Flags of Our Fathers (2006)

Flags of Our Fathers

Clint Eastwood

USA

Quite possibly the most significant image of the 20^th century, Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima embodies the pride of a nation and the collapse its enemy. The image symbolizes the fall of the Japanese empire, and the rise of the American super power. The photograph is so powerful; the list of symbols it exemplifies is endless. Taken atop Mount Suribachi, Joe Rosenthal’s photo captured the second flag raising on the morning of February 23, 1945; just after the 546-foot mountaintop was captured by the Americans. The significance of the victory at Iwo Jima and the popularity of the photo would resonate throughout the rest of the war and beyond.

Released two weeks apart, Flags of Our Fathers and Letters From Iwo Jima tell the story both sides of the epic battle of Iwo Jima, and the end of the beginning of the war in the Pacific. With their backs against the wall, the Japanese took a stand on the tiny island, 500 miles off the coast of mainland Japan.  Heavily fortified, the Japanese entrenched themselves on the island to protect its three major airfields. For the American’s, Iwo Jima was the success they needed to set the stage for victory in the Pacific, and eventually the Second World War. Iwo Jima marked the first time the Americans invaded the Japanese on their own homeland, and it proved to be a costly battle for both proud countries.

In Flags of Our Fathers, Clint Eastwood focuses his camera on three of the flag raisers; Unites States Marine Corp servicemen John “Doc” Bradley (Ryan Phillippe), Rene Gagnon (Jesse Bradford), and Ira Hayes (Adam Beach). These three surviving members of the photograph are taken from the battlefield and brought back to the mainland to lead the campaign for the hearts and minds of the American public. As they travel together across the Unites States in an effort to sell war bonds and fund the last leg of the war, the three servicemen reflect on the battle of Iwo Jima and all the friends they lost during the bloodiest campaign of World War II.

The film tells much of the story through the flashbacks and memories of each of the soldiers, which is generally an effective technique in war films; and Eastwood’s film is no different. Rather than adopting the handheld camera shake of most modern World War II films, Eastwood builds the story of camaraderie and brotherhood among soldiers through the recollections of the survivors. While Eastwood’s film begins with an attempt to search for the truth behind the famous photograph, it ultimately shows a side of war that no picture can capture. The film attempts to portray the bond that develops between soldiers who depend on each other for survival, and the undying pain from the loss of their friends who did not make it out alive.

As a director, Clint Eastwood has never shied away from grand projects and epic storytelling, and Flags of Our Fathers, along with its companion piece Letters From Iwo Jima, certainly falls into such categories. But, where Letter From Iwo Jima succeeds and Flags of Our Fathers fails, is the depth of the characters we as an audience are meant to feel for emotionally. Each of the three servicemen display different methods of dealing with the horrors of combat, but the performances and the story fall short of the films ultimate goal; to demonstrate how the Second World War was not about propaganda, but real human beings fighting for their lives and for their friends.

Rating: 6/10

- Joshua Albrent