Posted on 07/10/2004 10:57:38 AM PDT by gunnyg
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2004/07/10/wiwo10.xml&sSheet=/news/2004/07/10/ixworld.html
Spielberg to film story of Iwo Jima soldiers By Hugh Davies (Filed: 10/07/2004)
The iconic image of six US soldiers raising the Stars and Stripes over the Japanese island of Iwo Jima in 1945 is to be brought back to the cinema by Steven Spielberg and Clint Eastwood.
Spielberg has recruited Eastwood to direct the film of the bestselling book Flags of Our Fathers.
The book, written by James Bradley, tells the story of the six soldiers, one of whom was the author's father, before and after that day in February 1945.
The photograph was a staged repetition of their action and won Associated Press photographer Joe Rosenthal the 1945 Pulitzer Prize. The image became an emblem of America's triumph in the Pacific over the Japanese.
Described by Admiral Chester Nimitz as a conflict in which "uncommon valour was a common virtue", 70,000 US Marines routed 23,000 Japanese in 36 days, leaving 6,821 American dead and 19,217 wounded. Only 1,083 Japanese survived.
The battle was first brought to the cinema in Sands of Iwo Jima, the 1949 film starring John Wayne, and then in The Outsider in 1962, with Tony Curtis.
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23 February 1945
I can't stand Steven Spielberg's politics but he's good at what he does in making movies and I can't think of a better choice as director to helm the new Io Jima film than Clint Eastwood. The movie should be better than average.
http://carol_fus.tripod.com/marines_hero_ray_jacobs.html
The John Wayne classic is still the best movie about a particular episode of the Pacific War I've ever seen. Will be interesting to do see where Eastwood can take it beyond the Duke.
If he was so good, why would he recrute Eastwood (a far better diector IMO. Never needed special effects as a crutch) to direct? Notice Spielbergs last movies lacking special effects have sucked!
Ditto!
I've never raised a falg. I've never lowered a falg either. Are they heavy?
Flags of Our Fathers was a great book, Guns....I might check the movie out, if I can figure a way to stomach supporting Steven Spielberg.
"It is difficult to imagine any battlefield more closely resembling the Biblical vision of Hell than the 8 square miles of volcanic ash, pummice and sand that
even tanks, let alone Marines, could not easily move across -- reeking of sulphur and brimstone, swept by bombs, bullets and shellfire, and soaked in
the blood of more than 26,000 dead. Truly the Prince of Darkness must have felt right at home."
American soldiers landing on the beaches of Iwo Jima on D-Day
Dear Gunny: Great post. You should offer yourself as a technical expert to make sure the movie stays true to the Marine history. By the way, I enjoy your blog everyday. I check it regularly. Thanks for all the work you do there.
Semper Fi.
Saving Private Ryan redefined visual expectations in war films. I loved the Thin Red Line as well.
I don't trust Spielberg
His war movies are so good because he always has Dale Dye as the Military Adviser.
Semper Fidelis
Dick Gaines
My earliest recollection of the events that happened with regards to the flag being raised was what I gleaned from a Hollywood movie staring Tony Curtis when I was a kid. He played an native American who was part of the flag raisers ... he returned home and had a tough time. I remember most, this frozen hand at the end of the movie - can't remember the name of the movie though. I was just a kid ... mustuv been the mid to late sixties.
"Flags of our Fathers" was such a fantastic and moving book. I hope, beyond all hopes, that they do not screw this up with typical Hollywood zeal.
The Iwo Jima Memorial. This memorial is the largest bronze statue in the world and depicts one of the most famous photographs in history--that of the six brave soldiers raising the American Flag at the top of a rocky hill on the island of Iwo Jima, Japan, during WW II.
Six boys -- Six Heros Most of the men that won Iwo Jima were teenagers, few had reached their 20th birthday.
The first guy putting the pole in the ground is Harlon Block, an all state football player in high school. He and all the senior members of the football team enlisted in the Marine Corps. Harlon, at the age of 21, died in combat with his intestines in his hands.
The next guy Rene Gagnon from New Hampshire. If you took Rene's helmet off at the moment this photo was taken, and looked in the webbing of that helmet, you would find a photograph of his girlfriend. Rene put that in there for protection, because he was scared. He was 18 years old.
The third guy in this tableau, was Sergeant Mike Strank. Mike was the hero of all these guys. They called him the "old man" because he was so old. He was already 24.
The last guy on this side of the statue is Ira Hayes, a Pima Indian from Arizona. Ira Hayes walked off Iwo Jima. He told reporters, "How can I feel like a hero when 250 of my buddies hit the island with me and only 27 of us walked off alive?" Ira Hayes died dead drunk, face down at the age of 32... ten years after this picture was taken.
The next guy, going around the statue, is Franklin Sousley from Hilltop, Kentucky. A fun-lovin' hillbilly boy. Franklin died on Iwo Jima at the age of 19.
The next guy, as we continue to go around the statue is, John Bradley from Antigo, Wisconsin. He was a medic at Iwo Jima, and he probably held over 200 boys as they died. He would never give interviews. When Walter Cronkite's producers, or the New York Times would call, they were informed that John was not there and that he was in Canada fishing. Incidently, John Bradley never fished nor was he ever in Canada. John insisted until his death that the heroes of Iwo Jima are the guys who did not come back from Iwo Jima.
So that's the story about six nice young boys that raised the flag at Iwo Jima...
Three died on Iwo Jima, and three came back as national heroes. Overall, 7000 boys died on Iwo Jima in the worst battle in the history of the United States Marine Corps.Let us never forget from the Revolutionary War to the Gulf War, and all the wars in between, that sacrifices were made for our freedom.
I would rather see Gibson do it than Spielberg, I dont want the cheesy dialogue about people not knowing why they are fighting like he did on SAVING PRIVATE RYAN, or that drone about war, when in the movie, it was only their first week! If that long!
The Outsider (1962)
I met Bradley at the IWO Memorial n Newington Connecticut when he was promoting his book.
He was a pompous jerk; talked during the National Anthem and Pledge of Alliebence, walked around like he was lost during his own introduction, then spoke to us like he was better than us.
Very disappointing encounter, the only good thing was I got his autograph for my copy and a autograph for a Korean War vet Marine I know.
Ping. ;-)
SAVING PRIVATE RYAN .....
I could only take 35 minutes of that film. It was no masterpiece. Tom Hanks is too fey to be a soldier
I never met him, and when I post anything about Ray Jacobs and the others of Lt Schrier's 40-man patrol, I reference only the other three books about the first flag raising (not the "replacement" flag), i.e., Marling's, Thomey's, and Albee's books.
My Dad wrote an article about Ira Hayes for Saturday Evening Post. It was among one of my Dad's favorite articles. One day I'm going to invest in a really good scanner and scan the hundreds of articles my father wrote and put them up on a website. They're remarkable.
Why don't I trust anything that comes out of perverted hollywood anymore?
Hey, that's it! I am going to have to rent that now - I have not seen it in thirty or forty years. Thanks Wally!
I read Thomey's book and thought it was excellent. I don't think I'm familiar with the other two you mentioned, and would love to read them - what are the titles, if you would be so kind?
Oh, Hildy - I would love to read that article about Ira Hayes! Any idea how I could get a copy?
His name was Ira Hayes, a Pima Indian from Arizona. He was the one with the outstretched hands.
Johnny Cash recorded the "Ballad of Ira Hayes".
Bio and lyrics to song here:
http://thegoldweb.com/voices/irahayes.htm
" I would rather see Gibson do it than Spielberg, I dont want the cheesy dialogue about people not knowing why they are fighting like he did on SAVING PRIVATE RYAN, or that drone about war, when in the movie, it was only their first week! If that long!"
?????
I seem to recall that early in the movie, after securing the heights above the beach, Sergeant Horvath grabs a small can marked "France" and fills it with soil, then puts it into his backpack, along with other cans labeled, "Italy" and "North Africa". At least for him, it was a good deal later than his first week of combat, and in his discussions with Captain Miller, reminiscing about their dead comrades from past battles, and their various strategies for supressing the nightmares, it becomes clear that it was not Miller's "first week" in the 'shooting war' either.
I can make a copy and send it to you.
I remember another movie about one heroic flag raiser: Ira Hayes, a Pima Indian from Arizona, who after the war returned to the reservation and died of alcoholism at the age of 32. Do not recall the name of that film now.
Hate to break it to you, but not every one of the millions of US soldiers in World War II was a hard-drinking, hard-swearing bemuscled macho man.
I would love that!
Send me your mailing address via Freepmail
Kind of a weird feeling standing there looking at them.
Go back to the last battle scene, where Hanks and Sizemore start debating how Ryan would not go back, they both started making comments that they didnt know why they were there, and that war is useless, the clear implication is that they didnt believe in what they were doing, something totally opposite of what the WWII GI believed.
1. Iwo Jima--Monuments, Memories, and The American Hero, Harvard University Press, Cambridge, Mass, London, England, 1991, Karal Ann Marling and John Wetenhall
2. Shadow Of Suribachi--Raising The Flags On Iwo jima, Parker Bishop Albee, jr. and Keller Cushing Freeman, Praeger, Westport Connecticut, London, 1995
3. Immortal images--A Personal history of two photographers and The Flag Raing On Iwo Jima, Tedd Thomey, Naval institute press, Annapolis, Maryland, 1995
Dick Gaines
Tom Hanks wasn't playing a soldier, he was playing a school teacher commanding an infantry company. Most of the American troops weren't professional soldiers, dough nut bakers, soda jerks, farm hands, bankers and whatever, doing a dirty job because it had to be done. I thought Hanks did a good job of portraying that.
Dick Gaines
My sentiments exactly.
That's not why my father fought in WWII.
My dad and most G.I.s fought in WWII for the same reason our G.I.s are risking their lives in Iraq -- so there would be a home to return to.
Spielberg is a one-note director, a misguided Jew, a sloppy intellect and a morally-vacuous human being.
Saw "Cold Mountain"on DVD, which had more realistic gore. Possibly the most horrifying battle scene that I've seen represented in a movie, though I found much of the movie lacking. Acting was great, music (Alison Krause!) was great--but the whole put together just did not work. So disappointed to see those jagged Euro mountains instead of the real setting I know so well. No pines. No Hemlocks. Peculiar oaks with odd leaves.
Bump to my #47. Spielberg is a fool.
Flags of our Fathers was great, but Bradley's subsequent book (Flyboys) was an anti-American, pro-Japanese apology fest. Too bad, it told the story of George HW Bush very well.
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