Student Movie Reviews Continues
Posted by nchcplteens on May 14, 2009
Our coverage of Ms. Hittson’s class movie reviews continues:
“Gone with the Wind” by Caylor Escalante
“There was a land of Cavaliers and Cotton Fields called the Old South… Look for it only in books for it is no more than a dreamed remembered. A Civilization gone with the wind…” The words of Margaret Mitchell’s Pulitzer Prize winner Gone with the Wind were brought to life as director David O. Selznick created a Civil War romance that would eventually win 10 Academy Awards after its release in 1939. Vivien Leigh and Clark Gable will forever be remembered for the roles they played as Scarlett O’Hara and Rhett Butler in this classic, fiery love tale. The immortal story of Gone with the Wind is available at the New Castle Henry County Public Library.
Gone with the Wind begins in the state of Georgia just before and lasts throughout the Civil War. The movie follows Scarlett O’Hara, a spoiled daughter of a wealthy plantation owner whose only interest is men. Throughout the story, she not only fights to be loved by the men in her life but also fights for her state of Georgia as it falls to the Union army during the war.
I believe that Gone with the Wind portrays the Civil War time period very accurately. It depicts the hatred of the South towards the North during the war with great precision and shows the enthusiasm of the Confederate soldiers in their quest to keep slavery and live as a separate nation. The movie also shows the vast destruction of Atlanta as Sherman marched his Yankee soldiers and destroyed every inch of Georgia they passed throughout his infamous March to the Sea. The acting throughout the film makes the viewer feel every emotion of each character and captures the attention of the audience instantly. Gone with the Wind is a movie that everyone should watch at some point in his/her lifetime.
Because of its length of just under four hours, young children probably shouldn’t watch it. I believe that any student studying the Civil War should watch this classic movie and anyone over elementary school age would not only appreciate the historical aspects of this movie but also the quest for true love seen throughout it. Because of this great movie, Gone with the Wind will never be gone at all.
“Flags of Our Fathers” by Taylar Johnson
A single shot can end a war. This is proven true in the war movie Flags of Our Fathers. Flags of Our Fathers is a movie based on the lives of the soldiers who raised the American Flag at Iwo Jima, and gave the hope to win World War Two. Directed by Clint Eastwood and starred in by actors such as Ryan Phillippe, Adam Beach, and Jesse Bradford, the movie has been nominated for two Oscars. The movie was released on Oct 20th in 2006. It runs around 2 hours, and is rated R by the normal movie standards. You can find Flags of Our Fathers at the New Castle Henry County Public Library in DVD form or at almost any local video store.
Flags of Our Fathers is based on the history of the battle at Iwo Jima in WWII. Five days into that battle a picture was taken of five Marines and a Navy Corpsman raising a United States flag on Mount Suribachi. This picture stood as a symbol of hope in one of the bloodiest battles of the war and gave the American people the hope to go on. The movie follows the lives of the three of six flag raisers who left Iwo Jima alive, and their lives afterwards. These three men are held up for the whole nation to see and deemed heroes: the best the U.S. has to offer. Flags of Our Fathers is the story of how the three men who became heroes dealt with the things they had seen on Iwo Jima and dealt with the pressure of becoming a hero.
This movie was a fresh perspective of World War Two. The characters were well portrayed by the actors and deeply thought out. It was made even more interesting by the flashbacks of the war and various times. It brought the viewer into the thoughts and memories of the characters. Flags of Our Fathers raises questions in the viewer as to what happens after the war. What happens after you have fought for your country and the ones you love? Maybe this movie is only one side of it, or maybe it’s the only side, and those who can cope with what they had seen and done seem okay.
Flags of Our Fathers was a great movie. The only drawback is that younger children should not watch it. The graphics and language may be disturbing and should be reserved for around age 15 or 16. People who have trouble dealing with profanity and violence should not watch this movie. However, if the above requirements are met, go rent it as soon as possible. It is a wonderful movie, and it put war as well as heroism into perspective. As said by James Bradly, “I have finally come to understand why they where so uncomfortable being called heroes.”
“Letters from Iwo Jima” by David Hudson
“For our homeland, until the very last man, our duty is to stop the enemy right here. Do not expect to return home alive.” -General Kuribayashi. This was what the Japanese were told when fighting for the island of Iwo Jima. They knew they were fighting a hopeless battle but did not surrender for one more day they held the island was one more day their family was safe.
The movie Letters from Iwo Jima, released in 2006, was a successful attempt by director Clint Eastwood to create a nonbiased film based on the battle for the island Iwo Jima. Eastwood used a fairly unknown cast except for Ken Watanabe (General Kuribayashi) for this groundbreaking film.
The movie is based on the battle of Iwo Jima between the United States and Imperial Japan during World War II, but from the Japanese point of view. The battle took place because the Allies wanted control of all the islands surrounding Japan. The island Iwo Jima is located right beside the country of Japan and was a key strategic point for both sides. If the Americans could capture the island, they would have a location to launch an invasion of Japan; and if the Japanese could hold the island, it would hold off the allies from invading their country. The movie shows the strategy and battles the Japanese used to attempt to hold the island of Iwo Jima.
In my opinion this was a great movie. Its definitely not one for the kids hence the R rating, but it is good to see a movie not completely based on the United States being the good guys. The movie shows that we are all the same and many of the soldiers did not even know why the war was taking place. They just wanted to be home with their families the same as the American soldiers. I believe you should give this movie a chance. It will be worth your time
