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| Eastwood Asked to Respect Iwo Jima Sites |
| 2005-04-06 |
| I hadn't heard about this. Wonder if he'll try to shoot there? The logistics would probably suck. TOKYO - Tokyo's nationalist governor had one request for Clint Eastwood before he starts shooting his next film, about the World War II battle at Iwo Jima: Respect the fallen soldiers. Eastwood, who is expected to begin shooting an adaptation of James Bradley's "Flags of Our Fathers: Heroes of Iwo Jima" later this year, met Wednesday with Shintaro Ishihara. Ishihara told Eastwood that thousands of Japanese soldiers who died on the island in one of the war's bloodiest battles remain unaccounted for more than a half-century later. He asked the actor-director to avoid "sacred" sites of the dead if he films on the island, Tokyo metropolitan government spokesman Katsumi Kumagai said. Eastwood replied that he would "absolutely not" trample on Japanese feelings, he said. Earlier, Eastwood had visited Iwo Jima, 700 miles south of Japan's capital, which is governed by Tokyo. He has yet to ask Tokyo's permission to shoot on the island, Kumagai said. Nearly 7,000 American troops and more than 20,000 Japanese died in the battle from February to March 1945. Eastwood, 74, has won two best-director Oscars, for "Million Dollar Baby" and "Unforgiven." |
| Posted by:tu3031 |
| #7 A lot of Japanese young men would jump at the chance to dress up in knee-highs and SS uniforms with swastikas if you put a camera on them. Maybe Eastwood will have an accident and re-take Iwo Jima. |
| Posted by: Asedwich 2005-04-06 9:31:15 PM |
| #6 As a lifelong Eastwood fan - I would expect this to be a true depiction with valor and honor on both sides... BTW - a million dollars? What are you, Dr. Evil? Try a LOT more LOL |
| Posted by: Frank G 2005-04-06 8:03:26 PM |
| #5 If done in good taste, this could be really good. God bless our fallen heroes |
| Posted by: Captain America 2005-04-06 7:22:06 PM |
| #4 mmurray821: A million? That certainly is a fistful of dollars! I guess you gotta make a living any which way you can. |
| Posted by: BH 2005-04-06 5:51:52 PM |
| #3 If Eastwood produces it like a civil-war reenactment, I can imagine a lot of young Japanese men jumping at the chance. The Japanese government might even encourage it a little bit, for, uh, you know, patriotism and stuff. |
| Posted by: Anonymoose 2005-04-06 5:25:54 PM |
| #2 I find it ironic they used the names of the movies he has won an oscar for in this story. It will make him over a million dollars and will piss off the Japanese and Marines so he will not be forgiven. Hmmmm.... |
| Posted by: mmurray821 2005-04-06 5:18:28 PM |
| #1 Dunno why any major filming would need to be done there. Get the long-range shots so it's recognizable as Iwo Jima, and use any of a bajillion Pacific islands for the close-in work. |
| Posted by: BH 2005-04-06 5:03:54 PM |