Clint Eastwood Flags of our ancestors Earns a glowing review from a historian for his depiction of the Battle of Iwo Jima. Released in 2006, Flags of our ancestors Explores the American experience of the iconic World War II battle, and serves as a sister film to Eastwood’s Letter from Iwo Jima (2006). Flags of our ancestorsStarring Ryan Phillippe, Barry Pepper, Joseph Cross and Adam Beach, it focuses specifically on the lives of the men who raised the flag on Mount Suribachi, as captured in an iconic photograph, With early sections of the movie featuring intense beach combat.
In a recent video for InsideHistorian John McManus analyzes selected scenes from Flags of our ancestors Battle of Iwo Jima sequences, awarded the film a perfect grade for historical accuracy. According to McManus, The film accurately depicts the unique volcanic ash soil of Iwo Jima and the trouble it caused the Marines landing on the beachBut it also gets other details right about the use of fighter aircraft against fortifications on Mount Suribachi and how Marines handle and use grenades. Check out McManus’ comments below:
“I think that really portrays the kind of deadlyness of those initial moments at Iwo Jima and they show how vulnerable they are at the waterline. You see that little gun team there trying to get their gun off the boat, and they just End up in the kill zone of the machine gun position. They like the machine guns are camouflaged, as they are fortified in there, I think is dead on.
“Two Marines trying to push a jeep, and it just looks miserable, doesn’t it? It’s taken right out of a photograph of the Battle of Iwo Jima. Volcanic ash, soil, and all of that is really, really thick. So it’s easy for a vehicle to get bogged down there.
“The volcanic ash soil of Iwo Jima, I don’t know how they did it so well, but they did. You can imagine trying to dig in that. The soil was so ash that it was difficult to keep it stable enough to have A foxhole like it would be if you were digging in clay or mud, or whatever it would be, or dirt. It would just sort of backfill in and you’d just be in that indentation there.
“Each aircraft that is punishing is probably using its main machine guns or sometimes, in some cases, rockets, to come into some kind of position that they have identified and just destroy it with the weapons as best they can. The two aircraft you see heading To Mount Suribachi, they are not hanging around.
“You see the tracer rounds and all that, I mean it’s really well done. The smoke that covers it for a while. I just think it’s really well done.
“The guy drops the granite and he turns over on his side in the other direction, kind of away from him, and that’s how you would be trained.” In general, the American grenades had about three and a half to four and a half seconds. You would have learned to arm the grenade, count off most of it, probably three seconds, and then toss it in and then get out of the way.
“I rate this one a 10 out of 10 Because I really like the feel and look of the position, and what a bloodbath the whole thing is, I think is very well portrayed.
Which flags our ancestors’ historical accuracy means for this film
How the Clint Eastwood movie fared with audiences and critics
Flags of our ancestors May have a great deal of historical accuracy, but this did not help the film’s success with audiences. Made on an estimated budget of $55 million, Eastwood’s movie grossed only $65.9 million worldwide, making it a disappointment. Critically, the movie was better, with Flags of our ancestors Currently sporting a 76% on Rotten tomatoesindicating generally positive reviews. The audience score, however, is more lukewarm at just 69%.
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While Eastwood’s movie may be sound on a technical level and in terms of its authenticity to the battle of Iwo Jima, It’s clear that the narrative may be where the film’s flaws lie. Much of the movie takes place on Iwo Jima itself, but long stretches also follow key characters after they return home, and these are the sections where the intensity dies down and quiet character work becomes more important. The poor box office of the movie also suggests that interest in the battle of Iwo Jima may not be particularly high among audiences in general.
Our names on flags of our ancestors’ historical accuracy
Why Letter from Iwo Jima is better
Between Eastwood’s two Iwo Jima-based World War II films, I much prefer Letter from Iwo JimaAs the human story at the center of this one is arguably more intimate, more moving, and woven more seamlessly into the narrative. That said, Eastwood’s commitment to historical accuracy and getting details right that perhaps only history buffs will notice is certainly commendable.
Historical authenticity alone is not enough to save a movie with critics or audiences, however Flags of our ancestors remains an interesting and perhaps underrated entry in Eastwood’s filmography. Plus, the battle of Iwo Jima itself hasn’t been explored in many recent movies, meaning Eastwood’s sister films fill a unique gap in the historical movie landscape.
Source: Inside