[LS]

BTW, they showed the trailer for a Christmas movie called "The Nativity Story" and it looked absolutely fantastic.

[oprahstheantichrist]

What's with the "R" rating? Is it more for graphic death scenes, or for language?

My dad was on Iwo, and he's been gone for seventeen years now. My youngest is twelve, and I'd love for him to see it, but what's your advice?

[Enterprise]

Bump

[SaltyJoe]

There are 2 versions of "Henry V" that are very well known.

One stars Lord Lawrence Olivier.
http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0036910/

The other stars Kenneth Branagh.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0097499/

"Flags of our Fathers" is like "Henry V" with Olivier.

"Saving Private Ryan" is like "Henry V" with Branagh.

I don't hold it against Clint Eastwood. Unless Spielberg is doing bit parts in an Austin Power's movie, I'll bet Steve sucks as an actor. "Flags of our Fathers" was like a Hallmark Card special with an "R" rating for graphic combat violence and vomit from heavy drinking. The movie is not entertaining ("Windtalkers" has better entertainment value), but "Flags" holds historical documentary value.

Adam Beach, playing Ira Hayes, should get an Oscar.

Clint should get a job with the Hallmark Channel. He can make you feel sympathy for anyone, and that's why I can't condemn the movie. Thus, don't look for a flag to be waved in your face--literally.

The timing of the movie may do more to improve our friendship with Japan considering the bellicose Pacific neighbor just next door to them. In fact, Iwo Jima, Peleliu, and Okinawa are attrition battles heavily studied by North Korean forces as their defenses mimic defense in defilade with extreme fortification and massive tunnel networking.

I witnessed the friendship ceremonies between the US Marines and our Japanese allies in Okinawa, and I'm glad that WW2 is over. Perhaps this movie says it humanly the way the Holy Spirit says it Divinely by choosing a conscripted German Hitler Youth to be the Pope. Time heals all wounds and life moves on. This movie serves no politics and would damage a politician if it's used as rhetoric (since Clint seemed to purposely make it like that).

If what I've written has you wanting to wait until the movie is on DVD, then be assured that the movie does best when played on a large screen.

[Dajjal]

Just saw it. You've nailed it on all counts.

The final lines of the movie repeat the refrain from "Black Hawk Down," "Saving Private Ryan," and other recent war movies: Ultimately, they fought for each other, not for a cause or a country.

Mel Gibson's "The Patriot" deserves inclusion.

From the film: "One picture can win or lose a war."

Until I saw this film, I had not realized that the cause of the American failure in Vietnam was the photo of the South Vietnamese police chief shooting a Viet Cong in the head.

[LZ_Bayonet]

"The main plot line is that the nation was broke, and would have to sue for peace with the Japanese (right) if we didn't generate more money, quickly, through war bond sales.

From my recollection of articles on this subject, the purpose of bonds was also to fight the threat of inflation. i.e. there was full employment and a limited supply of goods available for purchase

[Dajjal]

Nice site.

http://www.iwojima.com

[Patton@Bastogne]

.


LS,


Flags of Our Fathers


Movie Positives:

1) Shows in great detail the "operational" aspects of the Iwo Jima campaign, as Spielburg did (expertly) in Saving Private Ryan.

2) Celebrates (wonderfully) the bravery and incredible sacrifice of the Navy and Marines at Iwo Jima.

3) NOW people will understand better WHY we dropped two atomic bombs on Japan ... after seeing what happens to "Iggy" ... you understand that decision even better.

4) You leave the movie awed at what took place, especially the Naval Fleet scenes. Absolutely Incredible.



Movie Negatives: A Genuine Shakespearean Tragedy

1) Guilt and personal failure flows like Niagra Falls for many of the characters, especially the Three Marines who survived the second flag raising.

2) Iwo Jima was a spectacular strategic success for the United Staes in WWII.

Clint Eastwood almost looks to be trying to "repaint history" by quasi comparing it to the 1968 Tet Offensive.

3) This is the FIRST time I've heard the allegation about a financially bankrupt United States, ALMOST on the verge of signing a peace agreement with Japan in the Spring of 1945.

Frankly, I'm not sure I believe it.

The U.S. had clobbered the Japs at Midway, Philipines, and several (retaken) islands by Spring 1945. The British were having success with pushing Japan back from India. Tokyo and other major Japs cities were in flames.

Japan was clearly losing WWII by Spring 1945.


I saw it Friday afternoon, and have plans to take my two teenaged sons on Saturday.

But we'll only see it once, as opposed to the couyple of times that I'd expected.





Patton-at-Bastogne

"May God and His Angels Guard Your Sacred Throne, and May You Long Become It."

Shakespeare, Henry V, Act I, Scene II


.

[Texas_shutterbug]

The reviewer on Fox said the same thing about it being hard to follow.

And while I think that my uncles went to war for our nation, when listening to them tell "their stories," it was obvious that in the thick of the battle they were fighting for their buddies and their own lives.

I don't think it's an "either/or" situation.

[Lonesome in Massachussets]

BTW, they showed the trailer for a Christmas movie called "The Nativity Story" and it looked absolutely fantastic.

If it's true to the theme of "Flags of Our Fathers", as you depict it, it's movie about a pregnant teen, unable to get an abortion in Nazareth, who tricks an older man into believing he's the father, so he takes her to Bethlehem where there are shepherds who will arrange for doctors from the East to perform the deed.

[Tennessean4Bush]

Moreover, while the photo did capture the public's imagination, there was no doubt in anyone's mind that we would win the Pacific eventually; and in February 1945, with Nazi Germany collapsing, the Bulge pocket pushed back out, and American armies pushing into Germany, to suggest that Americans were about to "give up" if we hadn't gotten a miraculous photo is utter nonsense.

While I agree that we were in it to the end, our victory was tenuous at best on a number of occasions in the Pacific. Certainly after we had the Nazis on the run we knew the tide was turned. However, a careful review of the Pacific war saw several very fortunate turning points for us.

[shield]

If you've not seen 'One Night with the King' you are missing an EXTREMELY GREAT MOVIE. The anointing in this movie is unbelievable. Support this movie...go see it, do not wait till it comes out on DVD...hollyweirdo has been blown away by how well this movie has done so far. This movie is in only 909 theaters, NO advertizing, yet last weekend there were around 1,000,000 people that went to this movie.

Inteviewers of Matt Crouch have asked him 'how could this be' he said Christians are a family and we support each other.

[Dr. Scarpetta]

I stopped seeing R movies.

[oh8eleven]

The Flag Raisers

[Zman516]

One thing I hate about the current "bumper sticker" mentality of the general public is the tendency to oversimplify.

The reasons men join the military, fight and sacrifice their lives are multilayered. Fighting for your country, for freedom, for your way of life, for your family, and for your buddies next to you in a foxhole are NOT mutually exclusive.

[RebekahT]

I am planning on seeing this movie soon. I went to another one last night (waiting for a certain friend to be able to go with us to see "Flags") and there was a preview for some documentary/movie about the Dixie Chicks called "Shutup and Sing." Anyway, the lead singer talks about the controversy surrounding her statement that she is ashamed GWB is also from Texas and she mentions the "right wing group FREE REPUBLIC!!" My boyfriend and I laughed out loud...and took it as a compliment :)

[Guenevere]

bttt

[beebuster2000]

i hated it. they couldnt just show iwo and the honor of the marines. they had to degrade the whole thing with a dark understory about phony pictures, all about the bond drive, etc.

sorry i saw it.

its just another example of whats gone wrong in the usa. we cant honor our acomplishments and feel good about what we do. hollywood and msm have to undermine everything, even our history

[BradyLS]

Moreover, while the photo did capture the public's imagination, there was no doubt in anyone's mind that we would win the Pacific eventually; and in February 1945, with Nazi Germany collapsing, the Bulge pocket pushed back out, and American armies pushing into Germany, to suggest that Americans were about to "give up" if we hadn't gotten a miraculous photo is utter nonsense.

While I loved the film, I did find the whole "America's broke and ready to quit the war aspect" puzzling. Especially with all the rationing and scrap metal drives that went on. Guess I'll have to read the book to find out if "we're broke, we quit" angle is in there, too, or what. The official's whole speech about needing them to get money for the war made it sound like Democrats know how to sell the war and Republicans don't.

[Screamname]

Something that always bothered me about Iwo Jima is it was a tiny island the size of a zit with 20k something Japanese on it...So why didn`t we bomb the damn thing into oblivion? Was it because the Japs were buried like ticks on a dog and it would have done no good?

[Enterprise]

I went to see the movie today with one of my sons and a friend. I liked the movie, but there are two things for which I have mild criticism.

The first, as you were writing about, was the jarring back and forth of the story line. I know that it can be an effective technique, but it gave the movie a herky jerky movement, when more of the story could have been told. Eastwood could have portrayed all the battle scenes first, and continued on after with the bond drives and then flashed back. To me, it would have told the story just as well.

The other thing was the overemphasis on "We weren't heroes, the guys who died on Iwo Jima were the heroes." I don't disagree with that, but I am also viewing from the perspective of the present. And to me, anyone who was on that island during the fighting was a hero. No one was safe. It mattered little if one was a corpsman, a runner, or had other duties not directly related to actual combat, everyone was in jeopardy.

Now by no means am I attempting to devalue the actions of those who were in continual combat either. The accounts I have read leave one dazed. I just think Eastwood carried the "We weren't heroes" too far.