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In Reply to: "Letters from Iwo Jima." Definitely worth posted by tinear on January 29, 2007 at 16:24:20:
I disliked Flags. After about thirty minutes, this heavy-handed movie had made its point, and then proceeded to make it again, and again, and again, AD NAUSEUM for the next hour--i.e., the real heroes died fighting on the island, and the GIs touring the country raising war bonds weren't the real heroes. The U.S. government was prostituting these men.The flashing backs were distracting and tired.
Finally, there was very little combat in the movie, and what little there was wasn't done well. At least Speilberg in SPR well depicted the horror of the Normandy invasion.
I don't know what invading these Japanese islands was like first hand, but my father, who was a Master Sergeant in the army, fought the Japanese for four years in the Pacific theater. I remember him telling me that the U.S. navy had laid a heavy bombardment before the Army went ashore on Leyte. Yet when the army hit the beach, it was as if the enemy hadn't been softened up at all (presumably because they were deeply dug in and protected in the caves).
Why wasn't the horror of these landings depicted accurately? That wasn't the point of his movie? It would have been a better movie had the landing been portrayed in its full horror. Then we would better understand the sacrifice of the Americans who fought in the Pacific.
Yes, I know, it wasn't meant to be a typical war movie, but whatever it was, I think it missed the mark.
Follow Ups:
At least Eastwood tackles some films on good issues. He does overkill stuff and that was my big problem with both movies. They could have been each 1/2 as long and put together into 1 two hour movie.
ee
would have been better filmed as such. The outdoor scenes were on such a small scale. A few dozen extras. Made the enormity of the battles seem miniscule. The special effects were terrible, i.e. the ships massing in front of the beaches. Cookie-cutter cutouts. Ditto the bombers.
Two major faults, yet the film held together and because of the strong performances, it was worthwhile.
A couple of other problems: many, many Americans died on the island but we get very little actual killing of Americans by Japanese. Yes, it would have created an almost impossible barrier for the film to overcome but by omitting it, the entire movie rings quite false. We never find out how many days have passed. The length of the stand is important for a true realization of the ferocity and commitment.
"A couple of other problems: many, many Americans died on the island but we get very little actual killing of Americans by Japanese."Not having seen the film, I can only speculate that the reason for this was because of Eastwood's intent was to view the events through the eyes of the Japanese. Certainly brave, even at this point in time. The Japanese version of events on Iwo Jima would likely be different than the U.S. version. The deaths certainly occurred, but to the Japanese, the deaths were likely not the story and the focus of Iwo Jima as they would be to the U.S. I understand that Flags of our Fathers was the same story from the American perspective, and I suspect was more detailed in the deaths that occurred.
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