Clint Eastwood’s “Letters From Iwo Jima” will be shown as a primetime special event on Feb. 16 on AMC. The cable-TV group bought the televised rights.

Eastwood even taped a special introduction to the premiere cablecast.

After the showing of the movie, a making-of the movie documentary will be shown.

As a rule, the cable company usually doesn’t buy the first network window to big-grossing theatrical movies because the cost is too high. The net prefers to go with older, less expensive movies that can still draw a substantial audience of movie lovers.