24. August 2005
Flags of Our Fathers - raised in Iceland
Director Clint Eastwood is using Iceland´s black beaches and volcanic craters as stand-in for island fortress Iwo Jima in his latest movie, based on James Bradleys bestelling WWII epic "The Flags of Our Fathers" - telling the tale of the six flagraisers on mount Suribachi.
This Dreamworks - Warner Bros. project, co-produced by Steven Spielberg and Clint Eastwood and directed by Eastwood, is the largest foreign film production in Iceland to date with some scenes involving around 700 people. The Icelandic production service company is TrueNorth.
Some media have called this Eastwood´s "most ambitious - and most expensive - project" (Carmel Pine Cone). While taking advantage of Iceland´s policy to reimburse 12% of filming costs, the ideal filming locations were most important. In an interview with Icelandic newspaper Morgunbladid, Helga Margret Reykdal, of the Icelandic production company TrueNorth, chosen by Eastwood´s Malpaso Productions as their Icelandic partner, said that it was the black beaches that Eastwood was looking for. Key scenes, such as the landing of the marines and the fight for the crater that is the famous Mt. Suribachi, are being filmed on Reykjanes, the volcanic peninsula southwest of Reykjavik.
An excerpt from James Bradley´s book, Flags of Our Fathers, gives an impression of the importance of the black sands on Iwo Jima. A photograph of marines landing on Iwo Jima, February 19th, 1945, signed by Lou Lowery, a photographer with the 5th Divison, shows the infamous black volcanic sand and the Mt. Suribachi, where the flags were raised four days later. The raising of the flags did not signal the end of the battle for Iwo Jima as fierce fighting continued for a whole month afterwards, claiming the lives of 22.000 Japanese and almost 7.000 US soldiers.
In his book, co-written with Ron Powers, James Bradley tells the story of the six men, including his father John Bradley, who feature in Joe Rosenthal´s world famous photograph of the second flagraising on Iwo Jima. Bradley began researching the story following his fathers death in 1994 and traces the humble origins, involvement in the campaign and return to civilian life. Of the six flaigraisers only three lived to leave Iwo Jima and of these only one reached old age.
For further information about this story see James Bradley´s official website, his Iwo Jima information website or read the first chapter of his book on the Randomhouse Inc. website.
"Million Dollar Baby" screenwriter, Paul Haggis wrote the script for the film, which will be starring Ryan Phillippe, Adam Beach, and Jesse Bradford in the roles of the three flagraisers who survived to return home.
Filming in Iceland started early August and shooting is scheduled to be over early September. Unit Production Manager in Iceland is Leifur B. Dagfinnsson of TrueNorth.
Up to date information: Internet Movie Database
