114 FROM HERE TO ETERNITY
revisionist depiction of “The Good War,” showing the U.S. government cynically
exploiting military heroism for propaganda and fundraising purposes. After
theaters took their percentage of the gross and P&A (promotion and advertis-
ing) expenses were deducted, both co- producing studios— Paramount and
DreamWorks— ended up in the red. Originally bud geted at $80 million, Flags
would have lost far more money had Clint Eastwood not completed the film well
ahead of schedule and under bud get, bringing it in for only $55 million. Though it
flopped at the box office, Flags enjoyed strong sales on the U.S. home video market,
grossing $45 million. Reviews were mostly affirmative, some adulatory. Roger Ebert
gave the film four out of four stars and praised Eastwood’s two- film proj ect as “one
of the most visionary of all efforts to depict the real ity and meaning of battle. The
battle scenes, alternating between close-up combat and awesome aerial shots of the
bombardment and landing, are lean, violent, horrifying. His cinematographer, Tom
Stern, wisely bleeds his palette of bright colors and creates a dry, hot, desolate feel-
ing; there should be nothing scenic about the film’s look” (Ebert, 2007). Philip
French found Flags of Our Fathers to be “touched by greatness. It argues that soldiers
may go into battle for country and glory but they always end up fighting for the
survival of themselves and their comrades” (French, 2006).Reel History Versus Real History
Historians concur that Bradley and Powers’ book is a well- researched and accu-
rate rendition of the Battle of Iwo Jima; the 7th War Loan Drive (aka “Iwo Jima
Tour,” May– July 1945); and the postwar lives of Ira Hayes, Rene Gagnon, and Doc
Bradley. Likewise, Eastwood’s film version is a faithful adaptation of its source mate-
rial. Interviewed by Robert Siegel on National Public Radio on 19 October 2006
regarding the film’s historical accuracy, Charles D. “Chuck” Melson, Chief Historian
of the U.S. Marine Corps, found the film to be quite true to life, describing the war
bond drive, the ships coming to Iwo Jima, the beachside invasion and resulting
chaos, and the flag raising. Asked by Siegel if the movie was accurate or exaggerat-
ing when it dramatized Rosenthal’s photo graph as “the very fulcrum on which
public support for the war effort in 1945 rested,” Melson answered, “I think it
would take a social historian to really pin that one down” (Siegel, 2006). Melson’s
judicious answer notwithstanding, the movie does exaggerate the importance of
the Rosenthal photo graph in winning the war in the Pacific. The United States
would have prosecuted the war to its conclusion, what ever the success or failure
of the 7th War Loan Drive. Fortunately, the Drive far exceeded expectations by
raising over $26 billion ($353 billion in 2017 dollars)—an astonishing sum of
money.From Here to Eternity (1953)
Synopsis
From Here to Eternity is a military drama directed by Fred Zinnemann and based
on the 1951 novel of the same title by James Jones. The film dramatizes the lives