Jonathan Bowerbank Posted January 24, 2007 Share Posted January 24, 2007 Great story with some fantastic performances. But I'd say its quality is on par with the small screen quality of the great mini-series "Band of Brothers". The special effects weren't very "special" (especially when the Americans are landing on the beach), and the color palette along with the high contrast images really began to grow tiring. Directorially I don't know why it's nominated, it seemed very stylized at times, especially during one of the killings where blood was spattered on a wall in typical horror fashion, ha ha. Also, notice how they made the reds & oranges in the explosions and fire really pop in the desaturated environment...kinda weirded me out a bit. I haven't seen "Flags of our Fathers" yet, so I can't compare the two. See it for the story though, that at least kept me involved, and Ken Watanabe is excellent as usual. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member steve hyde Posted February 2, 2007 Premium Member Share Posted February 2, 2007 ....a singular masterpiece of war cinema. This film poses questions and leaves the audience to find answers. It illuminates the importance of questioning authority and at the same time it leaves loyalty intact. It casts the logic of blind-patriotism into doubt along with shallow conceptions of good and evil. Perhaps it will be the beginning of a new form of war cinema that truly subverts the notions of *us versus them* and leaves audiences with the notion that perhaps, on earth, there is only *us*. I cannot think of more important questions to pose about the logic of war. The filmmakers shot a bullseye. The battle choreography in the film is incredible: bleak and impossible. The desaturated look was perfect and very suitable for the portrait-style photography that characterized the film. There was no romantization of landscapes, no lush colors to aesthetisize the picture, just cold clear truths about war rendered in black and white. I'd like to learn more about how the filmmakers accomplished this look. Steve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jonathan Bowerbank Posted February 2, 2007 Author Share Posted February 2, 2007 There was no romantization of landscapes, no lush colors to aesthetisize the picture, just cold clear truths about war rendered in black and white. I'd like to learn more about how the filmmakers accomplished this look. DI and very high contrast lighting Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member steve hyde Posted February 2, 2007 Premium Member Share Posted February 2, 2007 DI and very high contrast lighting Film stocks? Steve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angeliki Makraki Posted April 6, 2007 Share Posted April 6, 2007 I got dizzy from watching Letters from Iwo Jima. I don't know if it was the theatre I saw it in or the Greek subtitles that where white on white, but I left after an hour. The lighting really bothered me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jonathan Bowerbank Posted April 6, 2007 Author Share Posted April 6, 2007 Film stocks? Steve Kodak Vision 250D 5246, 500T 5279 The latest AC Mag has the full story. And Angeliki, I agree with you partly. The extreme contrast and desaturation of the images got a bit much for me, but I still made it through. It gave me a hunger to see something colorful afterwards...so that same night I went and saw "Pan's Labyrinth" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angeliki Makraki Posted April 6, 2007 Share Posted April 6, 2007 Kodak Vision 250D 5246, 500T 5279 The latest AC Mag has the full story. And Angeliki, I agree with you partly. The extreme contrast and desaturation of the images got a bit much for me, but I still made it through. It gave me a hunger to see something colorful afterwards...so that same night I went and saw "Pan's Labyrinth" Jonathan, what do you call that type of bright white light coming from the upper left ? That is what bothered me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jonathan Bowerbank Posted April 7, 2007 Author Share Posted April 7, 2007 Jonathan, what do you call that type of bright white light coming from the upper left ?That is what bothered me. I assume you're talking about a kicker or backlight, which there was a lot of during the cave scenes especially. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angeliki Makraki Posted April 7, 2007 Share Posted April 7, 2007 I assume you're talking about a kicker or backlight, which there was a lot of during the cave scenes especially. Not sure ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Srujan Sriram Posted February 20, 2011 Share Posted February 20, 2011 Not sure ! Angeliki, What light are you refering to? Could you post an image or some kind of depiction. Srujan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Hulnick Posted February 24, 2011 Share Posted February 24, 2011 A superb movie, sure Mr Eastwood's best. I enjoyed it far more that Flags Of Our Fathers. I for one liked the color/ lighting, it suited the mood of the film. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Markshaw Posted February 25, 2011 Share Posted February 25, 2011 I watched Flags Of Our Fathers and thought this is great, then I watched Letters From Iwo Jima and was completely floored. What a superb movie. I was very deeply moved by the characters. It made the Japanese seem more human/ humane and Ken Watanabe's acting was again top notch. To me he is God. :ph34r: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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