The iconic photo of American soldiers raising Old Glory at Iwo Jima serves as the springboard for Clint Eastwood's film adaptation of the bestselling book by James Bradley and Ron Powers, which unravels the tangled—and none too uplifting—reality behind the photograph (as well as the rather crass use of soldiers as PR puppets in a desperate War Bond drive), while simultaneously exalting the true heroism shown by the men who fought and died to take the island. Scenes of the horrors that the troops confronted in taking the strategically important locale from entrenched defenders are juxtaposed with the story of the famous photograph, in the wake of which three of the men were hustled back home to appear at massive rallies, even though the soldiers harbored serious reservations about being identified as heroes. Featuring Ryan Phillippe, Adam Beach, and Jesse Bradford, Flags of Our Fathers offers a take on John Ford's famous newspaper adage from The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, “when the legend becomes fact, print the legend,” but it also wants to explore something deeper—the ambiguous heroism represented by men who not only realize they can't live up to the public ideal but also that they (and their fallen comrades) are being exploited. Although sometimes heavy-handed and melodramatic, the film's notable attempt to examine the complicated nature of personal courage against the backdrop of manipulative government-sanctioned mass media seems especially relevant today. Recommended. [Note: Available in either widescreen or full screen versions, or a two-disc widescreen version, DVD extras on this two-disc “special edition” include an introduction by filmmaker Clint Eastwood, the 30-minute “The Making of an Epic” featurette, a “Six Brave Men” production featurette (20 min.), a “Words on the Page” featurette with co-author James Bradley (17 min.), a 15-minute “Visual Effects” featurette, “Looking Into the Past” (10 min.), “Raising the Flag” (4 min.), and trailers. Bottom line: a solid extras package for a thought-provoking film.] (F. Swietek)
Flags of Our Fathers
DreamWorks, 132 min., R, DVD: $29.99, Feb. 6 Volume 22, Issue 2
Flags of Our Fathers
Star Ratings
As of March 2022, Video Librarian has changed from a four-star rating system to a five-star one. This change allows our reviewers to have a wider range of critical viewpoints, as well as to synchronize with Google’s rating structure. This change affects all reviews from March 2022 onwards. All reviews from before this period will still retain their original rating. Future film submissions will be considered our new 1-5 star criteria.
Order From Your Favorite Distributor Today: