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Show Friday, October 20, 2006 THE DAILY UTAH CHRONICLE Death by narration Clint Eastwood undermines his otherwise trenchant message by spelling everything out riors. They were just like any other soldiers on the battlefield. The photo of the flag raising is World War II swept up and shook a sensation in America—lifting the a generation of young Americans spirits of a war-fatigued nation. who were trained to fight, but The three surviving flag-raisers when the bullets started tofly,they are brought home and hailed as the heroes of Iwo Jima—a burden that could only survive. I a decreasingly soIn Clint East- r —— ber Hayes is unable "Flags of Our Fathers" wood's flawed, elegito wrap his mind Warner Bros./Dream works ac war epic "Flags of around. He raised Directed by Clint Eastwood our Fathers," Adam a flag and didn't Written by William Broyles Beach delivers an die. How does that Jr. and Paul Haggis, based Oscar-nominationmake him any more worthy performance on the book Flags of our of a hero than those as Ira Hayes, one of Fathers by James Bradley who fought along'. the five marines who Starring: Ryan Phillippe. ' side him? raised the flag atop Adam Beach, Jesse Bradford, Mount Suribachi He and his felBarry Pepper Jamie Bell and during the Battle of low marine Rene Robert Patrick Iwo Jima. A famous Gagnon (Jesse Rated R/140 minutes photograph was Bradford) and navy Opens Oct. 20, 2006 taken of that event, corpsman John Three out of four stars which we learn Bradley (Ryan Phil••• wasn't as dramatic lippe) have become as we thought The men raising the icons of optimism in the nation's flag were tired, sick of being shot eye. The government sees this and at and grumbling about their supe- puts the begrudging three on a : • Aaron Allen •The Daily Utah Chronicle *>£&.• «•'"• r V* 1 it *S& , * • PsaBb ^ m m ta^ - : •-•• 4v '^^^^^^^^^H^^^l m Ned Eisenberg grimaces at the foul face of war in "Flags of Our Fathers." UCB DEBUTS ; MONDAY con! timed from Page 4 ated last year from the U's graduate ballet program, choreographed a piece to three different pieces of music in which all but one of her dancers is blindfolded. Opitz-Kostick's first piece is colorful, energetic and flirtatious, while her second, the only piece en pointe, is a trio reflecting true friendship. Modeler's piece comes "It's a war, boys. War in blue tones." Fake soldiers wage a war in "Flags of Our Fathers." coast-to-coast tour. Gagnon is the men's mouthpiece, urging Americans to buy bonds to finance the war. He addresses the crowd: "The real heroes are those who died on that beach." What makes somebody a hero? More specifically, what makes somebody a war hero? These are the central questions Eastwood poses. A narration at the end of the movie attempts to answer these questions, which I feel is a mistake. Up until that point, Eastwood practices restraint almost to the point of contemplative aloofness—we ponder these characters and their dilemmas more than we feel for them in our hearts. I was willing to give myself over to that emotional trade-off in respect for Eastwood's sepia-toned visuals from a period of hardship and, Boyack said, the music includes "the energy of the human heartbeat pumping as a backdrop." Christopher Peddecord, a current U ballet undergrad and Chronicle photographer, choreographed a piece that that say more about war and heroism than any words can—that's why the pandering narration in the film's final moments feels wrong. It loudly announces what was otherwise nicely suggested: that all of these men were heroes in their own definition-busting ways. Tighter editing and less intrusive writing would've strengthened that message. From a technical standpoint, "Flags of Our Fathers" is a masterpiece. Special effects are used unobtrusively to recreate the Battle of Iwo Jima, with its volcanic black sands and legions of battleships firing their cannons at the seemingly impenetrable Mount Suribachi. Even the littlest details are there: Airplanes fly over the beach and we see the landing crafts cir- Boyack said, like Mockler's, "strips down the story, plot and character-framing so typical of classical ballet, and is dance for the sake of dance." Utah Contemporary Bal- cling the waters below, waiting for a turn to unload. Nice. The movie has a large ensemble cast with lots of fine performances, but the real standout is Beach. The title of hero is foisted upon his character and all he can think about are the violent atrocities he witnessed in that battle. His decline from stoic to mined is an emotional island surrounded by a sea full of somber icebergs. Think of "Million Dollar Baby" crossed with "Saving Private Ryan" and you'll get a good idea of Eastwood's tone here. I like that tone and respect his mastery over it, but it just doesn't emanate much warmth. That's what I wanted to feel for these heroes. a.atlen@chronicle.utah.edu let will be performed one night only—Monday, at 7:30 p.m.—in the Black Box Theatre at the Rose Wagner Performing Arts Center. It is free and open to the public, although donations are encouraged. For more information, visit www.dancetheatrecoalition.org. c.perloff@ chronicle.utah.edu FROM THE DIRECTOR OF "BATMAN BEGINS" and "MEMENTO." FETZER : BRINGS FREEDOM FILM FESTIVAL TO SLC continued from Page 4 back door," Fetzer said. Financing this hobby has led Fetzer to countless appearances on KSL Channel 5 station. With the help of the Fort Douglas museum and Corona of an Eclipse Productions, Fetzer is able to successfully orchestrate this year's Salt Lake Freedom Film and Storytelling Festival. Trie' main theme for this year's film festival is "Celebrating the Nobility in Liberty." "It's about three things," Fetzer said. "The first is beauty, beauty in the ordinary. The second is about heart. We'll be showing a number of classic films which captured the hearts and minds of past audiences." "This brings me to the third," Fetzer said, "which is intelligence, such as great poetry and writing." Fetzer has adopted a filmto-fables approach to this year's festival. ' It will not only show classics of the silver screen and documentaries, but Fetzer himself will also host live performances. Shows such as "Don't get Funny with a Mummy" and "Pleasantly Spooky Tales" are set to help children get into the Halloween spirit. Fetzer has set out to capture the ultimate storytelling experience with scheduled '• events running from late October into mid-November. • "I v^ant to create a place where Utah can really shine. When: people come, they'll see something great and have ; a good time," Fetzer said. For more information and an events schedule, visit the Fort Douglas Web site at ; www.fortdouglas.org. ;".'-.-.a.fakhraie@ •-'-•' chronicle.utah.edu U ni yer stty o f U ta h HackyStudent Urn on So< HUGHJACKMAN CHRI5TIANBALE SCARLETTJOHANSSON MICHAELCAINE irmanees by Southern Ladies of Today Former* The Obert C. and Grace A. tanner Humanities Center -i$j*ifrk Presents .^^^^. HeU and Its Afterlife »NFERENCE Sterling M. McMurrin Lecture on Religion And Culture ARE YOU WATCHING CLOSELY? THEPRES Humanities PftXHiRAMBAR£ FREE AND OPEN u—nrtAfaytitsUtah IN THEATRES OCTOBER 20 |