Over the weekend, I caught the all-night screening of Flags of our Fathers. The film itself was very good although I was expecting to be moved in the same way when I first saw Saving Private Ryan. I guess since watching Band of Brothers and all those other post Ryan war films I’ve become de-sensitized to this style of depicting brutal combat. I haven’t read the book which the film was based on but was really looking forward to seeing this film. I’ve been somewhat obsessed with the Pacific war since I was a kid. The events on the day leading up to the Flag raising were depicted in a matter-of-fact subtle manner without any theatrical background music or sound effects. The camera angle and composition of the shot was exactly as Joe Rosenthal had framed the photo before cropping out the first flag being lowered. For anyone who has seen the series of photos or the film of the flag raising, you would be in awe at how Eastwood accurately and tastefully captured that moment. The simplicity of the event undermining all the over blown propaganda that followed it. I’m looking forward to seeing Letters from Iwo Jima (above) which is the Japanese side of Iwo Jima also directed by Eastwood.
yesss ~ I cannot wait to see this .
also thanks for the info : I didn’t know they were making a “Japanese-side” to the same deadly battle .
Thanks for the heads-up; I didn’t know there was the Japanese-point of view movie as well. I was not sure if I’d see Flags of Our Fathers, but now I will see both.
What odds High School Modern History teachers will use these movies, in the near future?
I wanted to avoid discussing the political ramifications of this film here but now that you bring it up. I’m always surprised that most Japanese have never heard of Iwo Jima despite the fact that 20,000 Japanese soldiers died in that battle. It’s always the “I didn’t learn it in school so therefore I don’t know” excuse which in my opinion is such a lame cop out.
In Japan, there are plenty of war documentaries on tv and books out there about the war that one doesn’t have to look very far to find general information. I suppose it is mostly due to a lack of interest in dwelling on a part of the country’s history that they are not proud of. I hope Letters to Iwo Jima will be a film that changes that.
I watched this last saturday in Toyosu. It is a good movie about the war.
Like some comments here most of the japanese poeple whom I asked didn’t know about Iwo Jima, which is sad despite so many japanese died on that battle.
Each war has battles which the war is symobolized for whole genarations coming.
In my case, as a turkish I grow up with the stories of Battle of Gallilopi, which shape me and all other turkish growing up hearing the battle.
It is important to know your history to avoid same mistakes made.