Directed by Clint Eastwood - 2006 poster
This was not the film I was expecting. I don't mean John Wayne wasn't in it (I knew he died near the top of Mount Suribachi in the 1949 movie); no, rather than spend the whole time on the attack on the Japanese island, it focused on the story of Pharmacist's Mate John Bradley (Ryan Phillippe), Corporal Rene Gagnon (Jesse Bradford) and Corporal Ira Hayes (Adam Beach) as they arrive to a hero's welcome in Washington and are sent round the USA to raise money (Bonds) and make speeches.
Bradley, Gagnon and Hayes meet President Truman
This is where Eastwood's take is more honest than the Wayne effort, even though both are patriotic and honour those who fought in the battle for Iwo Jima. I didn't know that there had been a second flag raised at the top; the Colonel of the 2nd Battalion wanted the first one for the battalion, so the Doc., Ira and Rene are sent up with three other servicemen. Of these six, Sergeant Mike Strank, Corporal Harlon Block and Private Franklin Sousley, are all subsequently killed. I felt the movie only really 'took off' after this switch of the flags was done.
The Flag (which one?!) is raised aloft
The beginning of the film is quite effective, as an old man looks back: Every jackass thinks he knows what war is. Especially those who have never been in one. We like things nice and simple. Good and evil, heroes and villains. There's always plenty of both. The cutting/editing (from past to present to past) was once or twice confusing, but I liked the dark room scene, when the photographer realised what a brilliant shot he had taken of the flag raising. The least effective aspects were the poor standard of the CGI - the quite frequent view of the ships in the background and the crowds welcoming the three heroes were so unlifelike (touches of The Gladiator!). I did find it odd that, in the swimming sequence, just after the men had planted the flag, there wasn't a ship in sight! One reflection on watching so many war films close on each other is that it is obvious how much cleverer the special effects have become - bits of arms and legs, in one shot an entire head, mix with the regular spurting/pumping out of blood. At least the dialogue was slightly better this time. We take that mountain. We take their big guns. We take their eyes...the real heroes are dead on that island. It also stressed the point that soldiers may have fought for their country, but they died for their friends. For the man in front, for the man beside them.
Ashore
Cinematographic moments includes the row of body bags on the beach; the meeting of the men with the mothers of those who have died; the waiter's pouring of strawberry juice on a dessert model of the flag raising looking like blood streaming all over it; the sad decline of Ira into alcoholism and seedy death. Despite being praised by the critics, the film under-performed at the Box Office. It earned $65,900 on an estimated $90 million production budget. Criticism came from black film director Spike Lee, who complained there were no black Marines depicted in the movie (he would, wouldn't he); but he was wrong, as they are seen in several scenes. Lee later half-apologised.
2009 DVD
No comments:
Post a Comment