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2006
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FLAGS
OF OUR FATHERS
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STARRING:ADAM
BEACH,JESSE BRADFORD,RYAN PHILLIPE,JOHN BENJAMIN HICKEY,JOHN SLATTERY,BARRY
PEPPER,JAMIE BELL,PAUL WALKER,ROBERT PATRICK,NEAL MCDONOUGH,MELANIE
LYNSKEY
BASED
ON THE BOOK BY JAMES BRADLEY & RON POWERS
SCREENPLAY
BY WILLIAM BROYLES JR. & PAUL HAGGIS
PRODUCED
BY CLINT EASTWOOD,ROBERT LORENZ & STEVEN SPIELBERG
DIRECTED
BY STEVEN SPIELBERG
GENRE:WAR/DRAMA/HISTORY
RATED:AUSTRALIA:MA/UK:15/USA:R
RUNNING
TIME:132 MIN
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In
2006, director Clint Eastwood released two movies - Flags of our
Fathers and Letters
from Iwo Jima - that dealt with the iconic battle
between American and Japanese soldiers over the small island of Iwo
Jima which took place during World War II. Flags of our Fathers
is based on the book of the same name written by Ron Powers and James
Bradley, who was the son of Navy Corpsman John Bradley (played by
Ryan Phillipe). Bradley, along with Marines Ira Hayes (Adam Beach),
Rene Gagnon (Jesse Bradford), Harlon Block (Benjamin Walker), Franklin
Sousley (Joseph Cross) and Mike Strank (Barry Pepper) were all apart
of the second American flag raising on Iwo Jima's Mount Suribachi,
which was immortalized by photographer Joe Rosenthal. With the now
infamous photo on the front of every newspaper in America (in the
process winning over a cynical nation), Bradley, Hayes and Gagnon
- the only survivors left from the photo - are shipped back home to
extreme fanfare and hero worship and are used as propaganda tools
by the U.S. government to raise money for the war through an extensive
promotional tour urging the public to buy war bonds.
Eastwood has made a solid war film which is staggering in size and
broad in its scope. It had the potential to be one of the greats within
its genre, but the films loose structure (which is held together by
a shaky narrative and patchy editing) is baffling as it switches back
and forth from the battle field, to the publicity trail and to the
present day. The battle scenes are extremely well shot in tense, brutal
detail. The gunfire is deafening and the body count is high as the
war is shown from multiple angles and perspectives. Tom Stern (who
is quickly becoming one of my favourite cinematographers) does a great
job experimenting with different tones while using an ever present
grey tint throughout. The set decoration by Richard C. Goodard and
costume design by Deborah Hooper are great, while the use of CGI does
not distract from the realism of the movie.
A broad ensemble cast provide solid performances, with the lone stand
out being Adam Beach as Native American soldier Ira Hayes, whose heavy
conscience towards his new found fame, the constant racism and the
effects of war lead to a tragic post war life.
There have been numerous images taken from various wars which have
swayed the public opinion of a war. Who can forget the image of Vietnamese
girl Kim Phuc running down the street naked and severely burned by
napalm or the images of prisoners being tortured by coalition troops
in Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq? These images can make or break wars,
thus making or breaking governments whose (at times) illusions of
patriotism can sweep aside the realities of war. The photo from Iwo
Jima was such an image. It turned the tide, changing a pessimistic
country into a nation of believers and gave a lifeline to a struggling
government who was going broke funding the war. Flags of Our Fathers
shows the truth behind the legend and the comradeship between soldiers
who weren't necessarily fighting for their country but for their buddy
beside them. |
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