Indian Comics Irregular #147

"Flags of Our Fathers," Clint Eastwood's latest movie masterwork, tells the
story of the flag-raising on Iwo Jima and its aftermath. Here's what the
critics are saying:

Clint Eastwood's "Flags of our Fathers" questions the way that the inconceivable
savagery of warfare is transformed into mythology and legend for political ends.
While it's flawed by a sometimes confusing timeline, it is a great achievement
in American filmmaking, a haunting statement about the nature of violence and
heroism. (Press Democrat, 10/20/06)

As he did in "Unforgiven," "Mystic River" and "Million Dollar Baby," Eastwood
handles this nuanced material with aplomb, giving every element of this complex
story just the weight it deserves. The director's lean dispassion, his
increased willingness to be strongly emotional while retaining an instinctive
restraint, continues to astonish. (LA Times, 10/20/06)

"Flags of Our Fathers" stands with the best movies of this young century and the
old one that preceded it: It's passionate, honest, unflinching, gripping, and
it pays respects. The flag raising on Iwo might have indeed become a
pseudo-event as it was processed for goals, but there was nothing pseudo about
the courage of the men who did it. (Washington Post, 10/20/06)

The Native Angle

Echoing "The Ballad of Ira Hayes," a downbeat eulogy that was a hit song for
Johnny Cash in 1964, "Flags of Our Fathers" is a powerful requiem.

Making an American Indian the gravitational core of a movie about "the Greatest
Generation" is testament to Eastwood's ability to delve into this nation's
complex, contradictory, damaging and moving psyche.

Like the greatest tragic heroes, Hayes' downward spiral in "Flags" is not merely
the result of his own flaws. It is also the bitter fruit of a nation's hopes
and hubris, its generosity and bigotry. (Denver Post, 10/14/06)

[Adam] Beach, who was brought up on the Dog Creek Indian Reserve in Manitoba and
is a member of the Salteaux tribe, sees Hayes as an inspirational figure. He
feels that portraying him has brought him closer to his personal goal of
becoming an influential leader of the Indian nations.

"Ira Hayes is a hero to me," he says, dabbing his eyes. "He is like a lot of
other heroes of war who struggled to maintain their dignity through those
horrors. The American Indian in him kept him strong." (Toronto Star, 10/14/06)

Ira seeks refuge in grog and Beach's wrenching depiction of his fall into an
alcoholic hellhole becomes the film's beating heart and has critics talking up
an Oscar nomination. So it's indeed ironic that Beach nearly missed the part
that could put him in that elite company. When Beach first asked Eastwood about
playing Ira, he was rejected as too old. It was another six months before
Eastwood rang back and asked him to audition. (The Australian, 10/28/06)

The Oscar Buzz

The left-leaning Academy is likely to be receptive to the movie's skepticism
about the government's truthfulness, which many will likely relate to the
current administration's role in Iraq. (NY Post, 10/5/06)

Hayes (Adam Beach, who was a more idealized Native American Marine in John Woo's
"Windtalkers") deserves an Oscar nom for this, the showiest role in the film.
(Washington Post, 10/20/06)

Co-star Ryan Phillippe was the first to peg Beach's performance as Oscar-worthy,
proclaiming "you're nominated" on set. (Ottawa Sun, 10/10/06)

For more on "Flags of Our Fathers," go to
http://www.bluecorncomics.com/flagsof.htm .

Rob Schmidt
Blue Corn Comics