FLAGS OF OUR FATHERS
Stirring stories of sacrifice in war via
the sands of Iwo Jima
PopcornReel.com Movie Review: "Flags of our Fathers"
By Omar P.L. Moore/October 20, 2006
Heroism or sacrifice -- which comes first? For director Clint Eastwood,
his latest film "Flags of Our Fathers" shows that for American soldiers who died
during the World War Two battle of Iwo Jima in Japan, sacrifice wins out.
The film, fantastically directed by Eastwood, and beautifully
shot by Tom Stern focuses on the world-famous photograph of the the American
flag being raised by six U.S. soldiers following the taking of the particular
hill on Iwo Jima. The life stories of the men who raised the flag are the
main topic in "Flags" as is the idea that an image means everything where war is
concerned. The film's tagline is "A single shot can end the war" -- and
that line has little to do with gunfire. Image-making is key to the
conscience -- especially to the American conscience -- and the thought in many
people's minds that the war in Japan was over was the greatest impression (and
misnomer) on the part of the American public -- thanks to the incredible
photograph shot in 1945. Eastwood looks closer at the circumstances of the
photo and the flag, and the taking down of the flag with a new replacement flag
(shot by a second photographer), as well as the true stories of three of the six
men -- Bradley, Gagnon and Hayes -- who were made instant heroes by the American
public and press while the battle of Iwo Jima actually raged on.
Ryan Phillippe, Jesse Bradford and Adam Beach respectively play the three men
who are guilt-ridden by their sudden propulsion into heroic icons and lionized
status as they are flown back to the U.S. to promote the effort to buy war bonds
while their buddies they left behind in Japan are dying and continuing to fight
on. They are constantly asked about who else raised the flag and their
guilt increases. The effects of this new fame and glory is as corrosive --
almost as corrosive and as devastating as the war itself, and it takes at heavy
toll on Ira Hayes (Beach) a native American soldier who also has to endure
racist barbs as he tours the corridors of power in America. He deals with
his anger, guilt and shame by imbibing alcohol in copious amounts. (The
late Johnny Cash once wrote and sung a song about Hayes called "The Ballad of
Ira Hayes" in which he talks about Hayes' exploits -- "call him drunken Ira
Hayes he won't answer anymore/not the whisky drinking Indian/or the marine that
went to war" -- are some of the words of the song.
Based on James Bradley's book, the cinematic adaptation written by William
Broyles and Paul Haggis also addresses the question of what it means to be a
hero and juxtaposes heroism against sacrifice, making for a very uneasy tension
between the two. The film which has moments of narration, seems to suggest
that notion of heroism is hollow, or at the very least pales in comparison to
sacrifice. As mentioned in "Flags", the soldiers fight for each other,
first and foremost and sacrifice together for the country. The film on
which Eastwood and Steven Spielberg are co-producers inevitably forces one to
think about the sacrifices that only a few in America are making now in two wars
that have not gone the way many had expected.
Filled with great performances and stirring emotion, "Flags of Our Fathers" is
an accomplishment that needs to be seen. Eastwood once again directs a film that
provokes thought, discussion and hopefully, a measure of reflection.
 Victory: Jesse Bradford in "Flags of Our Fathers". (Photo: Merie W. Wallace) |
Copyright 2006. PopcornReel.com. All Rights Reserved.
"Flags Of Our Fathers" is rated R by the Motion Picture Association of
America for sequences of graphic war violence & carnage, and for language.
The film's duration is two hours and 12 minutes.