Letters from Iwo Jima

"From the director of "Flags of our Fathers" comes the story of the battle for Iwo Jima told through the eyes of the Japanese soldiers."

"Everything happens in threes."

"[addressing his men before the battle] Men, the time has come to show your true colors. As a member of the Honorable Imperial Army, I trust that you will fight with honor. This island is of utmost importance to Japan. Should the island fall, the enemy will use it as their base to attack our homeland. For the mainland...For our homeland...Until the very last man..Our duty is to stop the enemy right here. Not one of you is allowed to die until you have killed ten enemy soldiers. Do not expect to return home alive. I will always be in front of you. [removing his hat and bowing] Long live the Emperor."

"A good officer uses his head, not his whip."

"[to his men, right before a suicide charge] A day will come when they will weep and pray for your souls. [unsheathes his katana] I will always be in front of you."

"From the director of Flags of our Fathers comes the completion of the Iwo Jima saga"

"The battle of Iwo Jima seen through the eyes of the Japanese soldiers."

"From Clint Eastwood, director of Flags of Our Fathers, the battle of Iwo Jima seen through the eyes of the Japanese soldiers."

"[When the Allied forces fire on him] Why are you always messing with me. It's got to be a joke! [An Allied shell lands right next to him, knocking him over. He sees the shell is a dud] Thank you, God! I take back what I said!"

"[Convincing Shimizu not to kill himself] We can die here, or we can continue fighting. Which would better serve the emperor?"

"[Letter to his wife] We soldiers dig. We dig all day. This is the hole that we will fight and die in. Am I digging my own grave?"

"[About Nishi's romancing skills] There are rumors about his womanizing...But there are no women left to woo."

"[In response to a soldier saying death is honorable] Kashiwara died of honorable dysentery."

"[On Kuribayashi] He studied the Americans, so he knows how to beat them."

"There is no use for a dead soldier."

"Damn this island! The Americans can have it."

"Do what is right because it is right."

"If you want my honest opinion, General, the best thing to do would be to sink this island to the bottom of the sea."

"I'm tired of sharing this cave with all of you, I'm a one-man show from now on."

"[moments before shooting himself] I'm sorry, Okubo."

"[to Nishi before he commits suicide] It has been a great honor to serve under you."

"[after finding the dead bodies of Shimizu and another Japanese soldier who tried to surrender] (sadly) Let this be a lesson to anyone else who wants to surrender."

"Don't waste a bullet. Not one."

"I have failed to hold Suribachi. Permit me to die with my men!"

"It's inevitable that people will die."

"It was your duty, hold your position until death, you should have died with your fellow troop members. You are a disgrace."

"Don't hide here like rats, come out of your caves and attack!"

"We will take back Suribachi, with or without Kuribayashi."

"I won't go back, I've had enough of cave fighting. You men are now under command of Lieutenant Colonel Nishi. [Strapping explosive to himself] I'll throw myself under a tank, I'll destroy one of their machines!"

"[Waiting in vain for the American tanks to run over him] Where are you, American tanks? Come and get me!"

"[reading letter] From headquarters. We regret that we are unable to send reinforcements to Iwo at this time. We earnestly hope you will fight honorably and die for your country."

"The Fleet of Americans have left from Saipan."

"[Referring to Kuribayashi] This one is trouble."

"This is ridiculous, why waste time digging all these tunnels? They are all going to die anyway!"

"Kuribayashi belongs behind a desk, not fighting a war."

"[Before the soldiers commit suicide by holding hand grenades against their chests] Men, we are honorable soldiers of the Emperor. Don't ever forget that. The only way left for us is to die with honor. This is our fate, to find our place at Yasukuni Shrine. I'll see you there. Banzai! Banzai! Banzai! [The men repeat 'banzai' each time he says it] Soldiers, farewell! [Shoots himself]"

"[To Saigo when he fails to hit the target during target practice] My six year old son can shoot better! [Saigo shoots again and misses] Do you call yourself an Imperial soldier?"

"Here is the uniform of the American medic. He should be your target. For, Americans will risk many lives to save this one."

"The cave digging may be futile. The stand on Iwo may be futile. The whole war may be futile. But would you give up then? If our children can live safely for one more day, it'll be worth one more day that we defend this island!"

"Ich habe nachgedacht über das, was Oberstleutnant Tadamichi gesagt hat. Er hatte recht. Ich weiß tatsächlich gar nichts über den Feind. Ich habe immer gedacht, die Amerikaner wären Feiglinge, das sind sie aber gar nicht."

"Die Tunnel zu graben ist vielleicht wirklich sinnlos, und vielleicht ist die Verteidigung von Iwo auch sinnlos, vielleicht ist überhaupt der ganze Krieg sinnlos, aber aufgeben dürfen wir nicht! Wir verteidigen die Insel mit unserem Leben, wir kämpfen bis zum letzten Mann! Wenn wir wollen, dass unsere Kinder in Japan in Zukunft sicher und in Frieden leben können, dann ergibt es zweifellos allen Sinn, diese Insel zu verteidigen!"

"Hauptdarsteller:"

"Erschienen: 2006"

"Genre: Krieg, Drama"

"Drehbuch: Iris Yamashita"

"Regie: Clint Eastwood"