MAIN TITLE Arts and Entertainment
Article Title Flags of our father
DreamWorks, Warner Bros. and Paramount present a film directed by Clint Eastwood
and written by William Broyles Jr. and Paul Haggis, based on the book by James Bradley
with Ron Powers.It's the life stories of the six men who raised the flag at the battle
of Iwo Jima which was a turning point of World War Two.
The film opens with interlocking
scenes from past and present, showing the battle underway and being remembered, with
voice-overs from survivors. All the major themes are being introduced, although we
will discover that only later. Then, after a tense prelude at sea, it focuses on
the initial American landing, which was just too quiet; no Japanese fire was encountered
and the troops advanced inland easily.Suddenly the troops were being ambushed by
concealed enemy positions. There were over 2,000 dead on the first day and the majority
of them were Americans.
There were five Marines and one Navy Corpsman photographed
raising the U.S. flag on Mt. Suribachi by Joe Rosenthal on February 23, 1945. "Flags
of Our Fathers" is the story of three of the six surviving servicemen, John "Doc"
Bradley (Ryan Phillippe), Pvt. Rene Gagnon (Jesse Bradford), and Pvt. Ira Hayes (Adam
Beach), who fought in the battle to take Iwo Jima. It was one of the most bloody
battles of the war and the picture became one pf the most famous pictures of the
entire war and it took another month to take this island. Three of the marines were
killed in action and the other three serviceman were taken out of the battle and
flown home. These men were used to help sell war bonds. It also shows the effect
that the memories of war would have on these veterans for the rest of their lives.
Most Americans thought that the flag raising tool place at the end of the battle
when in fact the picture was taken on the fifth day of a 35 day battle. Iwo Jima
was one of the most strategic islands of the whole war. It was an airbase for the
Japanese and it was also a radio station that served an an advanced warning station
whenever American bombers from the south were approaching. The Americans needed this
base so that they could use it as a staging area for their bombers whenever they
could afford to invade the Japanese mainland. It was actually the first battle of
World War Two that took place on Japanese soil.
With no chance for victory the Japanese
just wanted to inflict the most amount of casualties that they could.They were well
dug in with a system of interlocking tunnels and their big gun positions were shielded
by steel doors that swung shut after every firing.
The battle resulted in 29 Medals
of Honor winners, but at what a terrible price. The marines lost one third of their
of their whole WWII combat deaths during this battle and almost all of the 22,000
Japanese died, some by their own hands.The film depicts what the true motive was
in bringing the three remaining servicemen home. The Government was in dire straits
because they had run out of lenders for the war effort and their funds were drying
up rather quickly. The Rosenthal picture that was taken on Iwo Jima sparked the public
opinion of the war effort and the money that those men raised turned the financial
tide.
Of the three servicemen who returned home to a hero's welcome only one,Doc,
seemed to have a happy life and ended up being a successful undertaker. Gagnon ended
up with a lot of dead end jobs and ended up being bitter for the rest of his life.
And Haynes returned to his old reservation where he would end up literally drinking
himself to death.
The film made the top ten list of the National Board of Review.
Eastwood also earned a Golden Globe nomination for Directing. The film was nominated
for two Academy Awards - for Best Sound and Sound Editing. I thought that it was
a story that had to be told and Eastwood did a good job of putting this story on
film. It seems to me that the older he gets, the better he gets.
About the Author
Andrew Conway is an avid author,writer and a classic movie buff. If you love watching movies, classic sitcom's or just listening to great music, then visit: http://www.ultimate-free-downloads.com