Letters from Iwo Jima (soundtrack)

Letters from Iwo Jima (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
Film score by
Kyle Eastwood and Michael Stevens
ReleasedDecember 12, 2006
StudioEastwood Scoring Stage, Warner Bros. Studios, Burbank, California
GenreFilm score
Length37:41
LabelMilan
Producer
Kyle Eastwood and Michael Stevens chronology
Letters from Iwo Jima
(2006) 		Rails & Ties
(2007)

Letters from Iwo Jima (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) is the film score to the 2006 film Letters from Iwo Jima directed and produced by Clint Eastwood. The score was composed by Clint's son Kyle Eastwood and Michael Stevens in their composition debut and released through Milan Records on December 12, 2006.

Background and release

Letters from Iwo Jima is the composition debut of Clint's son and jazz bassist Kyle Eastwood and Michael Stevens.[1] Both composers worked for Clint in arranging the music of The Rookie (1990), Mystic River (2002) and Million Dollar Baby (2004), while also worked on additional music in Flags of Our Fathers.[1]

The score was released through Milan Records on December 12, 2006, featuring 13 tracks.[2] Another album featuring music from Flags of Our Fathers composed by Clint, was released as a double disc album in May 2007.[3]

Track listing

No.TitleLength
1."Main Titles"4:17
2."Letters Montage"3:18
3."Preparing for the Battle"2:59
4."Suicide"3:20
5."Enemy Fire"1:39
6."Shimizu's Past"3:07
7."Dinner Party"3:17
8."Nearing the End"2:11
9."Kuribayashi's Farewell Letter"2:03
10."Song for the Defense of Iwo Jima"1:18
11."Kuribayashi Pleads for Death"2:55
12."End Titles Part 1"2:55
13."End Titles Part 2"4:22
Total length:37:41
No.TitleLength
14."Main Titles" (Radio Edit) (bonus)2:51
15."Main Titles" (Composers Duet) (bonus)2:40
16."Exclusive Interview With Clint Eastwood" (bonus)16:37
17."Exclusive Interview With Kyle Eastwood and Michael Stevens" (bonus)73:19

Reception

Chad Grischow of IGN wrote "Kyle Eastwood and Michael Stevens' Letters From Iwo Jima strikes just the right chord with its tender, intimate, and proud score. More variety in the wonderful theme of the film would have benefited it, but as it stands it is a solid effort that shows the duo to be up and coming composers with a great deal of talent."[4] Tim Clark of Soundtrack.Net wrote "While the album itself may not make for an entirely satisfying stand-alone listening experience, it delivers pretty much what you'd expect: a complete catalogue of the film's musical cues and an aural reminder of the film's emotional power. It may not join the pantheon of classic American film scores, but it is, in its own way, richly rewarding, moving and soulful."[5]

Philip French of The Guardian described it "a plangent score co-written by Eastwood's son Kyle".[6] Todd McCarthy of Variety called it a "spare score this time was composed not by the director, but by son Kyle Eastwood and Michael Stevens."[7] Manchester Evening News-based critic wrote "Kyle Eastwood and Michael Stevens provide the elegiac soundtrack that is just as haunting as the soldier's words: "See you on the other side... If not on this Earth, then in the next."[8] Richard A. Blake of America wrote "The score by Kyle Eastwood and Michael Stevens employs Western rather than Japanese idioms. It is moving, without being intrusive. These pieces come together magnificently."[9]

Personnel

Credits adapted from liner notes:[10]

  • Music composer and producer – Kyle Eastwood, Michael Stevens
  • Orchestrator, conductor and leader – Lennie Niehaus
  • Orchestra contractor – Joyce Ryan
  • Concertmaster – Bruce Dukov
  • Recording and mixing – Bobby Fernandez
  • Mastering and editing – Christian Dwiggins
  • Music preparation – Eric Stonerook Music
  • Art direction – Jodi Tack
  • Executive producer – Clint Eastwood, Rob Lorenz, Ian Hierons, Jean-Christophe Chamboredon
Instruments
  • Bass – Ann Atkinson, Chuck Berghofer, Don Ferrone, Ian Walker, Kenny Wild, Kyle Eastwood, Peter Doubrovsky
  • Cello – Armen Ksajikian, Chris Ermacoff, David Speltz, Erika Duke Kirkpatrick, Matt Cooker, Paula Hochhalter, Roger Lebow, Vanessa Freebairn Smith
  • Keyboards, guitar – Michael Stevens
  • Viola – Carrie Holzman, Dan Neufeld, Denyse Buffum, Janet Lakatos, Karie Prescott, Kazi Pitelka, Pamela Goldsmith, Rick Gerding, Roland Kato, Sam Formicola
  • Violin – Amy Hershberger, Armen Garabedian, Charles Bisharat, Debra Price, Endre Granat, Eric Hosler, Gil Romero, Grace Ho, Haim Shtrum, Horia Moroaica, Julie Gigante, Kevin Connolly, Margaret Wooten, Mike Markman, Nicole Bush, Olivia Tsui, Raphael Rishik, Razdan Kuyumjian, Robin Olson, Tiffany YiHu, Darius Campo

Accolades

Award Category Recipient Result
Chicago Film Critics Association[11][12][13] Best Original Score Kyle Eastwood and Michael Stevens Nominated

References

  1. ^ a b Lee, Louise. ""Kyle Eastwood Is a Bassist in Search of His Own Groove" July 2011". Stringsmagazine.com. Archived from the original on September 13, 2012. Retrieved August 30, 2015.
  2. ^ "Kyle Eastwood, Michael Stevens: Clint Eastwood's Iwo Jima - Soundtrack". Milan Records. Archived from the original on August 6, 2020. Retrieved August 13, 2025.
  3. ^ Clint Eastwood; Kyle Eastwood; Michael Stevens (May 22, 2007). Clint Eastwood's Iwo Jima (Flags Of Our Fathers / Letters From Iwo Jima) (CD). Milan Records.
  4. ^ Grischow, Chad (January 13, 2007). "Kyle Eastwood and Michael Stevens - Letters From Iwo Jima: Music From The Motion Picture". IGN. Archived from the original on August 13, 2025. Retrieved August 13, 2025.
  5. ^ Clark, Tim (March 11, 2007). "Review: Letters from Iwo Jima". Soundtrack.Net. Archived from the original on September 6, 2015. Retrieved August 13, 2025.
  6. ^ French, Philip (February 25, 2007). "Letters From Iwo Jima". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Archived from the original on April 2, 2018. Retrieved August 13, 2025.
  7. ^ McCarthy, Todd (December 7, 2006). "Letters From Iwo Jima". Variety. Archived from the original on February 16, 2017. Retrieved August 13, 2025.
  8. ^ "DVD review: Letters From Iwo Jima (15)". Manchester Evening News. January 12, 2013. Archived from the original on December 1, 2021. Retrieved August 13, 2025.
  9. ^ Blake, Richard A. (February 19, 2007). "Life Among the Dead: Letters From Iwo Jima". America. Archived from the original on August 13, 2025. Retrieved August 13, 2025.
  10. ^ Kyle Eastwood; Michael Stevens. Letters from Iwo Jima (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) (Media notes). Milan Records.
  11. ^ "This Year's Nominees". Chicago Film Critics Association. Archived from the original on December 18, 2006. Retrieved December 18, 2006.
  12. ^ "This Year's Nominees". Chicago Film Critics Association. Archived from the original on January 6, 2007. Retrieved January 6, 2007.
  13. ^ "1988-2013 Award Winner Archives". Chicago Film Critics Association. Archived from the original on October 18, 2013. Retrieved October 18, 2013.
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