Sixty-one years ago, the United States and Japanese armies met on Iwo Jima. Decades later, hundreds of 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. Leading the defense is Lt. General Tadamichi Kuribayashi. 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.

MPAA rating: R; for graphic war violence.

HD DVD and DVD combo format - insert.

In Japanese with optional English, French, or Spanish subtitles.

SDH.

Ken Watanabe, Kazunari Ninomiya, Tsuyoshi Ihara, Ryo Kase, Shido Nakamura, Hiroshi Watanabe, Takumi Bando, Yuki Matsuzaki, Takashi Yamaguchi, Eijiro Ozaki.

Director of photography, Tom Stern ; editors, Joel Cox, Gary D. Roach ; music, Kyle Eastwood, Michael Stevens ; costume designer, Deborah Hopper ; production designers, Henry Bumstead, James J. Murakami.

Based on the book "Picture letters from Commander in Chief" by Tadamichi Kuribayashi and book editor Tsuyoko Yoshido.

HD DVD Side A: Special features- "Red sun, black sand: the making of Letters from Iwo Jima:" led by Clint Eastwood, take an inside look at the creation of the film with many of the key players involved who brought this epic film together; "The faces of combat: the cast of Letters from Iwo Jima:" cast members introduce the characters they portray in the film; "Images from the frontlines: the photography of Letters from Iwo Jima;" November 2006 world premiere at Budo-kan in Tokyo; November 2006 press conference; theatrical trailer. (English & French on selected bonus material.)

Academy Awards, USA, 2007: Oscar - Best Achievement in Sound Editing (Alan Robert Murray, Bub Asman).

Golden Globes, USA, 2007: Golden Globe - Best Foreign language Film.