the first out of the gate each awards season but their picks aren't necessarily predictors of the eventual Academy Award winners. In 2004 they chose "Finding Neverland," while the best-picture Oscar went to "Million Dollar Baby." Last year they picked "Good Night, and Good Luck" and the surprise Oscar winner was "Crash." The National Board and the Academy did line up, however, for 1999's "American Beauty."

Formed 97 years ago, the National Board of Motion Pictures is composed of film historians, students and educators.

BURBANK, CA, -- ‘Letters From Iwo Jima,’ Clint Eastwood’s follow-up to his critically acclaimed World War II drama ‘Flags of Our Fathers,’ will open domestically in limited release in New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco on December 20, 2006. The announcement was made November 16 by Warner Bros. President of Domestic Distribution Dan Fellman.

Like ‘Flags of Our Fathers,’ ‘Letters From Iwo Jima’ chronicles the pivotal battle for the Japanese island of Iwo Jima. However, while the first film is centered around the six men who raised the flag on Mount Suribachi in the famous photo, ‘Letters From Iwo Jima’ views the battle from the perspective of the island’s Japanese defenders.

Both films are co-productions of Warner Bros. Pictures and DreamWorks Pictures.

Clint Eastwood offered, “I have been extremely gratified by the response from the press and the public who have seen ‘Flags of Our Fathers,’ and what all of us keep hearing is that they want to understand the other side of the story. While working on “Flags,” I was intrigued by the idea of revealing what happened during this important battle from different perspectives. I’m happy to know that others feel the same way about seeing both sides. The two films were meant to complement each other, so it just makes sense to release ‘Letters From Iwo Jima’ this year, closer to the release of ‘Flags of Our Fathers’.”

Dan Fellman added, “’Flags of Our Fathers’ told an important story about one of the most famous battles of World War II, but history has shown us that it is impossible to truly understand any story unless you can see it from other sides. We feel ‘Letters From Iwo Jima’ is a powerful movie that brings a different, but equally important, part of the story to the screen, and we are both proud and excited to be bringing the film to American audiences this year.”

‘Letters From Iwo Jima’ has already screened in Japan, where it received an enthusiastic response.

Sixty-one years ago, U.S. and Japanese armies met on Iwo Jima. Decades later, several hundred letters are unearthed from that stark island’s soil. The letters give faces and voices to the men who fought there, as well as the extraordinary general who led them, Tadamichi Kuribayashi (Ken Watanabe).

With little defense other than sheer will and the volcanic rock of the island itself, Gen. Kuribayashi’s unprecedented tactics transform what was predicted to be a quick and bloody defeat into nearly 40 days of heroic and resourceful combat.

In an effort to explore an event that continues to resonate with both cultures, Clint Eastwood was haunted by the sense that making only one film, ‘Flags of Our Fathers,’ would be telling only half the story. With this unprecedented dual film project, shot back-to-back to be released in sequence, Eastwood seeks to reveal the battle of Iwo Jima—and, by implication, the war in the Pacific—as a clash not only of arms but of cultures.

Warner Bros. Pictures and DreamWorks Pictures present a Malpaso/Amblin Production of ‘Letters From Iwo Jima,’ starring Academy Award nominee Ken Watanabe (‘The Last Samurai,’ ‘Memoirs of a Geisha,’ ‘Batman Begins’) as Gen. Tadamichi Kuribayashi, the Imperial Japanese General who led the resistance.

Directed by Eastwood from a screenplay by Japanese-American screenwriter Iris Yamashita, story by Yamashita and Oscar winner Paul Haggis (‘Crash’), the film is produced by Eastwood, Oscar winner Steven Spielberg (‘Saving Private Ryan,’ ‘Schindler’s List’) and Oscar nominee Robert Lorenz (‘Mystic River’).

Eastwood’s longtime collaborators headed the creative behind-the-scenes team: director of photography Tom Stern; costume designer Deborah Hopper; editors Joel Cox and Gary D. Roach; and the late production designer Henry Bumstead, and production designer James J. Murakami. The music is by Kyle Eastwood and Michael Stevens.

‘Letters From Iwo Jima’ is being released worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures.

Eastwood's 'Letters' joins 'Flags'

Updated 11/17/2006 9:19 AM ET

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Letters From Iwo Jima, Clint Eastwood's companion film to his World War II saga Flags of Our Father, has been bumped up to a December release, making it eligible for Academy Awards consideration.

Shot back-to-back with Flags, which opened in October, Letters From Iwo Jima will open Dec. 20 in New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco and possibly one other market, said Dan Fellman, head of distribution at Warner Bros., which is releasing the film. Letters From Iwo Jima had been scheduled for release Feb. 9.

The film is the flip side of Flags, which tells the story of the Iwo Jima invasion and the celebrated raising of the U.S. flag there from the American perspective. Letters From Iwo Jima chronicles the battle from the point of view of Japanese troops defending the island, with Ken Watanabe starring as the general in charge.

Letters From Iwo Jima opens Dec. 9 in Japan, where director Eastwood has been screening it to great acclaim, Fellman said Thursday.

"The reaction has been overwhelming, more than he ever expected, and based on that conversation and the fact that the movie is ready to go, it was in the best interests of the movie to move the date up," Fellman said.

The schedule change mirrors the approach Warner Bros. took two years ago with Eastwood's Million Dollar Baby, which was ready earlier than expected and added to the December slate as a last-minute entry to qualify for the Oscars.

Million Dollar Baby won best-picture and three other Oscars: director for Eastwood, actress for Hilary Swank and supporting actor for Morgan Freeman.

Flags of Our Fathers debuted to praise from critics but has been a box-office underachiever, poking along to a modest $31 million domestically so far. Weak box-office returns are viewed as a potential hindrance to a film's awards prospects, creating a negative aura that it failed to live up to expectations.

Bookending Flags of Our Fathers with Letters From Iwo Jima so quickly afterward could raise the awards and financial prospects for both films. If Letters From Iwo Jima earns similar critical praise, it will make Eastwood's achievement — two ambitious, acclaimed films in one year — all the more impressive.

Flags of Our Fathers was distributed domestically by Paramount, though Warner Bros. is handling the film overseas. Fellman said the so-so results on Flags of Our Fathers was not a consideration in moving up the release of Letters From Iwo Jima, "but if it helps, I'm pleased."

Copyright 2006 The Associated Press.

Warner Bros. is moving up the release date of Clint Eastwood's Japanese-language WWII drama Letters From Iwo Jima -- the companion pic to Flags of Our Fathers.

Variety says new frame puts Letters up for awards consideration, with Warners planning to make the film available to critics groups and guilds in its limited run.

Pic will open in L.A. and New York, and possibly in San Francisco.

Eastwood approached Warners about the date change for "Letters" after consulting with Steven Spielberg, who brought in Eastwood to direct Flags for DreamWorks.

Spielberg is a producer on both pics.

“Letters” Wins Best Picture by National Board of Review!
Posted Wednesday, December 6th, 2006

Eastwood’s companion picture “Letters from Iwo Jima” has just been declared the winner for ‘Best Picture’ by the National Board of Review on Wednesday, December 6. This is the first major award of the Oscar season. “Letters” is the story of the bloody battle for control of the Japanese island during World War Two, told from the perspective of Japanese soldiers. It will be released in U.S. theaters on December 20.

Posted Wednesday, November 1st, 2006

The second trailer for “Letters from Iwo Jima” (the companion film for “Flags”) has just been released.


Posted Friday, October 27th, 2006

The companion to “Flags of Our Fathers” will be a Japanese version titled “Letters from Iwo Jima” and will be released in Japan on Dec. 9, 2006. You can view 8 new pictures of this film by going to FILMBYEN.NET.

Flags of Our Fathers Opens! Post Your Thoughts…

Posted Saturday, October 21st, 2006

Flags of Our Fathers opened today. What did you think about the film?

Post your thoughts in our forum.
Flags of Our Fathers Opens Oct. 20!
Posted Tuesday, October 17th, 2006

We are just a few days away from the launch of Flags of Our Fathers! Check your local movie listings to get showtimes and cinema locations. You can do this here.

Not in the US? Get your countries release date here.
Alert: Making of “Flags” on HBO Today!

Posted Wednesday, October 11th, 2006

Just a quick reminder that HBO will be showing a “behind-the-scenes” look at “Flags” today at 9:30pm EST. If you’re in a different timezone, or, won’t be able to catch it today, you can view the entire schedule of this showing here. Let us know what you thought of the show and feel free to post your opinion in our popular forum!

Posted Monday, October 9th, 2006

Now that we are two weeks away from the film’s release in the USA, you can expect to see new clips and featurettes about “Flags of Our Fathers” on the Internet. IESB.net, an online movie reporting source, has made available eight new flip clips from the film, including two behind-the-scenes features.

CBS News recently did a nice little segment about the film. It shows director Clint Eastwood talking about Iwo Jima and an incredible landing invasion sequence from the film. Also, interviews with veterans from the war are included. Worth a look.

First Video Clip Available
Posted Thursday, October 5th, 2006

Youtube has posted the first 1minute film clip. This one shows the main characters (Hayes, Bradley, Gagnon) discussing the first flag that was posted on Iwo Jima during the war. Interesting clip.