Sands Of Iwo Jima (1949)

There are 127 replies in this Thread which has previously been viewed 162,669 times. The latest Post () was by luckyduke.

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  • Hi everyone

    My appologies if these fact many JWMB members already know.
    but,please let me write my personal surprise.
    Inspired by Clint Eastwood's movie Flags of Our Fathers,I read the book
    original by James Bradley.
    In this novel,I found the fact why Duke's footprints at the Grauman's Chinese Thetre
    were made by black sands(cement).
    ofcourse, Duke's requests, for the memory of Sands Of Iwo Jima.
    Duke is nice guy.

    Many Japanese/American brave soldiers died at the battle field of Iwo Jima,
    My father's friend died at there ,so did Americans.

    That happened over 60 years ago, We must tell JW story to next generations,i think.

    Best regards,
    sanada

    Sometimes kids ask me what a pro is. I just point to the Duke.
    ~Steve McQueen~

  • Hi H.sanada ,


    Thanks for your post and reminding us about the sand,
    it was mentioned on the very opening post to this thread,
    but, it's a long time ago, since that was posted

    Best Wishes
    Keith
    London- England

  • Did anyone see this film on AMC Monday (Labor Day)? I didn't see the whole thing, but the portion of the movie I saw was edited in a stupid way. It was the part when the troops discover JW drunk outside the bar, they said something like, "Let him fend for himself" and then right after that the shore patrol were coming up the street and the troops actually helped cover for him while the shore patrol went by, but they cut that part out of the film. Makes me wonder what else got cut. Hopefully, they left in the part near the end where they raised the flag on top of Mt. Suribachi. :glare:


    Chester :newyear:

  • Hi Jim/.Sue, I saw it that day and too noticed that AMC butchered this movie. For some stupid reason, the "editors-that-be" @ AMC, seem to not be able to have better timing when they go to commercials. When they premiered The Dirty Dozen a few months ago, they butchered this film so badly that I could not enjoy it at all. :glare: I sure wish they would hire someone who knows what the heck they are doing.

    All in all, I have probably seen this movie at least 30 times. :shades_smile:

    Es Ist Verboten Mit Gefangenen In Einzelhaft Zu Sprechen..

  • Hi Jim/.Sue, I saw it that day and too noticed that AMC butchered this movie. For some stupid reason, the "editors-that-be" @ AMC, seem to not be able to have better timing when they go to commercials. When they premiered The Dirty Dozen a few months ago, they butchered this film so badly that I could not enjoy it at all. :glare: I sure wish they would hire someone who knows what the heck they are doing.

    All in all, I have probably seen this movie at least 30 times. :shades_smile:



    The day AMC "snipped" bits and pieces out of the fight scene from The Quiet Man so they could fit in more commercials, I swore I'd never watch that channel again. I haven't.


    Quote

    "I am not intoxicated - yet." McLintock!

  • Have to get round to watching Letter from Iwo Jima. Have to admit the first time I watched Sands of Iwo Jima I wasnt overally impressed but with each viewing it has raised my opinion of it. One of JW's best performances.


    Mike

  • . Have to admit the first time I watched Sands of Iwo Jima I wasnt overally impressed but with each viewing it has raised my opinion of it. One of JW's best performances.Mike


    Mike,
    I've found that to be true, also, as I've watched John Wayne movies, quite often, I like them more and more, as I watch again and again. :teeth_smile:


    Chester :newyear:

  • Chester

    I found Sands of Iwo Jima works on two levels for me. The human story plus as a war movie. It's great strength is you do care about what happens to the characters in the movie. As you say each viewing quite often brings something new that was not noticed before.

    Mike

  • I must admit I wasn't overly impressed by Sands. Yopu would expect it to have dated after all these years, but while Wayne gave a good performance I found the story rather cliched. In some ways I prefered Operation Pacific which at least had Ward Bond.

  • It should have been in black & white because the colour made the archive footage too obvious. It's hard to take the film seriously at all. My grandfather told me he never saw a pilot over the age of thirty through six years of war, yet Wayne and Ryan were in their forties.

  • My grandfather told me he never saw a pilot over the age of thirty through six years of war, yet Wayne and Ryan were in their forties.


    Cole,
    Was that in the European theater or in the Pacific. I think the Pacific had older pilots.


    Also, I think folks from the US are a little more forgiving of the films technical
    problems, as this film commemorates the bloodiest battle Americans fought
    during WW-2.


    The flag raising scenes at the end, bring a tear to many an American's eye.


    Chester :newyear:

  • My grandfather served with the RAF from 1939 to 1945, he lied about his age so he could join on the first day of war.

    Wayne was about 43/44 in Flying Leathernecks so I doubt there were pilots that old. As you get older your reflexes slow.

    When Michael Caine made The Battle of Britain he asked if he was too young at 36 to play a squadron leader and they told him he was actually too old, because most of them were 24.

  • I can relate to the comment about reflexes slowing as you get older. I hated it when JW gets shot just when it seems that he is past the worst of it. As far as the war in the Pacific I wonder if more could not have been done to avoid it by both sides. What a line War is trading lives for real estate.

    Greetings from North of the 49th

  • Is this film really that good? I pick it every time i go into the supermarket,read the back of the box but i can't make up my mind so i always put it back.Any input/advice would be most welcome thanks luckynedpepper

    " I call that bold talk for a one-eyed fat man " True Grit