ad it my way, this is how I would see every movie. There's something about the unknown; there's no expectations, no predispositions, and just an open mind with nothing in the way.Directed by Academy Award-Winner Clint Eastwood, the movie tells the true life story about the famous picture taken on Iwo Jima. From the opening scenes to the closing credits, the movie portrays a type of realism and trueness that few movies tend to portray these days. The movie didn't sugar-coat anything, and that's something I really appreciate from movies like this. War is not a time to take lightly. War isn't glamorous. To use the words of so many soldiers who have fought for our country, "War is Hell." This movie doesn't make any qualms with that statement, in fact, it drives home the fact that it's true.
The movie sheds light on the government as well, and it's incessant use of propaganda. Officials saw the picture of the soldiers hoisting the American Flag atop Mount Surbachi as a way to show victory, as a way to increase moral, and mostly - as a way to make money.
What was impressive to me, despite all this, was the integrity of the soldiers. No matter what happened, no matter how much media attention they received, they refused to view themselves
as "heroes." They repeatedly said, "The real heroes are dead on that island." That's pretty moving, and shows a huge comradeship between them all. A line that stuck with me after seeing the movie went something like this: "Sure, we came here for our country. But when the fighting starts, all we're fighting for is each other."That single statement pretty much summed up the tone of the movie. It's a moving film, with enough difference to make it stand out in a plethora of war movies. I believe seeing this movie will be a great deal more than just "worth your while."
2 comments:
I'm definitely with you on the actors in this one, and think that overall Eastwood made a very worthy addition to the World War II movie cannon .. I just wish he hadn't tacked on the last 15 minutes or so, in which he shifted the tone and pounded us over the head with his message about the definition of hero, as if we hadn't been paying attention to the movie at all
Whilst I agree that the end voice over is superfluous I strongly disagree with reelfanatic that the final 15 mins is in any way 'tacked on.' It is the natural development of the heart attack that puts the father in hospital, of the father's call for Iggy and of the son's interviews with veterans, all of which are clearly set up in the first half hour of the movie. In that final 15 mins the post-war fates of the flag-raisers are briskly noted, the hospital scenes are brief and to the point, neither unduly sentimental nor self-indulgent and the final shot of the boys bathing in the sea to the accompaniment of Eastwood's lovely score is a deeply touching and thematically appropriate image on which to end the story.
Flags Of Our Fathers is a marvellous film, in many respects quite unlike those movies that have gone before it. How many WW2 movies have placed the PR aspect of war front and centre, for example? The editing style is also fascinating in the way it allows Eastwood to emphasise the ongoing trauma that these men are suffering from - and will suffer from for the rest of their lives - while supplying the film with a satisfactory rhythm that prevents the homefront scenes from wearing out their welcome. I'm looking forward to seeing Flags again. It's the best film of the year, IMO.
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