Flags of Our Fathers (2006)

Director:

Clint Eastwood

Writers (WGA):

William Broyles Jr. (screenplay) and
Paul Haggis (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

20 October 2006 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Drama | History | War

Tagline:

A Single Shot Can End The War

Plot:

The life stories of the six men who raised the flag at The Battle of Iwo Jima, a turning point in WWII.

Plot Keywords:

Idolatry | Soldier | Decapitation | Pacific Ocean | Shot In The Back

Awards:

Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 10 wins & 13 nominations

Cast

Ryan Phillippe	...	John "Doc" Bradley
Jesse Bradford	...	Rene Gagnon
Adam Beach	...	Ira Hayes
John Benjamin Hickey	...	Keyes Beech
John Slattery	...	Bud Gerber
Barry Pepper	...	Mike Strank
Jamie Bell	...	Ralph "Iggy" Ignatowski
Paul Walker	...	Hank Hansen
Robert Patrick	...	Colonel Chandler Johnson
Neal McDonough	...	Captain Severance
Melanie Lynskey	...	Pauline Harnois
Thomas McCarthy	...	James Bradley (as Tom McCarthy)
Chris Bauer	...	Commandant Vandegrift
Judith Ivey	...	Belle Block
Myra Turley	...	Madeline Evelley

MPAA:

Rated R for sequences of graphic war violence and carnage, and for language.

Runtime:

132 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

UK:15 | Hong Kong:IIB | Sweden:15 | Switzerland:16 (canton of Geneva) | Germany:12 | Ireland:15A | Australia:MA | South Korea:15 | Spain:18 | Switzerland:16 (canton of Vaud) | Malaysia:18SG (DVD) | USA:R (certificate #42983) | Philippines:R-13 (MTRCB) | Norway:15 | Argentina:16 | Argentina:13 | Netherlands:16 | Peru:14 | New Zealand:R15 | Portugal:M/12 | Brazil:16 | Finland:K-15 | Singapore:NC-16

Filming Locations:

Backlot, Universal Studios - 100 Universal City Plaza, Universal City, California, USA

Company:

DreamWorks SKG

Trivia:

The original of the top photograph in the stack of Japanese atrocities is held in the Australian War Memorial. It is dated 24 October 1943, was taken in Aitape, New Guinea, and shows Sergeant Leonard G. Siffleet, about to be beheaded with a sword by Yasuno Chikao.

Goofs:

Errors in geography: Daylight pictures of "Soldier Field" (the flag raisers learn they will be climbing a paper mache hill) are actually filmed at the Rose Bowl (note the trees above the bowl which are the characteristic live oaks that surround the Rose Bowl). Of course, the "Soldier Field" stadium shots at night are computer graphics aided as the signature columns are no longer visible from inside the bowl since the recent massive renovation of this 80 year old stadium.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Soldiers: Corpsman! Corpsman! Corpsman! Corpsman! For God sakes, corpsman! Corpsman! Corpsman!

Movie Connections:

References Salty O'Rourke (1945)

Soundtrack:

Any Bonds Today?

The story is realistic and very compelling by not glorifying war

(Synopsis) 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. The picture became one of the most famous images of the U.S. winning a battle during WWII. However, the battle for Iwo Jima raged on for another month with three of the marines being killed in action. The other three servicemen were taken out of battle and flown back to the states. The photo made these men heroes, and the government used these new heroes to promote the selling of war bonds on the War Bond Tour. The three men did not believe they were heroes, even though the American public did.

(My Comment) The film was based on the book written by Doc's son, James Bradley. It wasn't until his father's death that he found out that Doc was one of the Iwo Jima flag raisers. Soldiers with real combat experiences usually keep their war stories to themselves. Clint Eastwood directed the film, and he didn't pull any punches in the battle scenes, even though the battle for Iwo Jima was considered one of the bloodiest against the Japanese in the Pacific. The only problem I had with the movie was that Eastwood used too many flashbacks that jumped around and made the movie hard to follow. The movie would have been better if Eastwood had gone in chronicle order with some flashbacks. During the battle scenes, you actually see the chaos that soldiers encounter on the battlefield. Overall, I found the story to be realistic and very compelling by not glorifying war. It is a long movie, but the time passes very fast. This film will receive many Oscar nominations. Some of the movie is graphically violent and shows the dark side of war, and the effects war has on our returning soldiers. (Warner Brothers Pictures, Run time 2:12, Rated R) (8/10)