THE FLAGS OF OUR FATHERS (2006)
December 6th 2008 10:44
Category: No Category
In a nutshell, the film is an attempt to demystify war mythology and delves deep into the background of one image, a freeze frame that shaped the lives of the three survivors pictured: Bradley, Rene Gagnon (Jesse Bradford) and Ira Hayes (Adam Beach). The performances are all grounded and restrained (although Philippe's eyelashes occasionally do get in the way of otherwise realistic portrayals). Interestingly, the most compelling aspect of the story is the usually silenced issue of the Native American input to the war effort and the resulting cultural clashes, heartbreakingly conveyed through the tragic story of Ira's life. As the director has commented, "I feel terrible for both sides in that war and in all wars. A lot of innocent people get sacrificed. It's not about winning or losing, but mostly about the interrupted lives of young people." The ash coloured, visually stunning (but not suited for the faint of heart) flashbacks of the battle itself, where the only flashes of colour come from the gunfire, transport the viewer directly into the minutely recreated throes of the action, torn limbs, mounting death toll and nauseating bouts of hand held camera photography reflecting the arbitrary chaos of war included.
Eastwood, the author of a string of films with anti-violence themes, such as Unforgiven (1992), Mystic River (2003), and A Perfect World (1993), has himself served in the US Army and brings authenticity and complexity to the camaraderie and the different bonds that form between the soldiers. His next project, Letters From Iwo Jima, which is due next year, tells the story of the same battle from the perspective of the Japanese and should be compelling viewing as a companion piece. In now classic Eastwood style, Flags is indulgently over two hours long and its slow pace, careful not to leave any of the weighty details out and lovingly emulating the 1940s war films the 76 year-old director is a fan of, may leave some viewers impatiently looking at their watches. Despite its covert didacticism, it is however an important and detailed illustration of the war-driven workings of the media, the political PR machine and the individual stories that get drowned in the multiplicity of agendas that tend to twist history out of all recognizable shape. The scars and memories which resurface in nightmares, and reverberate through the generations are as strong an anti-war statement as any, and as current news reports continue to show, we are in constant need of confrontation with such inconvenient truths. One is afraid to ask, what would delving behind other iconic moments of history reveal?
Review by Patricia Bieszk
© Copyright P. Bieszk 2006.
Originally published on The Scene.
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