Week 2 The Flags of our Fathers

Identification and Cognition.

Before I had seen the full version of The Flags of out Fathers and not just the theatrical trailer, I was under the impression that the film was going to be somewhat of a war epic. I was excited about the World War II film, due to the fact that both of my grandparents were veterans of the war. I grew up hearing stories about Russia’s notorious Red Army, and was always fascinated with World War II literature.  Also, I enjoyed the previous performances of the selected cast members, as well as Clint Eastwood’s other films, and I had a tremendous amount of respect for Steven Spielberg as a producer. From the first look at the trailer, I was excited to see the film, however with the viewing of it, my excitement was lost, almost completely. I was not disappointed with the story behind this motion picture, as much as I was disappointed with the way it was executed.  I felt though the film was a bit prolonged.  At times, the dialogue and the narrative were needlessly extensive, which made the film difficult to watch. I began to lose my interest half way through this 123-minute movie. Perhaps I shouldn’t entirely write it off, as it might have been intended for a different audience, the kind that had more of a direct involvement in the War.

   In the case of The Flags of out Fathers, Identification and Cognition play a tremendous role. According to Corrigan and White (pg. 19) “Identification at the movies suggests a complex process by which we empathize with, project onto, or participate in a place, action, or a character- whether separately or as these elements interact.” Therefore personally, I identify with the film through the stories that were shared by my grandparents, through other motion pictures, poetry and books that discuss the subject of World War II. I also identify with the general interest in actors like Ryan Phillippe and his performances in Crash and Stop-Loss, and Barry Pepper, and his work in Saving Private Ryan. Familiarity with these actors made me more open to seeing the film, as I did not feel disappointed in their achievement prior to seeing this picture.  However the biggest element of the plot, the raising the American Flag on Iwo Jima, was something that I was not entirely familiar with. Though I had seen the photograph in the past, I was never affected by the event, and had no knowledge of the tremendous influence that it had on the American history. Perhaps the film was intended to educate those, like myself, on the subject, and in a way it did, but as far as the movie experience goes, I was too distracted by how long it took the director to get his point across, as appose to the message that he was trying to portay. And quite frankly I couldn’t wait for the film to end because after a while the message was beginning to become very redundant.

  Cognition, for an audience that was directly affected by the War and had a good understanding of the importance of the event, may very well have had turned the viewing of this film into a pleasant experience. As explained by Corrigan and White (pg.19) “Cognitive process of watching a movie involves the intellectual activities of comparison and comprehension.” From the perspective of a person, that was able to better relate to the film, The Flags of Our Fathers, could have served as strong reminder to the extensive pains and horrors of the War. Those that Emotionally relating to the unfortunate scenario that the main characters of the film find themselves in, may treat this picture as monument to the lost soldiers or the War.