Flags Of Our Fathers
Action, War
Paramount Pictures  (2006) 132 mins R

7.2 (32,533 votes)
On the Frontline, There's No Time for Fear.

For 70,000 marines who fought with bombs blasting and guns blazing, the bloody battle for Iwo Jima was more than the turning point of World War II; it was the defining moment in their lives.

In the epic that The New York Times calls "a sweeping spectacle," Academy Award-winning director Clint Eastwood taps into the single greatest emotional truth of warfare: soldiers may fight for their country, but they die for their friends. Hailed by critics as "a film of awesome power and blistering provocation, an amazing feat" (Peter Travers, Rolling Stone), Flags Of Our Fathers is a powerful true story of heroism and bravery that should be shared and remembered....

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Cast and Crew
Jesse Bradford  ......  Rene Gagnon
Jamie Bell  ......  Ralph "Iggy" Ignatowski
Paul Walker  ......  Hank Hansen
Ryan Phillippe  ......  John "Doc" Bradley
Adam Beach  ......  Ira Hayes
Barry Pepper  ......  Mike Strank
Director  .....  Clint Eastwood
Producer  .....  Clint Eastwood; Steven Spielberg; Robert Lorenz
Writer  .....  Paul Haggis; William Broyles, Jr.; William Broyles Jr.
Notes
Goofs:
Revealing mistakes: In the "Bond Tour" scenes involving old-time microphones, only once is the microphone positioned correctly. When the "Andrews Sisters" vocal trio sings and the men later speak, the black-and-silver RCA 77 ribbon microphones are positioned backwards. They should have been rotated 180 degrees, so that the microphones' fronts and tops would tilt slightly away from the singers/speakers. The same is true for a later scene with one of the men speaking at a lectern with a large gray Altec microphone -- it, too, is positioned backwards. (more)

Trivia:
‘Flags of Our Fathers’ cost $55 million although it was originally budgeted at $80 million. In a 2006 interview Paul Haggis stated that Clint Eastwood had shot the movie in just over 50 days, or nearly half the original shooting schedule. Variety subsequently downgraded the price-tag to $55 million. The budget for the companion piece Letters from Iwo Jima (2006) was officially credited at $20 million but again, according to Variety, the actual cost was "under $70 million" for both movies combined (this would place the cost of 'Letters' as $15 million). It is possible that WB inflated the budget as part of its campaign when it became evident that 'Letters' had Academy Award potential (the same thing happened in 2004 with 'Million Dollar Baby'). As of April 2007 ‘Flags’ and ‘Letters’ had a combined worldwide theatrical gross of $135 million, with ‘Flags’ having performed, according to Variety, "very strongly" in its home video bow. (more)

Filming Locations:
Backlot, Universal Studios - 100 Universal City Plaza, Universal City, California, USA (more)

Quotes:
[first lines]
Soldiers: Corpsman! Corpsman! Corpsman! Corpsman! For God sakes, corpsman! Corpsman! Corpsman!
(more)

Awards:
Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 10 wins & 13 nominations (more)