Review: Flags Of Our Fathers

Flags of Our Fathers is the true story of the Marines who raised the American flag during the Battle of Iwo Jima. The 40-day battle was the Corps' deadliest.

The film, directed by Clint Eastwood, follows the six men who were immortalized in the above scene. Only three of them made it off the rock alive. At the time (February, 1945) the U.S. was running out of war material, and Bond sales were at a wartime low. The three survivors were chosen to go on a speaking/appearance tour to drum up War Bond capital, and re-energize the country. Like today, Americans in 1945 were running out of patience for the war, and needed a rallying point.

That point was made with this candid photo.

Eastwood's film is an emotional roller coaster, that jumps between the live action battle scenes - which equal those of Saving Private Ryan - and the "celebrity" lives of the three survivors. Every time the trio get another perk, or get wrangled into a photo op, one harkens back to the horrors of war. As to the film's impact, I can say this; Denny and I were in a smaller theater with about twenty other people. At the end of the film, you could hear a pin drop. No one got out of their seats, and we quietly watched the credits. When they were finished, everyone quietly stood, and filed out of the theater. In my opinion, Flags of Our Fathers is one of the best war films I have ever seen.

If Flags of Our Fathers doesn't win the Academy Award for Best Picture, Hollywood should be ashamed of itself.

BTW, Denny has his movie review up at his place.