Theatrical Review:At some point during the process of adapting James Bradley's nonfiction book about the battle of Iwo Jima, Clint Eastwood decided he'd need two movies to adequately manage the material's scope. The first, Flags of Our Fathers, focuses solely on the American campaign. It uses Joe Rosenthal's celebrated photograph of the raising of the flag as a springboard for a successful war bonds fund-raiser, and debates with timely flair the use of political spin to salvage an unpopular war.
Eastwood's follow-up, Letters from Iwo Jima, arrives in theaters early next year and will recount the battle from Japan's perspective. The director hired first-time screenwriter Iris Yamashita to develop Letters from an idea that screenwriter Paul Haggis proposed. He will employ an all-Asian cast, and will not use any of the actors we meet in Flags. It is yet to be determined whether the two movies will offer legitimate parallels, or exist as separate entities.
War sems to be the American way. If we had no war, we would have no materialistic empire, don't you think?
I understand and think it quite Christ-like to be a nation of pacifists, but I also wonder what the implication of such behavior would be?
The Western Powers have had to raise up more than once against threats from other regimes and other blocs of power. As you said, it is human nature.
In this day and age, with the prospects of nuclear war still very much present, war seems like a foolish option.
In the context of Iwo Jima, however, I would never belittle the efforts of our Fathers in their wars. My Dad was in the Pacific back then, and he did the job that he had to do, or so he told me.
Im sure that our peers in Iraq feel much the same way.
Just out of curiousity, if you somehow were forced to go to Iraq, how would you react? Would you flee to Canada or would you obey the law. (assuming a draft)