Flags of Our Fathers (2006)

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General		Extras
Category	War	Introduction-By Director Clint Eastwood Featurette-Making Of-Words on the PAge Featurette-Making Of-Six Brave Men Featurette-Making Of-The Making of an Epic Featurette-Raising the Flag Featurette-Making Of-Visual Effects Featurette-Behind The Scenes-Documentary Looking Into the Past Theatrical Trailer
Rating
Year Of Production	2006
Running Time	126:22 (Case: 132)
RSDL / Flipper	No/No	Cast & Crew
Start Up	Language Select Then Menu
Region Coding	4	Directed By	Clint Eastwood
Studio Distributor	Warner Home Video	Starring	Ryan Phillippe Jesse Bradford Adam Beach John Benjamin Hickey John Slattery Barry Pepper Jamie Bell Paul Walker Robert Patrick Neal McDonough Melanie Lynskey Thomas McCarthy Chris Bauer
Case	Amaray-Transparent-Dual
RPI	$39.95	Music	Clint Eastwood

    In military terms the battle of Iwo Jima is notable for many things. Late in the Second World War , it was the first battle to be fought on Japanese soil. It had a great purported strategic importance as there was an airfield on the tiny island which would allow for constant raids on mainland Japan. However, to the average American, indeed the average person, the battle is remembered for only one thing - a photograph of six men raising the American flag on the highest point of the island.

It is no understatement to say that in the long run the photograph was of greater value and importance in the winning of the war against Japan than the bloodbath on the island itself.

It came at a time when Americans were tired of the war. Advances had been made in the Pacific by inches but the massive US war machine was running out of fuel. Previous attempts to raise money through war bonds had met with increasing apathy. The seventh war bond drive was due to start and government figures believed that if it failed to raise approximately $14 billion there was a risk that the war would grind to a halt.

At 10.20am on 23 February 1945 photographer Joe Rosenthal was looking for suitable images to send home of the battle. Without having the time to look through the viewfinder he snapped the unforgettable image and in a miraculous 17 hours the photograph was gracing the front page of newspapers around the World. The photograph galvanized the nation providing a usable source of inspiration to carry America through the rest of the war.

For those who don't know it the photo is below:

It is not hard to see why the photo was so powerful and meaningful to so many people. It speaks of a team spirit from apparently nameless and faceless soldiers in a far off and hostile land. President Roosevelt, upon seeing the picture, immediately realised that it symbolised everything that America needed to drive home the seventh war bond issue and recalled the flag raisers to America to be the heroes of the nation.

The Clint Eastwood directed film Flags of our Fathers, based on the book of the same name, tells two stories, intermingling them for great effect and ironic counterpoint. One is the bloody battle fought on the black volcanic sand of Iwo Jima and the other is the story of the flag raisers as they try to cope with their new found fame back in the US. It is a story of great heroism but also delves into the fickle nature of bravery and celebrity. For there is a harsh story behind the picture. Of the six men who raised the flag half were dead within a week.

Director Eastwood has completed a miraculous pair of films in Flags of our Fathers and Letters from Iwo Jima, shortly to be released on DVD. The first presents the story of Iwo Jima from an American viewpoint and the second from the Japanese viewpoint. The stories are completely different in the sense that during Flags of our Fathers we have very little insight into what the Japanese are doing and thinking and the same can be said of Letters from Iwo Jima.

The story itself chiefly bridges three distinct but intermingled time periods. The first is the battle itself, the second the time when the soldiers were put onto the war bond tour and the third is the present when the offspring of the survivors try to make sense of the role their fathers played in the war.

The story is one of three soldiers, devastated by what they had seen on the island, forced to accept the mantle of heroes for raising the flag. Whilst no cowards, the men felt guilt at the fame that had been thrust upon them. More than once it is said that the real heroes of Iwo Jima were the men who died on the island.

The ironies in real life and in the film abound. For the famous photograph was not the first raising of the flag on the island. That had occurred some hours earlier. For reasons that are still disputed (some say the original flag was too small, others say that top brass wanted the original flag) it was replaced by the second flag. Photographer Joe Rosenthal happened to be there at the moment that the second flag was being raised and almost accidentally took one of the most recognised photographs of the 20th century. In fact, it was the only photograph to win the Pulitzer Prize for photography in the same year that it was taken.

More tellingly, the photograph represented something of a false hope. The landing on the island had been brutal due to a change in the defensive style of the Japanese. Rather than populate the beaches with pill boxes they dug into the very heart of the island making a network of tunnels some 18 miles in length. Prior to landing on the island the Americans, with a vastly superior force, had pounded every inch of the island unaware that it had little effect on the soldiers in hiding. The flag was raised on the top of the highest point of the island, Mt Suribachi and both sets of flag raisers experienced very little opposition raising the standard.

However, the battle continued to rage on for a further 30 days with enormous loss of life on both sides. Also, historians still argue as to whether the capture of the island justified the loss of life or whether, strategically, the attack was a failure. What could not be disputed is that the photographic image of the American flag being raised on Japanese soil for the first time was a potent force for US patriotism.

Eastwood uses a cast of relative unknowns in his film, which is presented in almost a documentary style. The film is bleached of a great deal of colour to give it that newsreel look. The cinematography shies away from the shaky handheld which has become a staple of modern war films.

Ryan Phillippe plays John Bradley a Navy Corpsman (medic) whose son, Jim wrote the book. Whilst Phillippe’s performance is commendable the script and direction keep the acting and dramatics rather spare. Bradley never spoke to his son about the battle. The other survivors were also troubled by what they saw and the instant fame which they garnered. Most notably, Native American Ira Hayes felt impossibly conflicted leading to a slow decline into depression and alcoholism. The other surviving flag raiser looked forward to the promise of future riches coming from the hero worship only to find that the promises evaporated after the war ended.

The film walks a difficult line in both criticising the way that these men were manipulated for the ends of the government and yet marking them and the other men at Iwo Jima as heroes. Interestingly, all three men made an appearance in the 1949 film Sands of Iwo Jima starring John Wayne as a tough as nails sergeant. The truth was a little less gung-ho. The real sergeant commanding the flag raisers was a seasoned war veteran of just 24 years of age! The rest of the men were even younger. It is hard to begin to comprehend the stresses on such young men fighting inch by inch on a tiny volcanic island so far from home.

Flags of our Fathers was well received upon its release although it gathered less acclaim than the companion piece Letters from Iwo Jima. This is perhaps due to the difficulty of telling a story about the effect of war rather than war itself. It is also a slightly more sentimental piece than Letters perhaps due to the involvement of producer Steven Spielberg. The aspects of the story told in the present day don't really add much to the experience and the voice over has a touch of The Wonder Years about it. It is also perhaps the case that straddling the two stories leaves war film fans unsatisfied.

These minor flaws should not dissuade anyone interested in war films or just fine storytelling to indulge in the movie. In fact, the film does not set out to tell the story of the whole battle which, in truth was not that much different in bloodletting terms than the battles of Guadalcanal and Tarawa. It does tell the equally compelling story of the life and death of the flag raisers. As a story about the effect of war it is probably unparalleled.

Video

   Flags of our Fathers comes to DVD in a 2.35:1 transfer consistent with its original aspect ratio. It is 16x9 enhanced.

It is a little difficult to comment on the quality of the transfer without firstly saying that the film is presented on DVD pretty as much as the director intended. The movie was shot on 35mm film principally on location in Iceland. Iwo Jima is still a Japanese military base and it was not possible for the film to be made on the island. Eastwood shot it in Iceland due to the similarity between the volcanic sand on the beaches.

Using Digital Intermediate he and cinematographer Tom Stern deliberately drained the film of colour for all the battle scenes (with the exception of some notable blood splashes). This provides a vivid contrast to the scenes on the war bond tour which are rich, lush and colourful.

As a consequence, the battle scenes in the film are sepia toned and not too exciting to look at. It is, however, gritty and authentic.

Additionally, Eastwood wanted to shoot the battle scenes on location and without using blue screen effects. This required a great deal of work in post-production for recreation of the massive landing force. The effect of CGI working on great chunks of the background gives the film a slightly unreal look although this is a matter of personal taste. Personally, I found the look of Letters even more doctored.

With those caveats in mind this is a quality transfer. The black levels are deep and the image is quite sharp. There are no film artefacts on the print although some minor compression issues could be observed on my display, principally in the CGI work and the smoky battlefield scenes.

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Audio

   Flags of our Fathers is presented in a Dolby Digital 5.1 surround transfer running at 448 kb/s per second.

The script by William Broyles Jnr and Paul Haggis is composed of interesting insights and loads of battle speak. Not surprisingly the latter goes frequently unheard as the bullets fly and explosions rip across the battlefield. There are subtitles in English and English for the hearing impaired which make up for the gaps.

There are no problems with audio sync.

The sound work in the film is exceptional justifying its Oscar nominations for sound mixing and editing. The surrounds are constantly alive and the subwoofer is frequently brought to bear in the explosions. Not only are the explosions often roof shakingly loud but they do have a deep percussive effect really putting you into the midst of the battle. Eastwood composed the music for the film. It is his fourth soundtrack after, Space Cowboys, Mystic River and Million Dollar Baby. He stresses simplistic piano tunes backed with underlying strings suggesting dread. The sound track is quite a good accompaniment to the film although the piano theme does become grating when it appears in all the special features.

All in all an exceptional sound transfer.

Introduction by Director Clint Eastwood 5.06

Director Clint Eastwood presents an introduction to the extras talking about the importance of the photograph and the first battle on Japanese soil. He describes his own emotions on visiting the Island of Iwo Jima.

Featurette Words on a Page 17.02

This is a fairly detailed examination of the origin of the script. It begins with James Bradley, the son of Tom Bradley, talking about his inspiration for the book. Essentially it arose due to the fact that his father steadfastly refused to talk about his war experiences. For the first time but certainly not the last time in the Special Features the phrase that the heroes of Iwo Jima are the guys who didn’t come back is used. After his father’s death Bradley discovered three boxes of old war material and papers kept by his father which led him to interview other survivors of the battle and the families of the flag raisers. Scriptwriters William Broyles Jnr and Paul Haggis then describe their roles in trying to convey the enormity of the book in a two hour film.

The feature is a great insight into the process of putting the script together for the film although, having said that, it is unlikely that the film will be remembered for the script.

Featurette Six Brave Men 19.52

This is a profile of each of the flag raisers. Interestingly the comments about the men are made by the actors playing them in the film. Whilst initially this seemed a debatable idea it was clear that the actors had done their research and were able to present interesting and cogent insights into their characters.

Featurette- The Making Of An Epic 30.13

On the face of it this is another studio produced guide to the making of the film. It is actually quite a good product for two reasons. Firstly, it is lengthy clocking in at around 30 minutes. Secondly, the documentary goes through almost all aspects of production.

There are some interesting insights from the cinematographer and the editor. The lady in charge of costumes describes the monumental task of outfitting so many actors and Clint Eastwood talks about his filming process which is to try to get the greatest spontaneity from the actors in the early takes. He therefore doesn’t like to have multiple takes.

The feature is also something of a tribute to casting director Phyllis Huffman and legendary production designer, Henry Bumstead who had been working in the art department on films for some 68 years until his death at 91. The wheelchair bound Bumstead is interviewed for the feature and he cheerfully says that his relationship with Eastwood is special as nine of his last ten films were Eastwood vehicles.

Featurette Raising the Flag 3.26

This short feature looks at the steps taken to replicate the famous photograph when filming the scene. Interestingly, Eastwood looked at whether the photograph should be simply integrated into the film or whether it should be shot as a live action sequence.

Featurette-Visual Effects 14.55

This is a fascinating look at the months of work that went into creating the battlefield on an empty beach in Iceland. As well as the battlefield itself the imposing Mt Suribashi had to be created. The excited visual effects supervisor and his associates talk us through various scenes. The effect is amazing as we see the simple hill transformed into hell on earth. The visual effects people make no bones about the fact that Eastwood made life difficult for them by using very little blue screen however, they working hard to create real effects regardless.

Featurette-Looking Into the Past 9.26

Theatrical Trailer 2.15

    The Region 1 edition of the film comes in various flavours. There is the single disk edition and the Special Edition which has the same features as the Region 4 DVD.

It also comes in a 5 disk edition with Letters From Iwo Jima however we may get this edition later in the year as Letters is not due out in Region 4 until next month. The 5 disk edition comes with these added features:

On paper these extra features look interesting.

It is also on high definition formats in other regions. There is no information yet on the release in similar formats here but it cannot be too far away. For now the Region 4 is the best value option.

   Flags of Our Fathers is not so much a war epic as a keen insight into heroism and the murky waters from which heroes sometime emerge.

The film receives a stellar transfer to DVD and a series of lengthy and informative extras.

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