Flags of Our Fathers (2006) Movie and Film Photos and Desktop
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Flags of Our Fathers is a 2006 war film directed by
Clint Eastwood and written by William Broyles, Jr. and Paul Haggis. It is based on the book of the same name (see Flags of Our Fathers) written by James Bradley and Ron Powers about the Battle of Iwo Jima and Raising the flag on Iwo Jima. The film stars Ryan Phillippe, Jesse Bradford, Adam Beach, Paul Walker, John Slattery, Barry Pepper, Jamie Bell, Robert Patrick, Neal McDonough, John Benjamin Hickey, Melanie Lynskey, Joseph Cross, Stark Sands, Chris Bauer, Thomas McCarthy, Benjamin Walker, George Grizzard, Harve Presnell, Len Cariou and Tom Verica. Eastwood also directed a complementary film on the battle from the Japanese viewpoint entitled Letters from Iwo Jima. It was released in Japan on December 9, 2006 and in the United States on December 20, 2006, two months after the release of Flags of Our Fathers on October 20, 2006. Flags of Our Fathers is a film about the Battle of Iwo Jima and tells the story of how the three surviving flag-raisers were used as propaganda tools by the United States government to lift the morale of the American people and raise money for the war effort. It also shows the effects of war on the veterans and how they suffered from memories of the war for the rest of their lives.
One of the most famous photographs in history was taken by Joe Rosenthal at the Battle of Iwo Jima, during the Second World War. The image shows five Marines and one sailor raising Old Glory on Mount Suribachi, and has become an enduring symbol of American heroism.
Writer James Bradley (Tom McCarthy) knew that his father, John "Doc" Bradley, had served in World War II and been one of the men who raised the American flag in the iconic photo from Iwo Jima, and had long heard rumors that "Doc" had been some sort of war hero. But his father never wanted to talk about his war experiences, never owned a copy of the photograph, and refused to answer questions about the war. Only after John Bradley's death did James learn that his father had received the Navy Cross for valor. This discovery led James Bradley to seek out veterans who'd fought at Iwo Jima and ask them about what happened, and to do some research on the other five men who appear in the photo.
The flag raisers represented a cross section of America. There was Marine Sergeant Mike Strank (Barry Pepper) from Western Pennsylvania, Marine Corporal Harlon Block (Benjamin Walker) from South Texas, Marine Private First Class Ira Hayes (Adam Beach) an Arizona Native American, Marine Private First Class Franklin Sousley (Joseph Cross) from Kentucky, Marine Private First Class Rene Gagnon (Jesse Bradford) of New Hampshire and Navy Hospital Corpsman John "Doc" Bradley (Ryan Phillippe) from Wisconsin.
James Bradley found that much of what the public "knew" about the photo and the battle was erroneous. Most Americans thought the flag was raised at the end of the battle, after the U.S. Marines had defeated the Japanese. The flag was really hoisted on the fifth day of a 35-day battle.
Iwo Jima was strategically important: it provided an airbase for Japanese aircraft to intercept long-range B-29 bombers and provided a haven for Japanese naval units in dire need of any support available. The capture of Iwo Jima would eliminate these problems and provide a staging area for the eventual invasion of the Japanese mainland. The distance of B-29 raids would be nearly halved, and a base would be available for P-51 Mustang fighters to escort and protect the devastating bomber raids. Hence, the Marines were sent to capture the island.
The Battle of Iwo Jima was the first battle of World War II that took place on Japanese soil. Iwo Jima itself was part of the nation of Japan, so the Japanese soldiers stationed on the island believed they were fighting to defend their homeland from foreign invaders. The Japanese had no hope of victory, and they knew it. All they wanted was to inflict massive casualties on the invading Marines—and they had an ideal setup for doing just that. The Japanese forces had built a large network of tunnels throughout the island, which meant they could shoot at the Marines from safe, well-fortified positions. They could also make quick, bloody attacks on isolated Marines and then retreat to the safety of their tunnels. The American Marines on Iwo Jima were fighting an enemy they could rarely see. The only way to defeat the Japanese was to locate the entrances to their tunnels and bunkers, then slowly work close enough to toss in a grenade or stick in the muzzle of a flamethrower. This was slow, gruesome work, and the Marines lost more than 6,000 men before their task was complete.
Early in the battle, on the fifth day, the American forces captured Mount Suribachi. A contingent of Marines erected an American flag on the summit, and a photo was taken of the flag raising. Shortly afterward, Navy Secretary James Forrestal requested that the flag be sent to Washington as a souvenir. When this flag was taken down, a new one had to be put up. Strank, Block, Sousley, Hayes, Gagnon and "Doc" were the men assigned to raise this second flag. While they did, photographer Joe Rosenthal took a snapshot. A few days later, Rosenthal's snapshot was published in newspapers all over the United States. Most Americans who saw the photo believed it commemorated a great American victory, but victory was still weeks away. The bloody battle raged on at Iwo Jima, and three of the flag raisers- Strank, Block and Sousley- were killed in action without being aware of the photo's widespread fame.
The photo gained symbolic status in America, and the War Department realized that the photo and the flag raisers could have great propaganda value. It took a little while to identify and locate the flag raisers,but once Hayes, Gagnon and Doc had been identified, they were brought back to the U.S.A. and sent on a tour to promote the war.
When the war ended, all three flagraisers chose to leave the armed forces. Hayes faced anti-Indian prejudice both during and after the war. He returned to his old Gila Native American reservation in Arizona, where he continued to drink heavily and sank into poverty. He was eventually found dead in a ditch, after a heavy drinking spree.
Gagnon returned to New Hampshire, where he spent the rest of his life holding a series of dead-end jobs. Having enjoyed his time as a celebrity, he was bitter at having little to show for it in the end, and angry that his 15 minutes of fame never led to wealth or great success in life. Many businessmen had given him their cards and told him to call them after the war for a good position, but they didn't want to know him.
"Doc" was the only flag raiser who lived a fairly happy, normal life after the war. He returned to his hometown in Wisconsin, married his grade school sweetheart, became a prosperous undertaker, and raised a seemingly well-adjusted family. But "Doc" had horrible memories of Iwo Jima (in particular, he'd seen how the Japanese had tortured and mutilated his best friend, "Iggy", and preferred to forget all about it). He stashed away all of his wartime memorabilia (including a Navy Cross that he'd received for racing through heavy fire to tend to wounded Marines), and never showed them to anyone. Doc Bradley never regarded himself as a hero, telling anyone who asked, "The only heroes were the ones who didn't come back." He never forgave himself for not being there to save Iggy. In the end, James Bradley finishes his story and tells the audience why his father and his friends felt uncomfortable being called heroes. The movie ends with a clip of the Marines and sailors swimming at a beach on Iwo Jima.
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