Flags of our Fathers

[BegintheBeguine]

Hubby and I were gonna see it before he went to Iraq last week, but we decided to save the $ and he'll see it over there and I'll borrow it from the library in a few months.
There is a good song about Ira Hayes, done by Johnny Cash but better live by Kinky Friedman when he played in 1990, The Ballad of Ira Hayes.

 

[Feraud]

Again I will recommend James Bradley's book if anyone is interested in the Iwo Jima story. It is a fine book and probably has a lot of detail that could not be put on film.

 

[Lincsong]

Much like Best Years of Our Lives

I saw the movie today. I liked it. I wasn't too confused by the flashbacks as I feel they were more memories that were running through the characters minds rather than telling the story in a hodge podge manner. I thought the acting was good, the colors were dull and boring which caused me to lapse into a snooze, but I quickly woke up.
Like 1946's Best Years of Our Lives this film doesn't show the States as being a rose colored world for the returning vets. The audience was majority World War II and Korean Vet age and most stayed through the ending credits to watch the old military photos.

 

[LaMedicine]

It opened here yesterday, which is interesting, as usually, US films open in theaters at least a month or two behind the US. The trailer has been running on TV for most of October, and always coupled with the trailer for "Letters from Iwo Jima" -- which apprently is the new title for "Red Sun, Black Sand." That will open on Dec. 8th here, and the Japanese actors are some of our best today, including Ken Watanabe, who played chairman in "Memoirs of a Geisha."

I am interested in both films, but I probably won't have time to make it to the theater, so I suppose I'll end up waiting till the DVDs come out.

There were only around 1000 survivors on the Japanese side out of 21,000 as far as I know, and while most of them have never appeared before the public eye for the last 61 years, they are getting very old now, and it seems a few have finally started to make public statements. There was a TV documentary a couple of days ago including interviews of both American and Japanese veterans. One thing that was outstanding was that these old Japanese men suffered very much from the deep guilt that they survived a battle that they expected to fight to death to the very last man, so while most of their comarades were killed, they did not die an honorable death and survived instead. The guilt comes from the survival itself, and from having a chance at a new life when so many did not. It makes me think, it has taken this long for them to heal enough to embark on healing further by telling their tale. Which in itself speaks of how terrible it really was. The Japanese public in general do not know much about Iwo Jima save from the American point of view, because our veterans had never until now, spoken out.
I wonder, what will "Letters from Iwo Jima" tell us?

 

[carebear]

A Phillippe fan? Have you seen Way of the Gun? A great movie!

I feel the same way. I see more movies recommended by our members than I do friends and family.

I too like Mr. Witherspoon, so I can second that recommendation Daisy, as far as movie quality and realism goes.

But be warned, there's violence (in context) and language, including some exceedingly vulgar but incredibly funny cussing out at the beginning (directed at Mssr's Phillippe and del Toro) by an excitable bar patron.

I'll be seeing Flags with my own Father as soon as he gets back from a trip.

 

[green papaya]

was it made as good as Saving Private Ryan?

I was thinking of going to see this movie, but Im hesitating because most of the movies I see in theaters these days is 90% crap

they just dont have the actors and they use to many cheap computer effects, these days

they just dont make them like they use to

 

[Feraud]

I wonder, what will "Letters from Iwo Jima" tell us?

I hope it does not tell us the Western perspective of the Japanese experience of WWII.
I was hoping a film like this would be made by a Japanese filmmaker.

 

[dr greg]

iwo story

Wasn't some of this territory covered in "The Outsider" with Tony Curtis...haven't seen it in years, but remember it as a fine film on the subject, and a tragic story.

 

[carebear]

I hope it does not tell us the Western perspective of the Japanese experience of WWII.
I was hoping a film like this would be made by a Japanese filmmaker.

I understand Eastwood is about the only American in a position of control. I imagine it will be fairly true perspective. He's intellectually honest enough to present two sides of the coin from their own viewpoint.

It isn't THAT novel a concept anyway. Tora, Tora, Tora used diary entries from some of the Japanese commanders and such, IIRC.

 

[Lincsong]

A disturbing scene

The scene I found most disturbing was when the Navy was sailing towards Iwo Jima in this massive convoy. Sailors sat on deck, as American planes flew over head the sailors jumped up. One sailor fell over board and no one threw a boat or dingy, he just waded in the ocean. As the ship continued sailing one sailor asked; "are they going to throw him a boat?" and the reply; "they aren't going to stop for him. They can't stop for him. So much for 'no soldier left behind'". That was the one scene that has stuck in my head all weekend.

 

[green papaya]

just got back from seeing the movie in theater

The movie was a modern remake of the movie "The OUTSIDER"

told the story of 3 men that helped raise the flag on IWO JIMA

and followed them as they went back to the states to help sell war bonds.

the movie was OK, not something I would want to watch again and again or buy

 

[carebear]

The scene I found most disturbing was when the Navy was sailing towards Iwo Jima in this massive convoy. Sailors sat on deck, as American planes flew over head the sailors jumped up. One sailor fell over board and no one threw a boat or dingy, he just waded in the ocean. As the ship continued sailing one sailor asked; "are they going to throw him a boat?" and the reply; "they aren't going to stop for him. They can't stop for him. So much for 'no soldier left behind'". That was the one scene that has stuck in my head all weekend.

The ship a guy falls off of can't stop for him. First, it would break up the convoy, exposing all the ships and men to danger; second, you can't stop a big ship on a dime, by the time you get it stopped he's miles behind anyway.

In WWII they didn't have helos, which would today typically go get the guy. His best chance was for one of the escorting destroyers or smaller escorts bringing up the rear to lower a boat while underway to go get him, which doesn't make good cinema.

 

[Lincsong]

The ship a guy falls off of can't stop for him. First, it would break up the convoy, exposing all the ships and men to danger; second, you can't stop a big ship on a dime, by the time you get it stopped he's miles behind anyway.

In WWII they didn't have helos, which would today typically go get the guy. His best chance was for one of the escorting destroyers or smaller escorts bringing up the rear to lower a boat while underway to go get him, which doesn't make good cinema.

Thanks Carebear, I wanted to get a veterans explanation on that one. Being a Korean War vet himself, I don't know why Clint shot that scene like that. Like you said "good cinema".

 

[Fedorista]

... Being a Korean War vet himself, I don't know why Clint shot that scene like that. Like you said "good cinema".

Apparently he was not a Korean War vet.

Wikipedia says:

Eastwood was drafted into the Army, apparently in 1951, during the Korean War. He was sent to Fort Ord on the Monterey Bay, California for basic training. He was supposed to be sent to the war in Korea, but on a trip home to Seattle to visit his parents and girlfriend, Eastwood caught a ride aboard a Navy plane at Moffett Field. On the ride back aboard a Navy torpedo bomber, the plane developed engine trouble and was forced to make a water landing off San Francisco. He was forced to swim over a mile through the tide to shore. Because of this, instead of being sent to Korea, he was assigned a job as a swimming instructor and remained at Ft. Ord.

 

[carebear]

Apparently he was not a Korean War vet.

Wikipedia says:

Eastwood was drafted into the Army, apparently in 1951, during the Korean War. He was sent to Fort Ord on the Monterey Bay, California for basic training. He was supposed to be sent to the war in Korea, but on a trip home to Seattle to visit his parents and girlfriend, Eastwood caught a ride aboard a Navy plane at Moffett Field. On the ride back aboard a Navy torpedo bomber, the plane developed engine trouble and was forced to make a water landing off San Francisco. He was forced to swim over a mile through the tide to shore. Because of this, instead of being sent to Korea, he was assigned a job as a swimming instructor and remained at Ft. Ord.

What a sissy... lol

I'd say he deserved the job. The waters off San Fran have cold, currents and big sharks.

 

[Doctor Strange]

I celebrated Veteran's Day today by taking my parents - both of whom served in WWII - and my teenage son to see this film.

I must say, I was very impressed. I'm generally a pretty tough room, but about all that I could see that might have improved it was to make it about ten minutes shorter (not that I know what could really be cut, off hand) and maybe make the convoluted flashback structure a little more straightfoward. But the film was very moving, has some of the best 40s production design I've seen, and really got its points across.

As a director, Eastwood just gets better and better. At a time in life when most folks are retired, he here helms a huge, complex, dead serious film, and it comes off beautifully. An instant classic. All of us - my 87-year-old dad and my 16-year-old son - were spellbound.

Highly recommended!

 

[Manny Tavares]

What a sissy... lol

I'd say he deserved the job. The waters off San Fran have cold, currents and big sharks.

Not to mention it's awfully polluted. I know some guys who swim from Alcatraz to Fisherman's Wharf and if they take a couple gulps of water while swimming they're laid up for a couple days.

 

[resortes805]

I saw this link on another site (www.jassdancer.com) and thought it was interesting. My apologies if it's been posted already.
http://film.guardian.co.uk/News_Story/Guardian/0,,1928009,00.html#article_continue

 

[Story]

LETTERS FROM IWO JIMA trailer, for the Japanese market

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xCZLkxYZmx0

 

[Story]

I saw this link on another site (www.jassdancer.com) and thought it was interesting. My apologies if it's been posted already.
http://film.guardian.co.uk/News_Story/Guardian/0,,1928009,00.html#article_continue

The US sent more Marines to Iwo than to any other battle, 110,000 Marines in 880 Ships. According to the article, there were 900 African-American Marines present. The Guardian has to sell newspapers somehow, so they resort to the manufacture of dissent.