Flags of Our Fathers / Letter from Iwo Jima...

[Slartibartfast 153]

I watched both these movies tonight for the first time... It seems that whenever the chance to watch them has been around I have been unable to do so... They are both very very good movies in my opinion and outclass Saving Private Ryan as they look at the whole and not just the one... And I cannot find fault with either of them they where both expertly made... And the way they are means that nether of them is poorer for watching the other if that makes sense... Also they where both well acted with the actor's allowed to act instead of letting the CGI get in the way as it sometimes does with war films...

 

Was a pleasure to spend 5 and a half hours watching them...

Edited March 14, 2010 by Slartibartfast

[Von Paulus 8]

The old man knows how to make movies.

I prefer the "Letters of Iwo Jima " to the "Flags of our Fathers". But both are really great.

I've the 4-Disc Collector's Edition, filled with "Making of" and other special features besides the movies. A worthwhile DVD.

Edited March 14, 2010 by Von Paulus

[+Muesli 2,161]

One word: AWESOME!

[macelena 1,070]

Also I do prefer "Letters from Iwo Jima". This one focuses in the battle, while Flags of our Fathers is about the crap in the home front. I noticed that we all say, when hit deep by a war film "better than SPR", including myself. You know, i think that neither "The Hurt Locker" (the one wich hit me) nor the Iwo Jima twins are much behind SPR, however Saving Private Ryan is still the reference.

 

Thinking about it, if Eastwood had cut off the home scenes of "Flags" and shortened "Letters", he could have got a single massive, überfilm about the battle from both sides. It wouldnñt have followed the novel, and probably overlooked some points, but that might have been a masterpiece if done well.

[Von Paulus 8]

Actually I don't like so much Saving Private Ryan. OK, the first 20 minutes are breatlhless. But that's it.

I know that this may sound like an heresy for some, but I prefer 1 million times Apocalypse Now or The Thin Red Line.

[Slartibartfast 153]

Very true Von Paulus and I am like you I prefer Letters from Iwo Jima... but my Favourite war film's are the one's release up until around the 80's e.g. Dambusters to Das Boot...

[Von Paulus 8]

IMHO "Das Boot" is the best underwater war movie ever.

Dambusters I've never saw it, but I have a copy.

You've inspired me I'll watch it tonight. Thanks Slartibartfast.

Edited March 14, 2010 by Von Paulus

[Capitaine Vengeur 263]

Less than ten years ago, I still used to draw, and intended to make (and possibly publish) a comic book about the battle for Iwo Jima ("Iwo Jima - Hell's ashes", it called), seen from both sides, with epistolary sequences like those in Old Clint's movies. Of course, the American characters were also from the 28th USMC Regiment and witnessed the raising of the second "Old Glory" on Mount Suribachi, alongside photographer Joe Rosenthal, without paying much attention. And like in the movie, the main Japanese character survived, here by refusing to commit suicide on the very last moment (his best pal committing the unsightly suicide by handgrenade).

 

I have given up the idea for long, having inked up nothing but a few pages. But at the moment, I had deeply studied the soldiers' and generals' psychology, events (unlike the movies, my book would have depicted the Kamikaze attack on USS Saratoga and USS Bismarck Sea, Feb. 21), equipments, chronology, topography, etc... in order to avoid any heavy mistake. I think that Old Clint's team has make an excellent job about this, as I couldn't find any serious mistake (for example, General Kuribayashi and Baron Nishi were not actually good friends, on the contrary, but both of them had spent some time in the US and met many Americans).

 

Visually, artistically, and emotionally speaking, that's a great work. Concerning "Letters from Iwo Jima", that's THE work the Japanese themselves have still never dared to do.

[TX3RN0BILL 3]

I still have to see these but I do believe they're also very superior to SPR. Maybe it's just me but I prefer "A Bridge Too Far" alot over SPR. Another favourite movie of mine covering that time is "Tora Tora Tora!" which I like because of the "sticking-to-the-facts"-nature of the movie and good display of both sides of the conflict, something I felt that was seriously out of balance in SPR - even "Battle of Britain" wasn't overly unfair towards the german side. "Das Boot" also ranks as a favourite of mine, still gotta get that one on DVD though...

[macelena 1,070]

good display of both sides of the conflict, something I felt that was seriously out of balance in SPR

 

I disagree on that. Both sides show no mercy at some points or act righht on others. I think it was fine on that.

 

If you mean that the Germans recieve no attention as characters, i don´t see anything wrong on that, being a war film. It makes it even better for empathy or, "immersion", with the characters who fear, hate and fight the enemy, but don´t stop to know them better

[TX3RN0BILL 3]

i don´t see anything wrong on that, being a war film.

 

I disagree, because there are (normally at least) 2 sides involved in a conflict, and it's the conflict which is hell, not the people who are fighting. If you're going to argue over that, I'd say it's a moot point because you can find rotten apples everywhere, and you don't need a war to make them come out of the closet. I refuse to believe in the fact that there are "good guys" versus "bad guys", as long as the conflict is being fought amongst humans. Those who call the shots are the ones responsible for starting wars, ask any grunt on the ground if he preferred to stay at a home deployment rather than dodging bullets and killing other people and I could bet that most of the time, he'd say he'd rather not fight a war. It is my profound belief that the grand majority of mankind is peaceful. But, as I said before, you can find bad apples everywhere, but never let some bad apples be representative of a majority, for any side in a conflict - at least amongst humans. (Edit: This applies to conventional wars only ofc - assymetrical wars involving terrorists are another matter entirely).

 

Now, if you were talking about bugs, you kill anything that has more than two legs, you smash the entire area, and if you don't do your job, I'll shoot you myself, you get me?

Edited March 15, 2010 by TX3RN0BILL

[+Julhelm 266]

Visually, artistically, and emotionally speaking, that's a great work. Concerning "Letters from Iwo Jima", that's THE work the Japanese themselves have still never dared to do.

Well they did make the Yamato movie, which I can recommend if you get your hands on it.

[shotdown 8]

I still have to see these but I do believe they're also very superior to SPR. Maybe it's just me but I prefer "A Bridge Too Far" alot over SPR. Another favourite movie of mine covering that time is "Tora Tora Tora!"

 

 

I agree with you.

[Von Paulus 8]

Well they did make the Yamato movie, which I can recommend if you get your hands on it.

That's true "Yamato" is a fine war movie that portrays a part of the history of the war through the Japanese eyes, but in terms of pure cinematography, including argument, edit, etc, it's miles a way from "The letters From Iwo Jima".