by rick grant rickgrant01@comcast.net
A Rated R 132 min
Along with Steven Spielberg as executive producer, Clint Eastwood produced and directed this gripping story of the six men who raised the flag at the peak of a volcano in the Battle of Iwo Jima–a volcanic island defended by 25,000 heavily entrenched Japanese. The small island was 8 square miles of open territory, located in a strategic bombing distance from Japan for B-29s to fly sorties day and night.
The Japanese defenders had the landing beach and every square inch of the island zeroed in with artillery and heavy machine guns from every angle, which as the Marines advanced, caught them in a deadly crossfire. There was no cover except behind tanks or other equipment. The pre-landing barrage of bombing from the ships and fighters didn’t touch the deeply dug in defenders.
Like Spielberg’s seminal Saving Private Ryan, the battle scenes are shockingly brutal and grimly realistic, as the Marines faced overwhelming odds, which resulted in 28,000 casualties with 6,800 American soldiers killed by the time every Japanese soldier was routed out or burned out of their bunkers. A majority of Japanese fighters fought to the death, rather than surrender. The Marines were given the mandate that they would take the island no matter what it cost in lives lost or Marines badly wounded. There was no going back or surrender.
The screenplay was written by Paul Haggis and William Broyles Jr, adapted from James Bradley’s book. The story focuses on the six flag raisers and what they went through in the fierce fighting before the flag raising, which later was rumored to be staged. However, the truth is, the original flag was too small to be seen by the men below. So a second flag was raised and that’s when the photographer Joe Rosenthal of the Associated Press took his famous shot, which became a symbol of the Allied’s winning the war.
Consequently, the men were lauded as heroes and taken on a tour of the States to sell war bonds. The movie scenario fictionalized the second flag raising as a order from a high ranking officer so he could keep the original flag as a memento. Nonetheless, the surviving men did not feel comfortable being dubbed heroes when over 6,000 of their fellow soldiers were killed and 28,000 wounded. As part of their pitch, they praised the dead Marines as the real heroes.
Most of the battle scenes are told in flashback as the men go on the bond selling tour, as each one experiences horrifying visions of the deadly battles. As in any war, the men were fighting for their buddies and to stay alive.
The truth is: The battle to take Iwo Jima was a suicide mission. The Marines didn’t stand much of a chance. The brass knew that taking the island would result in horrendous casualties, that’s why they committed so many ships, planes, and over a 100,000 men to the operation. But the brass underestimated the Japanese resolve, skill at bunker building, and willingness to fight to the death to defend the island.
In one key scene, the first Marines hit the beach and nothing happened. The Japanese waited until all the men were ashore and a large contingent of soldiers were fanning out over the island, with thousands of men trapped on the beach. Then they opened up with artillery and machine guns from every angle. Hundreds of Marines immediately fell dead or wounded before they could find cover, which was scarce. Simultaneously, artillery opened upon the landing zone with deadly ferocity and accuracy, killing many hundreds more. The surf turned red with blood as the tide took bodies in and out with the waves. Still, the surviving Marines fought back with everything they had. Despite heavy casualties, they gained a foothold on the mainland and fought their way up the volcano mountain, where the most Japanese were dug-in.
Clint Eastwood’s skillful scenecraft, meticulous detail, and the extraordinarily realistic special effects depict the stark terror of combat juxtaposed against the scenes of the six flag raisers attending political functions and being met by big wigs who have no clue as to what they had just been through. The brass was desperate to raise money for the war effort which was draining the nation’s treasury. The photo of the flag raising at Iwo Jima was clearly a psychological boost to Americans tired of the war.
Although the men were not into being celebrities, they had no choice but to go with the flow and attend all the patriotic events. The ridiculous contrast between the shows and what the men went through on Iwo Jima drove one soldier, Ira Hayes, a Native American, to stay drunk for the entire tour. He ended up a transient and died a drunk.
The thrust of the premise delves deeply into the severe psychological damage that is inflicted on young men who have been in this vicious fight-to-the-death combat. In this battle, the wholesale death, gore, and destruction went beyond anyone’s ability to deal with it. Like in the last scene of The Bridge on The River Kwai, the surviving officer screams “madness, madness.” This penetrating film echoes that sentiment in graphic detail. War is hell! It is the ultimate human folly. Clint Eastwood has captured that truth with great artistic elan.
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