“Flags Of Our Fathers” Paved The Way for “Letters From Iwo Jima”

Centered to DreamWorks Picture’s “Flag Of Our Fathers”, directed by Clint Eastwod, is that one photo that was taken when five Marines and one Navy Corpsman raised the US flag on Mount Suribachi during World War II. The battle of Iwo Jima was violent when Americans first landed on the Japanese soil. Back in the America, the government was trying hard to sell bonds in order the fund the war without much success. The nation was weary of the war and the people was in need of hope. Then comes the tag line of the movie – a single shot can end the war.

It was that one single photo shot that inspired and gave hope to the Americans back then. Overnight, the identified flag raisers – who were not the first group that ventured up the hill without knowing how many Japanese troops were left and raised the flag – have become heroes. The three survivors were recalled back to America in the mist of the battle and to fight a different kind of war – to raise the billions of dollars needed to end the war.

From the documentary perspective, I believe that Clint Eastwood has done a marvelous work in reproducing the scenes based on the pictures taken during the war and the history as documented. The war scenes were realistic and my stomach churned every time when someone or something was shot down. That is the better half of the movie that I enjoyed watching. The drama half of the movie, I am not so sure.

Back in America, the three flag raisers struggled with the concept of heroism. Are they, the characters in a picture, the heroes of the war or should those who fought and perished be the ones? Throughout this story telling mode, there were lots of flashbacks to the battlefield. At times could be quite confusing and the entire movie was narrated from a few persons’ perspectives. In addition, I personally do not particularly like how the minority race, Indians, is portraited. “Flags Of Our Fathers” is lacking in the entertainment viewpoint.

I would not say “Flags Of Our Fathers” is a classic as yet but I am keen to watch “Letters From Iwo Jiwa”, also directed by Client Eastwood, with the same war told from the Japanese perspective. “Letters From Iwo Jiwa” is opening on Dec 20.

Almost 7,000 American solders were killed on Iwo Jiwa; more than 20,000 Japanese troops perished. The two movies should be watched back-to-back.