Movie review

  • 2007-03-14
Flags of Our Fathers
Miss Potter

Flags of Our Fathers
Along with its companion piece "Letters from Iwo Jima," "Flags of Our Fathers" is arguably the best thing Clint Eastwood has made since 1992's "Unforgiven." The story is a masterful deconstruction of the iconic image that shows six soldiers raising the U.S. flag during the fierce battle for the Japanese island of Iwo Jima. The photograph was such a sensation at the time that the soldiers were used to help raise money for the war effort by promoting war bonds in a series of public speeches. But the story which the soldiers are forced to publicly repeat over and over again is not even remotely close to what really happened. Eastwood's remarkable movie is told with consummate skill, from the gut-wrenching battle scenes as the first waves of US troops land on the island, to the unbearably moving story of the soldiers themselves and how they are caught up in the void between media-spun myth and reality. The real power of the film though lies in its subtle subversiveness. At 76 Eastwood has a mature intelligence about his work which puts most other filmmakers to shame. This is definitely up there as one of the best anti-war films ever made.
( Tim Ochser )

Miss Potter
I've always been somewhat wary of biopics but "Miss Potter" is quite possibly a new low in this most dubious of genres. Renee Zellweger plays the celebrated Victorian children's author Beatrix Potter in much the same way she plays most of her characters. If it weren't for the giveaway Victorian costumes, it would be impossible to distinguish whether she's playing Potter or Bridget Jones. But it is unfair to put all the blame on her. The real fault lies with the appalling script, which portrays Beatrix Potter as a virtual cartoon character. This is not good biography. It's not even hagiography. It's simply dumb fiction dressed up in fact. The real Beatrix Potter was apparently a gifted amateur scientist, but you'd never guess it from this film. Her cuddly little drawings spring to life on the page and naughtily bound about, until some serious-minded person suddenly knocks at the door and scares them back into a state of inertia. The real Miss Potter would probably turn in her grave if she saw herself portrayed in this demeaning way. But I suppose you reap what you sow. If you go around creating characters called Mrs. Tiggy-Winkle and Jemima Puddle-Duck, you have to be prepared for the consequences. 
( Tim Ochser )

 

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