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Flags of Our Fathers (2006)
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Overview
User Rating:
Director:
Writers (WGA):
Release Date:
20 October 2006 (USA)
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Tagline:
A Single Shot Can End The War more
Plot:
The life stories of the six men who raised the flag at The Battle of Iwo Jima, a turning point in WWII. full summary | full synopsis
Awards:
Nominated for 2 Oscars.
Another 10 wins
&
13 nominations
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NewsDesk:
(52 articles)
TV ratings - 15 November: Doctor Who and I'm A Celebrity make splash in high-rating 'Super Sunday'
(From The Guardian - TV News. 16 November 2009, 5:22 AM, PST)
Celebrate Veteran’s Day with a War Movie Overload
(From FilmSchoolRejects. 11 November 2009, 2:33 PM, PST)
(From The Guardian - TV News. 16 November 2009, 5:22 AM, PST)
Celebrate Veteran’s Day with a War Movie Overload
(From FilmSchoolRejects. 11 November 2009, 2:33 PM, PST)
User Comments:
An amazing accomplishment
more (391 total)
Cast
(Cast overview, first billed only) | Ryan Phillippe | ... | John "Doc" Bradley |
 | Jesse Bradford | ... | Rene Gagnon |
 | Adam Beach | ... | Ira Hayes |
 | John Benjamin Hickey | ... | Keyes Beech |
 | John Slattery | ... | Bud Gerber |
 | Barry Pepper | ... | Mike Strank |
 | Jamie Bell | ... | Ralph "Iggy" Ignatowski |
 | Paul Walker | ... | Hank Hansen |
 | Robert Patrick | ... | Colonel Chandler Johnson |
 | Neal McDonough | ... | Captain Severance |
 | Melanie Lynskey | ... | Pauline Harnois |
 | Thomas McCarthy | ... | James Bradley (as Tom McCarthy) |
 | Chris Bauer | ... | Commandant Vandegrift |
| Judith Ivey | ... | Belle Block |
 | Myra Turley | ... | Madeline Evelley |
Additional Details
MPAA:
Rated R for sequences of graphic war violence and carnage, and for language.
Parents Guide:
Runtime:
132 min
Country:
Language:
Colour:
Colour (Technicolor)
Aspect Ratio:
2.35 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Certification:
UK:15 |
Singapore:NC-16 |
Finland:K-15 |
Australia:MA |
USA:R (certificate #42983) |
Switzerland:16 (canton of Vaud) |
Switzerland:16 (canton of Geneva) |
Ireland:15A |
Netherlands:16 |
Philippines:R-13 (MTRCB) |
Norway:15 |
Germany:12 |
Hong Kong:IIB |
Spain:18 |
Portugal:M/12 |
South Korea:15 |
Argentina:13 |
Peru:14 |
Argentina:16 |
Brazil:16 |
New Zealand:R15 |
Sweden:15 |
Malaysia:18SG (DVD)
Filming Locations:
Company:
Fun Stuff
Trivia:
The scene in which a sailor falls from a ship and is left in the water as the fleet steams toward Iwo Jima actually happened. The incident is described in "Iwo" by Richard Wheeler, himself a veteran of the fighting. Quote: "According to Coast Guardsman Chet Hack of LST 763: 'We got the man-overboard signal from the ship ahead of us. We turned to port to avoid hitting him and threw him a life preserver, but had orders not to stop. We could not hold up 24 ships for one man. Looking back, we could see him waving his arms, and it broke our hearts that we couldn't help him. We hoped that one of our destroyers or other small men-of-war that were cruising around to protect us would pick him up, but we never heard that they did.' "
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Goofs:
Factual errors: Chandler Johnson, the commander of the 2nd Battalion 28th Marines (played by Robert Patrick), was a lieutenant colonel (silver oak leaf rank insignia) but is shown wearing the eagles of a full colonel.
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Quotes:
[first lines]
Soldiers: Corpsman! Corpsman! Corpsman! Corpsman! For God sakes, corpsman! Corpsman! Corpsman!
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Soldiers: Corpsman! Corpsman! Corpsman! Corpsman! For God sakes, corpsman! Corpsman! Corpsman!
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Movie Connections:
Referenced in "Family Guy: Back to the Woods (#6.9)" (2008)
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Soundtrack:
I'll Walk Alone
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FAQ
How does "Flags of Our Fathers" relate to "Letters from Iwo Jima"?A Note Regarding Spoilers
Why aren't African American Soldiers Shown in the movie?
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more (391 total)
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| Windtalkers | Letters from Iwo Jima | The Last Samurai | Saving Private Ryan | Enemy at the Gates |
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I've always felt that when you fictionalize a story about war, you dishonor the memory of so many people who have a compelling story to tell by choosing to make something up instead *cough*privateryan*cough*.
The problem with war movies about real people is that you have to deal with complexities of character and plot that the genre simply doesn't lend itself easily to.
So when the story at hand aims to pose questions like "what does it mean to do the wrong things for the right reasons" and tries to debunk the popular myth of herodom, there's very little margin for error.
Enter Clint Eastwood. Never one to shy away from challenging stories, this is a much bigger effort than his usual understated character dramas. On the one hand, it doesn't "feel" like a Clint Eastwood movie, but on the other, it feels at home in his themes of used-up heroes -- the person behind the larger than life persona. These are complex characters in very difficult situations, and he presents them in a way that's straightforward and non-judgmental, so we're left to decide the answers to the film's central conflicts ourselves.
To a person, the cast is up to the challenge. It's hard not to admire Ryan Phillippe for a restrained and thoughtful performance, but the real kudos go to Adam Beach. Almost every aspect of Beach's character is cliché, with one minor exception - that's really the way Ira Hayes was. So the challenge was to portray Hayes as a real person despite the cliché, and the result is one of the most heartbreaking and troubling performances in the film. Here's a guy who is portrayed as a hero, who really has no answers at all.
There's a lot not to like about the film. It's not "entertaining" per se, in the same way that any war memorial in DC is not entertaining. Nor is it a particularly approachable film. What it lacks in popcorn-munching entertainment value, it replaces with gravitas. This is an important film, about an important time. It's status as a valuable history lesson is secondary to it's reflections on human nature and our society. As such, it deserves to be seen, and contemplated, and appreciated.
I can't wait for Letters From Iwo Jima (the companion piece, also from Clint Eastwood, told from the Japanese point of view.) Taken together, the scope of this project is breathtaking.