comment #1

Anonymous says ...

eh.

comment #2

gh says ...

When it comes to movies "class" is as boring as it gets.

comment #3

Telemachos says ...

I think it's a great poster; very evocative, though admittedly in a "WWII as epic" tone, which may annoy some.

But sheerly from a design standpoint -- beautiful. Simple, elegant, classy, and uses an iconic image.

comment #4

Anonymous says ...

Too Saving Private Ryan.

comment #5

ArchiveGuy says ...

Main thought is that it's a bit of a rip-off of "Saving Private Ryan"'s one-sheet:

http://www.impawards.com/1998/posters/saving_private_ryan_ver1.jpg

The flag-raising is such an iconic image, I'd hope they'd come up with something a little more original.

comment #6

Fred says ...

yes, this looks to be just as boring and pretentious as Mystic River and Million Dollar Baby.

comment #7

Zachary Freiesleben says ...

"yes, this looks to be just as much of a great film as Mystic River and Million Dollar Baby."

Fixed. :)

I love how Eastwood's name is virtually invisible on the poster.

I would love to have a poster of this hanging up in my living room.

comment #8

Trevor says ...

Man, even Eastwood's one-sheets are underlit.

comment #9

Larry says ...

Booooooooring. The one-sheet for Snakes On A Plane is much better.

comment #10

Haiku Harry says ...

The super tagline
makes me want to ignore it
will be way too long.

comment #11

Patrick says ...

As much as I HATED Eastwood's last three films, I
have HIGH hopes for these next two war epics!

comment #12

Anonymous says ...

Doesn't seem to me the time of day is intended as literal. The image looks metaphorical. Notice the bright blast of sunlight breaking through the dark clouds as the flag is planted?...

comment #13

Hey Stoooopid says ...

Ladies, this is just a teaser poster. Chill the fuck out.

comment #14

Haiku Harry says ...

The super tagline
makes me want to ignore it
will be way too long.

comment #15

mike says ...

The tagline makes it sound like a time travel thriller, where someone goes back in time, and with one shot, can take down Hitler and end the war.

That being said, the poster is pretty damn good.

comment #16

Alex says ...

The de-emphasization of the human figures by making them a footnote on the poster is an interesting and beautiful choice. I also hope this one-sheet is indicative of the palette and tone of the cinematography....

comment #17

Griff says ...

Uh, fellas, the "shot" could be the photograph (aka "camera shot") that captured so much in that moment. Looks iconic as hell.

comment #18

Steve C. says ...

Way WAY too on the nose.

Suggests that the film will likewise bring nothing new to the table. You can almost hear the pitch "It's the story of the photograph: in the middle of pitch battle the Marines raised that flag to boost morale."

If the iconic image was going to be used at all in the one sheet, it should have been done as obliquely as possible. Perhaps you have a shot of the photographer, scenes of battle behind him, lining up the image off screen. Only if the viewer carefully looks at the reflection in his camera lens will it become clear what he is shooting.

comment #19

macca says ...

I think that the poster is a fine representation of the book. Rasing the flag during the storm that was the 30 day seige of Iwo Jima.

I am very hopeful that Mr. Eastwood does stick close to the book which was one of the most powerful books I have read in quite some time. It was nothing like I expected.

And for the Pvt. Ryan comparisons, the author of the book even makes that comparison, except that he says that rather than for half a day, it was Pvt. Ryan for 30 days.

Finally, for Steve...the story of the photo is so much more. The iconic image was not even the first raising. The first raising was for morale after 4 terrible days. The iconic photo was a pure "photo-op" (and an accidental picture at that....the photographer had actaully set the camera down and snapped the pic without even looking thru the viewfinder) and the men involved did not even know of its importance until months later.
Ho hum...I guess I have high hope for this movie.

comment #20

Fielding says ...

Steve C commented that it "suggests that the film will likewise bring nothing new to the table."

Of course it won't - it's a film by Clint Eastwood.

comment #21

Steve C. says ...

Macca - I'm discussing the one sheet, poster, etc. and not the actual film. I am a WW II buff so, yes, I know the story. I think they should have gone for the soft sell on the poster of the image, not the pound-you-over-the-head, assume the audience is too stupid to get it otherwise approach. MYSTIC RIVER had a good poster design and a fantastic trailer.

Fielding - again, talking about the poster and what IT suggests about the film. I approach the film giving Eastwood the benefit of the doubt as to the quality of the movie itself. Considering just how tiny Eastwood's name is, I think many will view the film based solely on the poster as some crass attempt to mine patriotism to sell a movie.

comment #22

Spotted Reptile says ...

I'm afraid I've given up on Clint Eastwood producing anything fresh or original any more. It will be just more pretentious, saccharine Oscar-bait.

comment #23

guy steele says ...

Man oh Man what is all this Eastwood bashing?

He is The Man With No Name, Dirty Harry, Corporal Kelly to name just a few great characters. When he decided to direct his first movie it was the Hitchcock like thriller Play Misty For Me. Remember High Plains Drifter or Outlaw Josey Wales?

Sure he made some clunkers... Mostly during the latter part of the 70's and just about all of the eighties... but he came back both as an actor and director with The Unforgiven.

On any given day I would never have thought Eastwood would or could direct a movie as powerful as Mystic River with that kind of high-powered cast or even the quiet, spare character piece that is Million Dollar Baby.

Eastwood is in his mid-70's! He is nearer to 80 than I like to think and he is turning out American Classics... I never saw that coming when I loved his $ movies, his first 3 Harry films, His to great war flicks Kelly's Heroes and Where Eagles Dare annd just about all of his westerns from Hang 'em High to Outlaw...

Flags Of Our Fathers should be great... It doesn't appear to be like Heartbreak Ridge nor is it a slip-up like Space Cowboys either.

Eastwood makes movies like no other major Director I know... he has a sense of economy that he employs to devistating effect.

Yes I am A fan... but then I was born in the late 50's and grew up with Eastwood and Sean Connery as my screen heroes.

comment #24

George M. says ...

The poster indicates that even a "triumphant" moment in war may have a very dark side. It's not on-the-nose, rah rah patriotism at all. Just the opposite.

comment #25

Rob says ...

A beautiful poster & I find it fascinating that the flag raisers are so small in the image. Wow.

:Doesn't seem to me the time of day is intended as literal. The image looks metaphorical. Notice the bright blast of sunlight breaking through the dark clouds as the flag is planted?...

I agree with that. Although my own interpretation is that it almost looks as if by raising up the flag for the famous photo the guys are also raising up these storm clouds, these fates that are going to alter their lives forever. When you understand what happened to the flag-raisers once the Rosenthal pic became a sensation it's a pretty valid reading I feel. Regardless, a gorgeous, moody, evocative poster.

comment #26

Mark Loughran says ...

A right leaning libertarian Eastwood may be, but he is in no way a non-thinking redneck warmonger. Quite the opposite, actually. If you have read any of his interviews he comes across as being quite anti-war and critical of politicians generally.
The poster is absolutely stunning by the way, and cannot in any way be seen as a rah-rah red white and blue clarion call.

comment #27

Shyamalan's Narf says ...

Beautiful poster.

comment #28

Doug Pratt says ...

Come on, the subliminal imagery is obvious, with Old Glory aiming for the G-spot and the uterus towering over head. Flags of our Fathers, indeed.

comment #29

Rob says ...

The official site is also online. Not much there at the moment though except some nice artwork of the flag-raising. http://www.flagsofourfathers.com/

comment #30

Anonymous says ...

mezzo-mezzo

comment #31

NYCBusybody says ...

Another WWII movie? Honestly? As Mel would say, oi vei.

I can understand criticism of Eastwood's films as ponderous or pretentious (I don't happen to share those views, but can at least understand them), but "saccharine"? I think not.

comment #32

Dave at Garfield Ridge says ...

Uhhh, the book was about the men who raised the flag on Iwo Jima.

The movie is about the men who raised the flag on Iwo Jima.

Sooo. . . what's wrong with the poster being a shot of the men raising the flag on Iwo Jima?

What a bunch of cynics around here.

comment #33

We know you're secret says ...

There is no one cooler in Hollywood than Clint Fuckin' Eastwood.

Case closed.

Oh wait, I forgot about David Poland. His "Lunch with David" clinched it.

So insightful that DP, ans SO masculine.

comment #34

Walker says ...

One shot did not end the war. There was still three months of fighting just to take Okinawa.
It did not rain at Iwo Jima.

comment #35

Broadsword says ...

Er, I think the single shot tag line refers to the fact that one shot and the way for you is over - i.e. you're dead.

comment #36

Rob says ...

The tag line refers to Joe Rosenthal's famous flag-raising pic. Bear in mind that in early '45 American public opinion was turning against the war because of the high casualty rates inflicted by the Japs and the US Govt needed another Bond tour to finance the war to a conclusion. But nobody in Govt was sure they could get the public support they needed ... until Rosenthal's photograph arrived and became a national sensation. 'A single shot can end the war' - well that's exactly what it was - or rather that's what it looked like at the time.

It's easy to look back now and say 'Oh, we had the Bomb. That's what ended WW2 not this photograph' but of course back then nobody knew about the Bomb. Spirits were low and the prospect of a long, bloody invasion of the Japanese mainland was what lay ahead as far as anyone knew. The photograph of the flag-raisers turned all that around.