"Flags of Our Fathers" was based on a best-selling book co-written by James Bradley about his father, former US Navy corpsman John Bradley, being one of the six men in one of the most iconic photos in American history- the raising of the 2nd American flag on Mount Suribachi during the WW2 battle for Iwo Jima.
Clint Eastwood's film adaption depicts how that famed photo effected the lives of those six men in particularly the three who survived the war: John Bradley (Ryan Philippe), Marine PFC Rene Gagnon (Jesse Bradford), and Marine PFC Ira Hayes (Adam Beach). It shows the events of the battle, the taking of the famous photo, the fates of the men who didn't survive, and the sensation that the photo's release had upon the American public which demanded that the men be identified and the survivors brought home to be feted as heroes and used to sell war bonds. The film heavily focuses on the trauma of men being taken from one of the bloodiest battlefields of WW2 to being paraded at dinner parties and bond rallies in front of adoring crowds. Also, it's a reminder that "all glory is fleeting" as today's heroes become tomorrow's afterthoughts.
The book and the film also address the difficulty the Marine Corps had in identifying the men involved in the 2nd flag raising. Initially, Sgt. Hank Hansen (Paul Walker) was mistakenly named as a flag raiser and it would take two years for Cpl. Harlon Block (Benjamin Walker) to be officially recognized as one of the six. Ira Hayes noticed the mistake right-off, but was told by Marine officials to be quiet because it was "too late" to fix it because things about that photo had gotten so big. Neither Hansen nor Block survived the battle which made sorting-out who did what more difficult.
However, it has now been officially recognized by the Marine Corps that John Bradley, about whom both the book and movie revolve, was also NOT one of the six flag raisers. In 2016, based on the proof provided by amateur historians the Marine Corps officially recognized that Cpl. Harold Schultz and not Bradley was one of the six. For over seven decades, the man mistakenly IDed as Bradley in the photo was actually PFC Franklin Sousley, who was always known as one of the six, and that the man IDed as Sousley was Schultz.
Prior to his death in 1994, Bradley either was silent or uncomfortable when asked questions about the photo that made him famous. His son and others just assumed that like a lot of combat vets he just didn't want to talk about his wartime experiences. Yet, it now appears Bradley kept quiet because he knew that he wasn't one of the men in that photo. Bradley may have held his tongue because, like Hayes being told to zip-it about Hansen being mistaken for Block, the hoopla about that photo became so big, so fast that it was impossible to speak-up and correct the mistake.
Unlike Block, Harold Schultz survived the war. He returned to the States and led a quiet life until his death in 1995. Only once to his family did he ever mention that he had been one of the flag raisers which he did in the early 1990's before playing it down and never mentioning it again. For Schultz, there were no fancy war bond dinners. No adoring crowds. No meeting the president. No cameo in a John Wayne movie. He did his duty as a Marine, lived his life, and passed on. Eventually, a son of the man, who claimed his place in the photo that should have made him famous, made a fortune writing about his father and selling the movie rights. One could make a Hollywood movie about that story because it's an example of truth being stranger than fiction.
Why seven stars? Not one of Eastwood's best, but well-crafted. I won't deduct anything for the story being based on Bradley's deceit because no one in 2006 suspected such a thing not even his son.
Clint Eastwood's film adaption depicts how that famed photo effected the lives of those six men in particularly the three who survived the war: John Bradley (Ryan Philippe), Marine PFC Rene Gagnon (Jesse Bradford), and Marine PFC Ira Hayes (Adam Beach). It shows the events of the battle, the taking of the famous photo, the fates of the men who didn't survive, and the sensation that the photo's release had upon the American public which demanded that the men be identified and the survivors brought home to be feted as heroes and used to sell war bonds. The film heavily focuses on the trauma of men being taken from one of the bloodiest battlefields of WW2 to being paraded at dinner parties and bond rallies in front of adoring crowds. Also, it's a reminder that "all glory is fleeting" as today's heroes become tomorrow's afterthoughts.
The book and the film also address the difficulty the Marine Corps had in identifying the men involved in the 2nd flag raising. Initially, Sgt. Hank Hansen (Paul Walker) was mistakenly named as a flag raiser and it would take two years for Cpl. Harlon Block (Benjamin Walker) to be officially recognized as one of the six. Ira Hayes noticed the mistake right-off, but was told by Marine officials to be quiet because it was "too late" to fix it because things about that photo had gotten so big. Neither Hansen nor Block survived the battle which made sorting-out who did what more difficult.
However, it has now been officially recognized by the Marine Corps that John Bradley, about whom both the book and movie revolve, was also NOT one of the six flag raisers. In 2016, based on the proof provided by amateur historians the Marine Corps officially recognized that Cpl. Harold Schultz and not Bradley was one of the six. For over seven decades, the man mistakenly IDed as Bradley in the photo was actually PFC Franklin Sousley, who was always known as one of the six, and that the man IDed as Sousley was Schultz.
Prior to his death in 1994, Bradley either was silent or uncomfortable when asked questions about the photo that made him famous. His son and others just assumed that like a lot of combat vets he just didn't want to talk about his wartime experiences. Yet, it now appears Bradley kept quiet because he knew that he wasn't one of the men in that photo. Bradley may have held his tongue because, like Hayes being told to zip-it about Hansen being mistaken for Block, the hoopla about that photo became so big, so fast that it was impossible to speak-up and correct the mistake.
Unlike Block, Harold Schultz survived the war. He returned to the States and led a quiet life until his death in 1995. Only once to his family did he ever mention that he had been one of the flag raisers which he did in the early 1990's before playing it down and never mentioning it again. For Schultz, there were no fancy war bond dinners. No adoring crowds. No meeting the president. No cameo in a John Wayne movie. He did his duty as a Marine, lived his life, and passed on. Eventually, a son of the man, who claimed his place in the photo that should have made him famous, made a fortune writing about his father and selling the movie rights. One could make a Hollywood movie about that story because it's an example of truth being stranger than fiction.
Why seven stars? Not one of Eastwood's best, but well-crafted. I won't deduct anything for the story being based on Bradley's deceit because no one in 2006 suspected such a thing not even his son.