Flags of Our Fathers (Widescreen Edition)
starring: Ryan Phillippe, Jesse Bradford, Adam Beach, John Benjamin Hickey, John Slattery
directed by: Clint Eastwood
directed by: Clint Eastwood
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Product Description:
The life stories of six men who raised the flag at the battle of iwo jima a turning point in wwii.Studio: Paramount Home VideoRelease Date: 08/19/2008Starring: Ryan Phillipe Paul WalkerRun time: 132 minutesRating: R
Amazon.com:
Thematically ambitious and emotionally complex, Clint Eastwood's Flags of Our Fathers is an intimate epic with much to say about war and the nature of heroism in America. Based on the non-fiction bestseller by James Bradley (with Ron Powers), and adapted by Million Dollar Baby screenwriter Paul Haggis (Jarhead screenwriter William Broyles Jr. wrote an earlier draft that was abandoned when Eastwood signed on to direct), this isn't so much a conventional war movie as it is a thought-provoking meditation on our collective need for heroes, even at the expense of those we deem heroic. In telling the story of the six men (five Marines, one Navy medic) who raised the American flag of victory on the battle-ravaged Japanese island of Iwo Jima on February 23rd, 1945, Eastwood takes us deep into the horror of war (in painstakingly authentic Iwo Jima battle scenes) while emphasizing how three of the surviving flag-raisers (played by Adam Beach, Ryan Phillippe, and Jesse Bradford) became reluctant celebrities - and resentful pawns in a wartime publicity campaign - after their flag-raising was immortalized by Associated Press photographer Joe Rosenthal in the most famous photograph in military history.
As the surviving flag-raisers reluctantly play their public roles as "the heroes of Iwo Jima" during an exhausting (but clearly necessary) wartime bond rally tour, Flags of Our Fathers evolves into a pointed study of battlefield valor and misplaced idolatry, incorporating subtle comment on the bogus nature of celebrity, the trauma of battle, and the true meaning of heroism in wartime. Wisely avoiding any direct parallels to contemporary history, Eastwood allows us to draw our own conclusions about the Iwo Jima flag-raisers and how their postwar histories (both noble and tragic) simultaneously illustrate the hazards of exploited celebrity and society's genuine need for admirable role models during times of national crisis. Flags of Our Fathers defies the expectations of those seeking a more straightforward war-action drama, but it's richly satisfying, impeccably crafted film that manages to be genuinely patriotic (in celebrating the camaraderie of soldiers in battle) while dramatizing the ultimate futility of war. Eastwood's follow-up film, Letters from Iwo Jima, examines the Iwo Jima conflict from the Japanese perspective. --Jeff Shannon
Beyond Flags of Our Fathers
Stills from Flags of Our Fathers (click for larger image)
The life stories of six men who raised the flag at the battle of iwo jima a turning point in wwii.Studio: Paramount Home VideoRelease Date: 08/19/2008Starring: Ryan Phillipe Paul WalkerRun time: 132 minutesRating: R
Amazon.com:
Thematically ambitious and emotionally complex, Clint Eastwood's Flags of Our Fathers is an intimate epic with much to say about war and the nature of heroism in America. Based on the non-fiction bestseller by James Bradley (with Ron Powers), and adapted by Million Dollar Baby screenwriter Paul Haggis (Jarhead screenwriter William Broyles Jr. wrote an earlier draft that was abandoned when Eastwood signed on to direct), this isn't so much a conventional war movie as it is a thought-provoking meditation on our collective need for heroes, even at the expense of those we deem heroic. In telling the story of the six men (five Marines, one Navy medic) who raised the American flag of victory on the battle-ravaged Japanese island of Iwo Jima on February 23rd, 1945, Eastwood takes us deep into the horror of war (in painstakingly authentic Iwo Jima battle scenes) while emphasizing how three of the surviving flag-raisers (played by Adam Beach, Ryan Phillippe, and Jesse Bradford) became reluctant celebrities - and resentful pawns in a wartime publicity campaign - after their flag-raising was immortalized by Associated Press photographer Joe Rosenthal in the most famous photograph in military history.
As the surviving flag-raisers reluctantly play their public roles as "the heroes of Iwo Jima" during an exhausting (but clearly necessary) wartime bond rally tour, Flags of Our Fathers evolves into a pointed study of battlefield valor and misplaced idolatry, incorporating subtle comment on the bogus nature of celebrity, the trauma of battle, and the true meaning of heroism in wartime. Wisely avoiding any direct parallels to contemporary history, Eastwood allows us to draw our own conclusions about the Iwo Jima flag-raisers and how their postwar histories (both noble and tragic) simultaneously illustrate the hazards of exploited celebrity and society's genuine need for admirable role models during times of national crisis. Flags of Our Fathers defies the expectations of those seeking a more straightforward war-action drama, but it's richly satisfying, impeccably crafted film that manages to be genuinely patriotic (in celebrating the camaraderie of soldiers in battle) while dramatizing the ultimate futility of war. Eastwood's follow-up film, Letters from Iwo Jima, examines the Iwo Jima conflict from the Japanese perspective. --Jeff Shannon
Beyond Flags of Our Fathers
 Other World War II DVDs |  Essential DVDs by Director Clint Eastwood |  Flags of Our Fathers by James Bradley |
Stills from Flags of Our Fathers (click for larger image)
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Customer Reviews
Average Rating:
Rating: 
- FLAGS OF OUR FATHERS
AWESOME MOVIE. CLINT EASTWOOD DOES IT AGAIN. HE PROVES HOW GREAT A DIRECTOR HE IS AND HOW MOVIES SHOULD BE PLUS IT CELEBRATES A HISTORIC TALE.
Rating: 
- What was the Message?
This movie was made with a sort of cynicism that drained the life out any real passion for making it.By focusing too much on the 'bad' side of America during the War in the Pacific, Clint Eastwood leaves the viewer with their own battle fatigue.Jumping from the war to modern times and back again and again during the whole movie was like being drug through the mud having to endure another one of hollywood leftist's anti-American rantings.
Poorly made and although it had potential, ... Read More
Rating: - Beautiful!
This is not a movie to entertain a bunch of blood thirsty action movie goers. If you find yourself getting bored because a lack of action or confused and disconnected because of the flashbacks then this movie is clearly above your intelectual level. It is almost like the movie isn't designed to entertain. Instead, it is more of a hommage to the thousands of veterans who were wounded or killed. This is an absolute masterpiece for anyone who is interested in WWII history. This is definitely one of the ... Read More
Rating: - I cracked it
I WAS CLEANING IT, WHEN I ACCIDENTLY CRACKED IT.I WOULD LIKE TO HAVE ANOTHER FLAGS OF OUR FATHERS PLEASE.THANKS SO MUCH.
Rating: - 2nd to Saving Private Ryan
This flick is right up there with Saving Private Ryan as far as WW2 movies are concerned. Maybe the gore wasnt on the same level as SPR but the story was great. I am a Soilder my self and I was really touched and satisfied of the portrayal of the Corps, I realize this film has been uncarefully scrutinized by the likes of Mr Bruce Bains but I completely feel that his negative reviews are flawed and biased. This movie is a wonderful Eastwood masterpiece. It deserves 5 stars. The following is for Mr Bruce, ... Read More
- FLAGS OF OUR FATHERSAWESOME MOVIE. CLINT EASTWOOD DOES IT AGAIN. HE PROVES HOW GREAT A DIRECTOR HE IS AND HOW MOVIES SHOULD BE PLUS IT CELEBRATES A HISTORIC TALE.
- What was the Message?This movie was made with a sort of cynicism that drained the life out any real passion for making it.By focusing too much on the 'bad' side of America during the War in the Pacific, Clint Eastwood leaves the viewer with their own battle fatigue.Jumping from the war to modern times and back again and again during the whole movie was like being drug through the mud having to endure another one of hollywood leftist's anti-American rantings.
Poorly made and although it had potential, ... Read More
- Beautiful!This is not a movie to entertain a bunch of blood thirsty action movie goers. If you find yourself getting bored because a lack of action or confused and disconnected because of the flashbacks then this movie is clearly above your intelectual level. It is almost like the movie isn't designed to entertain. Instead, it is more of a hommage to the thousands of veterans who were wounded or killed. This is an absolute masterpiece for anyone who is interested in WWII history. This is definitely one of the ... Read More
- I cracked itI WAS CLEANING IT, WHEN I ACCIDENTLY CRACKED IT.I WOULD LIKE TO HAVE ANOTHER FLAGS OF OUR FATHERS PLEASE.THANKS SO MUCH.
- 2nd to Saving Private RyanThis flick is right up there with Saving Private Ryan as far as WW2 movies are concerned. Maybe the gore wasnt on the same level as SPR but the story was great. I am a Soilder my self and I was really touched and satisfied of the portrayal of the Corps, I realize this film has been uncarefully scrutinized by the likes of Mr Bruce Bains but I completely feel that his negative reviews are flawed and biased. This movie is a wonderful Eastwood masterpiece. It deserves 5 stars. The following is for Mr Bruce, ... Read More
