Eastwood goes East

Clint Eastwood’s Japanese language film Letters from Iwo Jima was named Best Film by the National Board of Review yesterday. The film is hotly tipped for Oscar success. 

Letters from Iwo Jima mirrors Eastwood’s other directorial feature this year, Flags of Our Fathers. The two films detail the USA’s seizing of the Japanese island of Iwo Jima in 1945, in which the iconic photograph of U.S. troops raising the American flag was taken. Flags of our Fathers presents the perspective of the American soldiers while Letters from Iwo Jima offers the opposing perspective of the Japanese defendants.  

“Letters from Iwo Jima is probably Mr Eastwood’s masterpiece and perhaps one of the greatest films of our time,” said National Board of Review President Annie Schulhof in a statement. “His achievement is all the more extraordinary when one views the film as a companion piece to ‘Flags of Our Fathers.’”

The National Board of Review Awards are the biggest cinematic accolades before the Oscars in April and kick off the awards season each year.

Forrest Whitaker was named Best Actor for his portrayal of an African dictator in ‘The Last King of Scotland’ and Helen Mirren was named Best Actress for ‘The Queen.’  Martin Scorsese’s ‘The Departed’ won Best Director aswell as Best Ensemble Cast. 

Other awards included Best Original Screenplay for ‘Stranger than Fiction’ and Best Documentary for Al Gore’s ‘An Inconvenient Truth.’ 

The National Board of Review Awards ceremony will be held in
New York on January 9 2007.

Pictures: Top Right: Clint Eastwood on the set of Letters from Iwo Jima, Bottom Left: The iconic photo of troops raising the American flag on the island of Iwo Jima

Flags of Our Fathers Trailer:

Letters from
Iwo Jima Trailer: