With Veterans Day just behind us, many of us who have loved ones who are
veterans of past or present wars on our minds. And, while we may not
all agree on the wisdom of this or that war, I think we have wide
agreement on appreciating the sacrifices veterans make, and the lifelong
impact it can have on their lives and the lives of their families.
Mary and I went today to see the just released movie, "Flag of Our
Fathers", a very well done movie. Like "Band of Brothers" and "Saving
Private Ryan", it attempts to give a more realistic portrayal of what
war is like. As a result, it's violent and gory -- not for the young or
squeamish.
But the directing, acting, editing, etc., etc. are excellent and will
get many Academy Award nominations.
As you may know from reviews, it uses the story of the men who raised
the flags on Iwo Jima, and their lives afterward, to explore the impact
of war -- and the effects of the public and media's need to manufacture
"heroes." It seemed to be quite faithful to my recollections of the
relevant history. It mostly uses "unknown" actors - many of whom
reminded me of Campbell Cousins I knew who served in WW2. And while
watching the movie, my thoughts also we on the war's impact on their lives.
It evoked many memories for me, as it will for all who lived through
WW2. Hearing the radio announcement of the death of FDR had a big
impact on me -- he had been president all my life and it was hard to
imagine what the world would be like without him. The movie reminded me
of my brother not wanting to discuss his WW2 experiences until shortly
before his death. And it had a deathbed scene involving a father and
son, that while quite different than my own experience, still evoked
powerful emotions I thought were thoroughly processed long ago..
And, for those of you who have no memories of WW2, it may give you some
useful insights into those times. It may even provide some useful
perspectives for those of us who lived through it.
At the end of the movie, while credits rolled, they show actual
photographs of the people and events of the story. Everyone in the
audience remained silent and seated -- an indication of how powerful a
movie it is.
It's not for everyone, but we thought it deserved the 4 stars of the
review we read. I don't know how many "hankies" to rate it, but I had
to wipe my eyes a few times.