Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion The Water Cooler Flags of Our Fathers/Letters From Iwo Jima HD DVD

I finally got around to watching Flags of Our Fathers on HD DVD. I'd seen it in the theater, so I was in more of a rush to watch Letters From Iwo Jima, which I watched right after I bought them. I like both movies a lot, and I thought the audio was really well done in both movies. Even though I'm not using a subwoofer right now, I'm getting a lot of depth thanks to the M80s. They still surprise me.

I like Clint Eastwood's directing. He seems to pick some decent material, and he brings it to the screen thoughtfully. I also own Unforgiven and Million Dollar Baby on HD DVD, so I've probably watched his movies more in high-definition than any other director's. I hope he keeps making movies indefinitely.

I can remember watching Clint Eastwood as Rowdy Yates on the TV program "Rawhide," and on other TV programs in the 1950s. Lets just say that the review Dorothy Parker once gave Katherine Hepburn ("she ran the gamut of emotion from A to B") would also apply to Clint's early acting ability. This inability to emote, of course, worked beautifully in his spaghetti western days.

However, as the years went by, either I got used to his style, or he actually improved. Regardless, my perception of his acting went from laughter, to grudging respect, to admiration, to adulation. I found his understated, emotional performance in Million Dollar Baby awe inspiring.

Throw in his directing abilities (superior to his acting, IMHO) and the fact that he's produced so many movies I've really enjoyed, and I'm now bordering on hero worship. I just happened to be in Carmel a few weeks ago (fact), and I stood on a corner and yelled "I love you Clint" as loudly as I could. I don't understand why he didn't respond (not factual ). I, too, hope he continues making movies indefinitely.

Though he's now 77 years old, there seems to be no slowing down.........yet. He's producing a documentary on Tony Bennett entitled The Music Never ends; he's directing a mystery starring Angelina Jolie called The Changeling; and he's acting in a new Dirty Harry. Interestingly, all the actors in this movie are listed as "voice." Does that mean it's going to be an animated movie?

When I first watched "Unforgiven" I hated it. Granted, I snuck into the theater with my girlfriend and we sat on the floor, but beside that I didn't like the slow movie. Well, I've seen the movie countless times since then and I now consider it one of my favorites. Like you, Jack, I consider him an outstanding director. He understands character and human emotion and lets those two factors drive movies forward, not relying on plot to mindlessly control the players.

Yes, there is something workmanlike to his acting that hovers around B-movie grade, but I feel there is a level of understanding to all his actions that make up for that shortcoming.

I have yet to see "Letters from Iwo Jima" but hope to pick it up soon.

I enjoyed both films but I have to give "Letters from Iwo Jima" a much larger thumbs up than I would to "Flags of Our Fathers".

I liked Letters From Iwo Jima more, too. I suppose I got into the characters a little more. I'm glad both were made, though.

I have seen the "Flags" in regular DVD, but heard that "Letters" was better too. However, "Letters" seems to come only as a 2 disc special edition version, which as dumb as this sounds, I like movie "sets" wheter pairs, trilogies, etc, to have the same style case on the outside so that they look like they go together. I know that they are seperate movies to many, but they were done as a duo according to Eastwood.