The Curates Egg

War Heroes

Prologue

In my February article I moaned about the delay between the release of films in the United States and over here - I have to admit though that I have now found one benefit of this. I stopped reviewing films I'd watched at the cinema because by the time this article is published they are usually no longer on general release. When I was in America however I watched a film that I think is worth talking about - and doesn't come out over here until December 22^nd.       

Flags of our Fathers

The film in question was 'Flags of our Fathers' directed by Clint Eastwood and it tells the story of the men who raised the American flag at the Battle of Iwo Jima – the photograph of which became one of the most famous and iconic ever taken.

The Americans landed on Iwo Jima on the 19^th February 1945 and the battle for the island lasted 36 days. During it nearly 7,000 marines were killed, as were most of the 20,000 Japanese troops defending the island in a maze of tunnels and pillboxes.

The battle scenes in the film are the best I have seen since 'Saving Private Ryan' and an added realism is given by the use of muted, documentary like, colours. This contrasts with the scenes of the three surviving flag raisers who were quickly flown back to America to take part in a publicity tour to persuade the public to buy bonds to raise the money necessary to finish the war. These three men where subjected to a concentrated period of adulation and hero worship while struggling with the horrors they had witnessed and the knowledge that they had survived while others had died (and were still dying) on the island.

I watched the film on the day it came out in America at a late night showing at a small cinema in Springfield Missouri. I found the film powerful and moving - but it was difficult to separate these feeling from thoughts about the actual events and the genuine suffering and sacrifice which had taken place on Iwo Jima just 61 years ago. This was enhanced by the realism of the battle scenes and the original photographs shown with the credits - but also a little by being in America and by the high profile public support for troops currently serving in Iraq (regardless of feelings about the war itself).

Back in England I have been able to reflect on what the film is trying to say about the nature of war and in particular about the nature of war heroes – who they are, how they feel, why we need them and how we treat them. In this later respect the film certainly raises the questions but doesn't go very far in answering them. One problem I think is that the switching between the battle scenes and the PR tour makes the film feel a little disjointed at times and we don't engage with the characters of the three 'heroes' as deeply as we could. The closest we get is with Ira Hayes (played well by Adam Beach) who struggles with guilt and unworthiness at having survived while other "better" men had died, and with the added confusion of being treated as an 'American hero' but also experiencing prejudice as a Native American. In real life Ira Hayes became an alcoholic and died soon after the war - his story is told in more detail in the 1961 film 'The Outsider' starring Tony Curtis.

Epilogue

If  you appreciated 'Saving Private Ryan' then although 'Flags' is not as good I would still recommend that you go and see it. Eastwood has done a good job of honouring the men who fought at Iwo Jima without glorifying war or hiding the weaknesses that all human 'heroes' must inevitably have. What may ultimately make this film even more meaningful, and balance some of its flaws, is that Eastwood is making a sequel, 'Letters from Iwo Jima', which will examine the battle from the Japanese perspective. This is a bold move and though I suspect fewer people will go to see this second film I hope that it will help us to understand the Japanese better and to remember that the true tragedy of war is the suffering born by people on both sides.  

Tim