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It is the most memorable photograph of World War II, among the greatest pictures ever taken. The winner of the Pulitzer Prize for photography and one of the most-reproduced images in the history of photography, the picture has inspired postage stamps, posters, the covers of countless magazines and newspapers, and even the Marine Corps War Memorial in Arlington, Virginia.
"Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima," a picture taken by Associated Press photographer Joe Rosenthal on February 23, 1945 depicts five Marines and one Navy Corpsman raising the U.S. flag on Mount Suribachi. The image served as a counterpoint for one of the most vicious battles of the war: the fight to take Iwo Jima, a desolate island of black sand barely eight square miles that would prove a tipping point in the Pacific campaign. Lasting more than a month, the fight was a bloody, drawn-out conflict that might have turned the American public against the war entirely, had it not been for the photo, which was taken and published five days into the battle.
The photograph made heroes of the men in the picture as the three surviving flag-raisers were returned to the U.S. and made into props in the government's Seventh War Bond Tour. Uncomfortable with their new celebrity, the flag-raisers considered the real heroes to be the men who died on Iwo Jima; still, the American public held them up as the best America had to offer, the supermen who conquered the Japanese...
...and then, just as quickly as it had arrived, the glory faded. For two of the surviving flag-raisers, life became a series of compromises and disappointments; for the third, happiness came only by shutting off his war experiences and rarely speaking of them ever again.
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Most helpful customer reviews
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
Fascinating,
By
This review is from: Flags of Our Fathers (Widescreen) (DVD)
The Pacific campaign of World War II reached a zenith in February of 1945, when American forces captured the small Japanese island of Iwo Jima. This feat was immortalized in one of history's most famous photographs: that of five Marines and one sailor hoisting the U.S. flag on Mount Suribachi.The inspiring image instantly became a symbol of American determination and victory. Although three of the men were killed in battle shortly thereafter, never knowing the impact this pivotal moment would have, the surviving three were sent Stateside on a publicity tour. Used by the American government as salesmen for war bonds, the propaganda train ignored the true details of the event while parading the men in front of a public all too eager to worship them. Flags of Our Fathers follows these 'heroes', none of whom wanted fame and longed to rejoin the comrades they had abandoned in a land far from home. Their emotions were compounded by the haunting memories of all they had seen. Sadly, the three principals are rather weak. Canadian Ojibwa Adam Beach plays Ira Hayes, but his portrayal of a drunken Indian seems both offensive and clichéd; still, he is given some emotional scenes to play. But Jesse Bradford as Rene Gagnon and Ryan Phillippe as John Bradley are given little opportunity to display any dramatic range. Adapted from the book by Bradley's son, James, Flags of Our Fathers is a heart-breaking account of alienation and self-image. With Japan's surrender just a few months later, the 'heroes' were quickly forgotten by a shallow public. Even the unveiling of an enormous statue in 1954 was less a commemoration of the men who made it happen, than a symbol of American ego and conceit. The screenplay by William Broyles Jr. was felt by director Clint Eastwood and producer Steven Spielberg to resemble the latter's Saving Private Ryan. Screenwriter of the moment, Canadian Paul Haggis (who collaborated with Eastwood on Million Dollar Baby, won an Oscar for Crash, and penned the upcoming Bond film Casino Royale), was then brought in to retool the script. While it can't be determined what depth he brought to the story, his main contribution was to do away with the chronological narrative. But this was clearly a mistake, as the flashbacks and flashforwards make the film annoyingly choppy. While not as gruesome as Spielberg's version of World War II, the battle scenes are equally shocking and brutal. The entire movie is monochromatic, with the redness of the blood the only dominant colour. And the enemy is rarely seen, which adds to the prevalent 'fear' of the unknown. Eastwood's film, however, accomplishes what Spielberg's could not: it captures the inner struggle of mere boys caught up in circumstances beyond their control; it creates interesting characters you want to learn more about; and it eulogizes those who fought merely because they felt it was their moral duty. An elegant tribute to the defenders of freedom, Flags of Our Fathers is a moving film, proving that a single picture really is worth a thousand words. Rating: 8 out of 10.
4 of 7 people found the following review helpful
3.0 out of 5 stars
I'd wait for the Special Edition,
By
This review is from: Flags of Our Fathers (Widescreen) (DVD)
A good war movie, not a great one and certainly not in the same league as the superior Letters From Iwo Jima. The movie overall is worth owning on DVD, but I'd recommend waiting the eventual Special Edition since this DVD has not a single special feature on it (unless you consider Chapter Select a feature) Flags deserves a better DVD than this, I only hope the studio puts a little more effort into Letters From Iwo Jima.
0 of 1 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
A Thought Provoking Film,
By
This review is from: Flags of Our Fathers (Full Screen) (DVD)
"Flags of Our Fathers' is a thought provoking historical film. It consists of two basic segments, scenes of the battle for Iwo Jima and the story of the War Bond Tour on which the survivors were sent.The battle scenes are excellent. They skillfully depict the horrors which must be war. The Bond Tour segments tell a different story about how the "heroes" were treated by others and how they viewed themselves. This movie is thought provoking in that it makes the viewer consider the nature and happenstance of "heroism" and its fleeting nature. The heroes did not consider themselves to be heroic and their post war lives were determined by their post-war actions, not their status as "heroes." In a sense, all on Iwo Jima were the heroes and a few were sent on tour. A movie that leaves one thinking is a worthwhile watch.
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