Countdown to "Flags of our Fathers"

Countdown to “Flags of Our Fathers”

There is already plenty of buzz around the upcoming “Flags of Our Fathers”, directed by Clint Eastwood. The movie, based on the events that occurred during the battle of Iwo Jima in 1945, opens on October 20^th. What exactly is the movie about?

Why is Iwo Jima important in the film?

Iwo Jima is a small island (a little more than eight square miles) located over 600 miles south of Japan. The area is mainly flat with the exception of Mount Suribachi which stands at over 540 feet at the island’s southern tip. Used by Japan during World War II to detect bombers, it became a crucial element in America’s strategy to end the war. U.S. forces invaded Iwo Jima on February 19^th, 1945. Both sides suffered casualties until the American forces took control on March 26^th.

What happened during the battle?

As six men (five from the Marines and one from the Navy) raised the America flag atop Mount Suribachi, photographer Joe Rosenthal (1911-2006) took the photo that would become synonymous with World War II. “Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima” was taken on February 23^rd, 1945 and won Rosenthal a Pulitzer Prize in Photography. “Flags of Our Fathers” is about this event, the men involved and (to a greater extent) their lives in the aftermath.

Who were the men in the photo?

There were six men in the photo: five Marines and one Naval corpsman. The men were: Cpl. Harlon Block (1924-1945), Navy Corpsman John Bradley (1923-1994), Cpl. Rene Gagnon (1925-1979), Cpl. Ira Hayes (1923-1955), PFC Franklin Sousley (1925-1945) and Sgt. Michael Strank (1915-1945). Only three of the men (Bradley, Gagnon and Hayes) survived the battle. Block and Strank were killed just days after the photo was taken, on March 1, 1945. Sousley was killed on March 21, 1945.

The three men who survived returned to the United States as heroes. They took part in a tour for war bonds that successfully raised billions of dollars.

There was also a controversy surrounding one of the men in the photo. The men in the photo were originally identified in April 1945. At that time Sgt. Henry Hansen was named as one of the men instead of Cpl. Harlon Block. With the determination of his mother, Belle Block, an investigation a couple of year’s later rectified the error.

Is “Flags of Our Fathers” based on a book?

“Flags of Our Fathers” is closely based on the book of the same title by James Bradley, son of John Bradley. Bradley spent several years after his father’s death researching and interviewing the families of the men who participated in the flag-raising on Iwo Jima.

Who stars in the movie?

Adam Beach portrays Ira Hayes. Beach has appeared in “Mystery, Alaska” (1999) with Russell Crowe and Burt Reynolds, the comedy “Joe Dirt” (2001) with David Spade and 2002’s “Windtalkers” with Nicolas Cage.

Jesse Bradford is Rene Gagnon in the film. Bradford has appeared in a number of movies including “Romeo + Juliet” (1996) with Claire Danes and Leonardo DiCaprio, “Bring It On” (2000) with Kirsten Dunst and Eliza Dushku, the sci-fi film “Clockstoppers” (2002) and “Swimfan” (2002) with Erika Christensen.

Joseph Cross portrays Franklin Sousley. Cross co-starred in the 1998 drama/thriller “Desperate Measures” with Andy Garcia and Michael Keaton. He next appears in “Running with Scissors” (2006) with Annette Bening.

Barry Pepper plays Michael Strank in the movie. Pepper is no stranger to films of this genre. He appeared in the critically acclaimed films “Saving Private Ryan” (1998) with Tom Hanks and “We Were Soldiers” (2002) with Mel Gibson. Pepper has also starred in “The Green Mile” (1999) and “The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada” (2005).

Ryan Phillippe portrays John Bradley. Phillippe starred in the Academy Award winning “Crash” (2004). He also appeared in 1995’s “Crimson Tide” with Denzel Washington and Gene Hackman, 1997’s “I Know What You Did Last Summer” and “Cruel Intentions” (1999) with Sarah Michelle Gellar and in the critically acclaimed “Gosford Park” (2001).

Benjamin Walker appears in the film as Harlon Block. Walker appeared in the 2004 film, “Kinsey” starring Liam Neeson and Laura Linney.

Is there another film in the works?

Yes! This one is also directed/produced by Clint Eastwood. “Letters From Iwo Jima” stars Ken Watanabe (who also appears in “Flags of our Fathers”) as General Tadamichi Kuribayashi and tells the story of the men fighting for the Japanese forces. The movie is scheduled for release on February 9^th, 2007.

“Flags of Our Fathers” is rated R due to sequences of graphic war violence and carnage and for language.

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