Flags Of Our Fathers

One of the most famous photographs in history was taken by Joe Rosenthal at the Battle of Iwo Jima, during the Second World War. The American people on a whole embraced this photo and saw it as a firm success for the army, so the government knowing that the war needed lots of added funds decided to cease this opportunity and sent the survivors of the flag razing on a propaganda based bond drive for the army. Clint Eastwood in the way he directed the film showed just how different an image of war is compared to a real war. Clint Eastwood allowed the viewer to get an insight to all three survivors of the photo and this gave an insight to how the war on Iwo Jima and the image that gave them a entirely different course in the war. The dissimilarities between battle at Iwo Jima and the bond drive are evident through the ways in which Clint Eastwood showed what all three men were thinking at different times throughout the bond drive of America.

The American Government took advantage of an opportunity that was given by the men who raised a flag on the island of Iwo Jima. The opportunity was to raise much needed funds for the war efforts happening overseas. Although it was based on propaganda and half truths three men flew home to go on a bond drive for the American army. To leave all your buddies and go home to become “heroes” in the eyes of society, all three knew that the real heroes are the ones back on Iwo Jima grinding out the well equipped Japanese risking there life instead of being back come home on a propaganda driven bond drive. All three knowing that they were not even the original flag raisers. John “Doc” Bradley said “Ours was the replacement flag we put it up when they took the other one down.” All three of the Soldiers ...

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...pancy and how Clint Eastwood throughout scenes in the film intertwined the realities of war and the image of war that was only showing lies.

Through an image of a flag being raised, which meant little to the troops, was transformed into one of the largest bond drives ever, this dramatic change of route for the troops who raised the flag showed how many contrasts there are between the reality of a war and an image of war. Clint Eastwood intertwined through his characters inner-most thoughts the contrasts of what the realities of war are and a photo that was of an American flags being raised staking a claim to that area of the island which meant nothing of the significant proportion it was viewed as back in their homeland America.

Clint Eastwood in many scenes throughout the movie allowed the viewer to see how different the realities of war and images of war can be.