Movie Spotlight - Flags of our Fathers

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Flags of Our Fathers is a World War II film detailing the lives of the six men made famous for the photograph of them raising the flag at Iwo Jima. It is produced by Steven Spielberg, directed by Clint Eastwood, and written by Paul Haggis... And the Oscar goes to...

In all seriousness, this film has to be considered an early favorite for a number of Oscars including Best Picture, directing, adapted screenplay, along with technical awards such as best sound, editing... and more. If we were to place money on which film will be the big winner February 25, 2007, this would be the film.

The Re-Emergence of World War II Movies

As the chart below shows, World War II movies have enjoyed two periods of popularity. They were especially popular in the 1960s and 1970s, with several huge hits and a string of movies (The Bridge on the River Kwai and The Great Escape, for example) that didn't make quite as much money, but are still considered classics. The genre almost completely disappeared in the 1980s though, and it wasn't until Schindler's List was released that World War II movies became fashionable again.

The second era of World War II movies has capitalized to some extent on the improvements in special effects in the intervening years. But, while the first era was dominated by action/adventure movies, the successful movies in the genre today tend to look for more dramatic themes. Flags of our Fathers certainly falls into that category, and that bodes well for its box office prospects.

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Steven Spielberg

While Steven Spielberg is best known for his directing, he started producing his films years ago with hits like E.T.. He has also produced films for some of the biggest directors as well, including Robert Zemeckis (Who Framed Roger Rabbit? and Back to the Future), and Richard Donner (The Goonies), and others). Add in his numerous writing credits, and the man can do it all, and do it well. He is a proven commodity when it comes to box office draw, critical acclaim and Oscar glory. Steven Spielberg has personally earned 11 Oscar nominations as well as 3 wins, not to mention the untold number of wins and nominations his films have earned in total. This means simply adding his name to a film will raise its box office potential and make it worthy of note when it comes to award season.

Clint Eastwood

Clint Eastwood first came to prominence in the TV western, Rawhide, and from there quickly cemented his reputations as one of the best in the genre by starring in films like The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly. His box office drawing power grew throughout the 70s and 80s thanks to films like the Dirty Harry franchise. In the meantime, he was also proving himself to be a skillful director with highly rated films like The Outlaw Josey Wales and High Plains Drifter. But while he was a clearly established box office draw and starred and directed some of the best movies being made, what he never seemed to obtain was the accolades. That all changed with Unforgiven. That film not only earned Clint Eastwood his first Oscar nomination for acting, but he won for Best Director and Best Picture and the film earned a total of 9 nominations and 4 wins. Then in back-to-back years, Mystic River and Million Dollar Baby were big winners come Oscar night with a combined 6 wins and 13 nominations. Now every project he touches becomes an instant Oscar contender.

Paul Haggis

Paul Haggis started his career in TV writing episodes for such series as The Love Boat and Facts of Life. He moved on to producing and directing the critically acclaimed thirtysomething as well as returning home (sort of) to create Due South, which was the highest rated Canadian show ever on American TV.

His movie career has been really short so far with only four writing credits starting with Watchers and Red Hot, neither of which will appear on many Best of lists. (In fact, Paul Haggis had his name removed from Watcher after there was extensive re-writes during the WGA strike). However, with Million Dollar Baby and then Crash, he became the first screenwriter in history to writer two Best Picture Oscar winners in back-to-back years. Now, like the men above, any project he's attached to instantly increases its box office chances and its standing come award season.

The Cast

If there is one weakness with this film, it is the cast. This is not to say they are bad actors (although some would argue that is exactly what Paul Walker is). But the six main cast members are all young, lack name recognition to one extent or another, don't have much box office drawing power, and have no experience when it comes to Oscar night.

Looking at the six main cast members, it is hard to pick one that will get people into theatres. Paul Walker has had a few hits in his career, but in his biggest, The Fast and the Furious, he was upstaged by a bunch of cars. Jamie Bell is best known for playing the titular character in Billy Elliot, but while many were expecting big things from the youngster, he has really struggled to find a project with the same critical and popular appeal. Jesse Bradford's biggest hit has been Bring it On, which is a fun film but not one that will prepare him for the challenges Flags of Our Fathers will present. Ryan Phillippe's biggest hit was the Jennifer Love Hewitt picture, I Know What You Did Last Summer, but is probably best known for being the husband of Reese Witherspoon. Barry Pepper is the actor whose career thus best fits Flags of Our Fathers as he was in both Saving Private Ryan and We Were Soldiers. However, he was also in Battlefield Earth, so his drawing power is limited. As for Adam Beach, it is way too early in his movie career to make a judgement, but he's a good Canadian kid, so he'll do alright.

The film's supporting cast is a little more seasoned, but in the end it will have to rely on the talent of the three men profiled above to draw people into theatres. This shouldn't be a problem.

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