Year of Eastwood #50

Letters from Iwo Jima (2006)

Starring: Ken Watanabe
Directed by Eastwood

In what will probably be remembered as one of Clint’s most intriguing (perhaps controversial) projects, he followed up Flags of Our Fathers with Letters from Iwo Jima.

The film presents the other side of World War II, from the perspective of the Japanese soldiers, stationed on the island with virtually no prospect of returning to their homeland alive. The movie was based upon actual letters written by the soldiers to their loved ones, knowing many of them would not be received before their death.

The film presents an interesting look into a different culture and the pride and traditions of an army that was considered an evil empire. Obviously, the men on both sides of the battle fronts weren‘t that different from one another. They both were fighting bravely for their countries and both had families back home that they desperately wanted to return to see again.

It was a risky proposition for Clint to take on a film about the Japanese struggle against the U.S. One that I’m sure would shock many Clint fans in the 70‘s with his stubborn, gun-blazing attitude, but Clint wanted to portray the another side of the story. While our brave soldiers were battling to raise that American flag atop the island, there were men battling for their own purpose.

There have been many Japanese films made about World War II, but like many others, my exposure to Asian films has been very limited. By directing this film, Clint exposed millions of Americans to the lives that were also destroyed by this conflict. Lives that may be formed on a tradition much different than ours, but similar in many other aspects.

The Japanese soldiers were exhausted and would question the decisions of their superiors much the same any of us would. The soldiers had been fed misconceptions about their enemy, just as American soldiers were. And these soldiers were committed to fighting with honor and valor, just as our troops have been trained to do.

Of course, the honor and tradition involves aspects that we can’t quite understand - like the whole kamikaze nonsense. Soldiers willing to take their own lives in an act of pride. A concept that confused our nation once again after the terrorist attacks on 9/11. As the battle surged on, many Japanese soldiers took orders to kill themselves in the face of defeat. Some of them chose not to, instead falling back with their other soldiers to continue the fight.

Letters from Iwo Jima received multiple Academy Award nominations, including the fourth for Clint as director. There was concern over Clint, or any American, telling the story of an enemy in battle, but the film went on to be a huge success in Japan. Unfortunately, the film was unable to garner as much attention in the U.S.

Year of Eastwood #49

Flags of Our Fathers (2006)

Starring: Ryan Phillippe, Jesse Bradford
Directed by Eastwood

Clint wants to set the record straight with Flags of Our Fathers. That iconic image you see of the brave U.S. soldiers raising the American flag atop the treacherous terrain of the desolate Japanese island is a big lie.

Not that these heroes didn’t fight an intense, bloody battle to seize control in the war against the Japanese. No, Clint goes to detailed lengths to demonstrate the struggle, and the Americans lost many lives in order to put an end to the great World War, but that photo doesn’t tell the whole story.

Back home, the U.S. was struggling to finance the war. The country had just begun recovering from the Great Depression when the U.S. was pulled into World War II when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor. After years of struggle, American forces had finally pushed back Nazi forces in the battle over in Europe. But the troops were exhausted and the money was running out. The photo that came out of Iwo Jima of the troops raising the flag was seen as a golden opportunity to increase morale of the country and encourage it’s citizens to reach deeper into it’s pockets to invest in the campaign.

As the image began to circulate back home, the government decided what was needed was for some of these brave soldiers to come back and make personal appearances in the states to encourage patriotic Americans to buy more bonds. But as anyone who has examined the photo can tell you, it’s not easy to identify any of the actual faces in the photo. Add to that, many of the soldiers in the photo had been killed later during the ongoing conflict. Then questions began to surface about the validity of the actual photo.

So here’s the rest of the story, Mr. Harvey … there was an initial surge to the top of the hill and the men indeed raised a flag at the top which signaled to the other troops that victory was within reach. Pictures were taken of the events. But in a fine example of military intelligence, an officer ordered that the flag be recovered for his own collection and replaced with a second flag. So when later troops scaled the mountain and reached the peek, the orders were followed and another flag was put in its place. Once again, the photographer recorded the events. No one figured the photos would become such an icon of American history. And the photo that became the icon was in fact taken during the second raising of the flag.

Once the soldiers were identified in the photo, three of them were returned to the U.S. and unknowingly were swept into the maelstrom of publicity created by the reaction to the photo. The soldiers, torn between the duty to serve their country and their modesty of the actual events, struggled to hold on to their rightful pride in what they had sacrificed to protect our freedom. Each time they were paraded about, the guilt of taking credit for what others had done wore them down. Eventually, the tragic hero of the story - Native American Ira Hayes - turned to the bottle and was pushed out the door by the same government whom he had fought so bravely to defend.

The “true” story of Iwo Jima resonates with the recent actions of the U.S. government. Still deeply involved in a war in which the facts have been manipulated to persuade the public, people today have grown tired of a government that uses deception and lies to drive its foreign policy. Once again, Clint’s adept skill at directing a compelling story and his straightforward style never gets in the way of the real-life drama that demonstrates that every iconic image of what defines America has a complicated story behind it.

Year of Eastwood #48

Clint TV

Rawhide (1959-1965)

Clint was a young buck running around Hollywood when he got his big break starring in the long-running TV western Rawhide. Clint was an unknown when he was cast as Rowdy Yates, the cocky sideman on a cattle drive from Texas to Missouri. Clint’s career has had a strong connection to music … his love of jazz, Morricone’s Spaghetti Western theme, and obviously Every Which Way but Loose - and Rawhide is still a familiar tune to many who have never even seen the show.

Clint was second banana on Rawhide. He usually was the one getting himself in trouble … in the two episodes I watched Clint got shot, got drunk, and got thrown in jail. The appeal of the show is that this group of misfits get themselves into as much trouble during the journey as the cattle. Most of the guys on the crew are unlikable trouble-makers and Clint squabbles with the leader most of the time.

The crew finally make their destination - Sedalia, Missouri (home of the Wheel Inn) only to find the buyers have all left because of a market crash. But thanks to some smooth talking by Clint, the cows get sold and the gang can head to town to get drunk and enjoy some goober burgers. The show continued its run for several years after they sold the cows, so I’m not sure what they did week after week - maybe they started a co-ed softball league.

Mr. Ed (1961)

I’m not sure exactly why Clint guest-starred on Mr. Ed, but considering he hasn’t made many television appearances in his career, it does seem like an odd choice. I’d bet there was some woman involved that Clint was chasing after.

Mr. Ed was a talking horse, of course. Clint plays himself and moves in next door to Mr. Ed and his longtime companion, Wilbur. Wilbur is an architect and he must be doing pretty well considering that he lives next door to a TV star. Mr. Ed isn’t too excited about Clint moving in next door cuz he’s got his eye on a philly - and Clint’s horse might just steal her away. Sounds crazy - but I have to admit that I did laugh once, when Mr. Ed called Clint a mule head.

A show about a talking horse probably wouldn’t last long in this day and age - although last year we did have the Caveman show. I haven’t really done much research on Mr. Ed. I’m not sure why he talks … was it a freak accident? But he sure is a surly bastard. My theory is that Mr. Ed doesn’t talk at all. Wilbur is apparently the only one who can hear Mr. Ed, so maybe the whole thing is in Wilbur’s head, allowing him to express his deep-seeded anger to the world around him, a la Fight Club.

Amazing Stories (1985)

In the 80’s, Spielberg was the man. He quickly became one of the biggest directors of all time with hits like Jaws, ET, and Raiders of the Lost Ark. So when it was announced that Spielberg was going to produce a TV show, the nation was giddy with anticipation. Sunday evenings would once again become a time for the family to gather around the TV to be thrilled, shocked, and awed. Surely, Amazing Stories would be a program that would run for decades, win every Emmy, and be remembered for generations as grandparents share stories of the premiere of Amazing Stories ... the show lasted for one year and hasn’t been mentioned again.

Spielberg envisioned Amazing Stories as a Twilight Zone for the new generation. Each week, a new story that would entertain and provide discussions around the watercooler all week. Spielberg lined up top notch actors and directors that would increase the scale of the television screen to blockbuster status. Clint signed on to direct an episode, Vanessa in the Garden, about an artist on the verge of international fame, when a tragic accident steals away his beautiful muse.

Distraught, the artist (Harvey Keitel) destroys his entire collection of work, vowing to never paint again. Until he discovers that painting his beautiful bride can magically bring her back to life. This was the 80’s, so of course the muse was played by Ms. Locke. She certainly has provided a lot of inspiration to this Year of Eastwood.

Year of Eastwood #47

Revenge of the Creature (1955)

Starring: the Creature of the Black Lagoon
Directed by Jack Arnold

Clint became a huge star with the release of the Spaghetti Westerns directed by Sergio Leone. Before that Clint followed the usual path of struggling the first few years, working as a fireman, and taking on bit roles in movies and television. Revenge of the Creature is listed as the first film in Clint’s bio - he’s uncredited as a lab assistant - and doesn’t even get to share any screen time with the Creature himself. In fact, his entire performance is included in this clip…



The personality is there. You can almost sense that Clint is resisting the urge to wink at the camera - letting us all know that someday he’ll be the only recognizable bit of this horrible B-movie. I didn’t bother to watch the original Creature from the Black Lagoon, but there doesn’t seem to be much that I missed out on. Creature swims around in murky water of the Amazon. Gets captured by some hunters and taken back to the US, where he is put on display at a Aquarium. Makes googly fish-eyes with a lady. Escapes from the park. Swims in some more murky water. Terrorizes some people. Gets shot. I’m not really even sure what the Creature’s motivation is as a movie monster. He doesn’t eat people. He just seems to be in a bad mood.

Clint was born on May 31, 1930 to Clinton and Margaret Eastwood - weighing in at a whopping 11 ½ lbs. His father was a steelworker who moved his family about frequently to find work. Clint finally settled in Oakland where he graduated high school. Clint attended Los Angeles College but dropped out. He worked various odd jobs and then joined the military. While on leave, his plane crashed into the Pacific Ocean and Clint had to swim 3 miles to shore (take that Chuck Norris). Clint missed out on any military action in Korea, because he was busy as a swim instructor in boot camp. While in the Army, some friends encouraged Clint to pursue acting as a career.

Clint survived a few bit parts in bad movies before his big break. He was a jet pilot in some other horror movie - Tarantula in 1955. And then a year later he seduces Carol Channing in the First Traveling Saleslady (thanks Netflix for denying the world the chance to see that masterpiece).

Clint was dropped by the studio when a bright exec decided that his adam’s apple was too big … I’m sure that guy went on to a successful career. Clint went back to some odd jobs until he was spotted one day by a network exec looking for a young actor for a new TV show, Rawhide … and then Clint was on his way.

Over the years, Clint has given many opportunities to up and coming talent in his own movies. Many of which have been pointed out in this Year of Eastwood … Laura Linney, Lucy Liu, Dennis Hopper, err, Sondra Locke. I’m sure he remembers what a struggle it was for him and how grateful he was to get a shot in the movies … having to share his screen time with a monkey of all things.

Davie's Chuckwagon Diner

Year of Eastwood #46

Breezy (1973)

Starring: William Holden, Kay Lenz
Directed by Eastwood

I can’t quite figure out if Clint likes the hippies or would like to kick em in their bell-bottom wearing behinds. He certainly got lots of mileage out them in the 70’s. Usually busting a bunch of hippie-dippies for smoking dope and maybe smacking a few around before hauling them off to the slammer in the Dirty Harry pics. After all, the hippies represented everything that was going wrong with the great ol’ US of A in the 60’s. What with their psychedelic trips, anti-establishment tirades, and free-loving attitudes … well, I guess Clint kinda liked that last one.

That’s why he directed this May/December romance with the moon glow title character and her braless devil-may-care ways. But man, a lot of that hippy stuff is hard to swallow. Hey, the theme song lyrics … I always keep my pockets filled with pumpkin seeds and time … is just about enough to hit the Eject button in the first couple of minutes.

But there’s something infectious about this movie, namely Breezy herself. What middle-aged man wouldn’t want some free spirit gal showing up at his door, offering nothing more than a few tunes on her guitar and a smile? Not William Holden, that’s for sure. He tries to scoff away Breezy at first with his button-up, three piece suit ways. But Breezy hasn’t been hitchin’ half way across the country just to give up that easy. Nope, nothing would please her more than some old man to completely squash her lifestyle into some suburban homemaker. Dude’s so old that he wears a cardigan to play tennis … every hippies dream come true, eh?

Holden got his break into the big time by playing the other end of the cougar spectrum by hooking up with Norma Desmond in Sunset Boulevard. That one ended up with him face-down in the pool, but Breezy’s not interested in anything that dramatic. She just wants a nice place to hang her poncho and maybe a nice apple every now and then. Later, Holden got mad as hell and wasn’t gonna take it anymore from those hippies in Network. But then he died … and they gave him an Oscar. Sound familiar?

Ok, back to the cougar thing. Aren’t we already sick of this whole phenomenon? Older, successful women hunting down young studs with no interest but a good workout. Clint’s been doing the reverse for years … but try to hook him up with a lady of a certain age, let’s say Geraldine Page, and he’d rather take a tumble down the stairs. So enough with the media frenzy, it’s nothing new … just look at Cher.

Breezy and Geezer take nice strolls on the beach. They go to see High Plains Drifter at the local Cineplex. Geezer starts lifting the medicine ball cuz he’s getting a bit saggy for such a young gal. That’s about the extent of the tension here … the old man can’t stand that the world just won’t accept his love for this flower child half his age. Damn you, world.

Lately, Clint’s directed a few movies in which he doesn’t appear, but early in his career it drove the movie companies bonkers that he wasn’t going to be in Breezy. They probably insisted that Clint at least put his picture on the poster. Clint was too young to play the lead, but he wanted to get that message out there … can’t we just be happy that these two star-crossed lovers found each other out there in this crazy world? Or at least until dementia sets in...

Living / Dining Room

Year of Eastwood #45

The Gauntlet (1977)

Starring: Eastwood, Sondra Locke
Directed by Eastwood

After the cluster of ho-hum crime dramas from the recent Clint films, it’s refreshing to break out of the funk with a tried and true action bust ‘em up from the vault of Clint‘s heyday. The year was 1977 … the country was just settling into the Jimmy Carter Presidency, Star Wars was breaking records at the box office, and the Laff Olympics were pitting the Scooby Doobies against the Yogi Yahooeys. And Clint was making movies with Sondra Locke.

Clint is a cop with attitude problems. Sondra is a wise-cracking witness to some mob crimes. Clint is a booze hound who has lost his way. Sondra is a high-price call girl with a heart of coal. And when they get together, the sparks fly. Nothing much new here, so we might as well shoot up as much stuff as we can. On three separate occasions, there’s enough gunfire for complete and total obliteration … be it a car or a bus or even a house. One time on Myth Busters, the dudes tried to debunk the belief that a machine gun could mow down a tree … let alone knock down an entire house.

Let’s see, what else? Hmm, Clint and Sandra fall in love - but I guess that’s to be expected. And the police chief that Clint trusted ends up double crossing him. Clint’s partner gets shot and killed. And the final climax, down the streets of Phoenix, pits Clint driving an armored bus against hundreds of Arizona cops lined up on the streets firing thousands of bullets at Clint (and each other?).

Clint’s career has basically come down to three successful phases: the Spaghetti Western (which led to many other successful westerns, culminating in Unforgiven), Dirty Harry (which led to a string of anti-hero cop-types, culminating in In the Line of Fire), and Play Misty for Me (which stretched Clint as a director in genres that were atypical of his usual style, culminating in Million $$$ Baby).

Of course, there’s been a multitude of ongoing Clint themes in this Year of Eastwood: the sneer, the young ladies, and Clint’s aversion to marriage. But the one element that can be found at the heart of almost every Clint film is redemption.

Clint’s characters are always flawed. His inability to follow authority. He drinks too much. He’s too old to change his ways. He’s just not a very good pig farmer. But during the course of the two hours that audiences sit in a darkened theatre being entertained with the ‘splosions and the orangutans - they are witness to Clint being transformed into a better person. Usually bloodied and beaten, but strong enough to prevail in the end.

Clint has never been the Tom Hanksy everyman or have the Jimmy Stewartish purity but he remains a likable spirit despite all of his downfalls … and in the end, crowds root for him to succeed. Clint has connected with the American public desire to be the good guy, the strong but silent type - who can be kicked down and dragged around, but can only stands it for so long … and then watch out when he comes out swinging.

So, even though he hooks up with Sondra in the end, Clint has regained his self respect after surviving the Gauntlet by proving everyone around him wrong who assumed he would be the weak link. And he did it to prove to himself that he could do it against all odds … plus it’s got a kick-ass poster (and I’m running out of clichés).

Year of Eastwood #44

True Crime (1999)

Starring: Eastwood

Directed by Eastwood

It’s hard to imagine that True Crime would break much new ground in the ongoing legacy that is the Eastwood canon. Clint is a washed up newspaper reporter, who’s nose for the truth has mislead him enough that usually he finds himself passed out drunk every night. But, wonder of all wonders, True Crime breaks new ground because the Clintster is a married man and even has a young daughter back home.

Not that it’s all marital bliss, Clint still chasing after the ladies - kissing on Mary McCormick before she does some driving under the influence and smashes her car on Dead Man’s Curve. And Clint’s banging Dennis Leary’s wife - who just happens to be his desk editor back at the Daily Planet ... So finally Clint has settled down but he don’t seem to be interested in spending much time with the old ball ‘n chain.

The (soon to be dead) Mary McCormick was assigned to interview a murderer on death row, but what with the aforementioned dirt nap, she couldn’t make her appointment so Clint has to fill in. But Clint’s nose starts tingling again and he soon has plans bigger than just the average human interest sidebar. Clint gets it into his head that this man is innocent but as editors in movies are apt to do, James Woods doesn’t want to hold up the deadline just cause Clint wants to save some guy’s life.

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Isaiah Washington - before he got himself into all sorts of trouble on Grey’s Anatomy - paces back and forth and acts all peaceful and stuff as the death row inmate. His young daughter colors him some pictures, he gets to snuggle a bit with his wife, and he enjoys a delicious final meal … all the while Clint is trying to solve the mystery of the dead girl at the convenience store. Whew, it’s hard to keep track of all the dead people in this movie.

Michael Jeter was the key witness, but it turns out he didn’t see much at all. There was another guy at the scene, but he’s dead and his grandma ain’t too interested in bringing back the bad memories. The gas chamber is all fired up and Clint decides to get drunk. But then a necklace blows the case wide open and Clint has to weave his way to the Governor’s mansion to stop the execution. So Clint saves the day, buys a stuffed hippo for his daughter, and asks Lucy Liu out on a date. Roll credits.

Obviously, Clint is able to spot young talent and established stars stand in line to appear in his latest picture. Despite being a huge star, he always makes room for other actor’s to have their moment. Clint learned early on in his Spaghetti Westerns that there is power in silence. He also knows that by allowing other actors to shine it means less lines for him to memorize.

Recently, Bill Murray talked about how much he's always admired Clint's style. Early on, Clint met with Bill just as his star was on the rise with movies like Meatballs and Stripes. Bill wanted to work with Clint because he knew he would get all the best lines. Clint suggested a few movies they could do together but none of them panned out … guess that's one cop buddy film that was never meant to be.

Year of Eastwood #43

Blood Work (2002)

Starring: Eastwood
Directed by Eastwood

Clint is in full old-man pants hiked up to the chest mode in Blood Work, a forgettable murder mystery from a few years ago which garnered attention from nearly no one when it was released. Clint seemed to settle into the old guy routine following Unforgiven, but that hasn’t stopped him from casting young ladies as his love interests. This time, the lady must be at least 30 years younger than Clint but that doesn’t stop her from jumping in bed with him even though he’s got her sister’s heart in his chest … oops, got ahead of myself there.

So Clint starts out the movie chasing down a serial killer thru the streets, probably jumping some rooftops and knocking over a few fruit stands … but when it comes time to scale the chain link gate that always seems to appear out of nowhere in these alleys - Clint’s ticker gives out. He crumbles to the ground and the killer gets away. A few months later, Clint’s got a replacement heart and he seems to be content doing chores around the pig farm.

But then little Miss Hottie Santa Maria Conchita de Marco shows up at his house boat and wants Clint to pay her back for her dead sister’s heart. I guess it’s pretty much a given that she was dead, seeing as though Clint’s got her heart. But not only is she dead, she was murdered. And now Clint feels like the least he can do is find the killer. Plus, he’s been craving some chili rellanos.

Now, it might seem logical that Clint could use some bed rest, what with the major surgery and all. Well not to worry, that’s what Angelica Huston is here for. As Clint’s doctor, she strongly recommends that Clint refrain from certain activities - like lifting boxes over 15 lbs or firing shotguns or taking asphalt dives to avoid speeding cars. But Clint isn’t going to let anything as frivolous as a rib separator stop him from getting the job done. Plus, he’s got the help of his buddy Big Lebowski to drive him around town like Miss Daisy.

The cops don’t want Clint’s help in solving the murder. In what may be the singular worst performance in this Year of Eastwood, Paul Rodriguez cracks some crappy one-liners and nearly gets into fisticuffs with Clint … the man just had a heart transplant and you’re gonna punch him? But Clint doesn’t need any help from the cops, he can find all the information he needs on the internets. Clint using a computer. Well, [Cntrl Alt Del // !!] . The old man is still wondering where his diet cola is after hitting the Tab button. (I got that joke from the Simpsons.)

Turns out, the sister was one of a string of random murders which is maybe not so random after all. The victims all have the same blood type as (gasp) Clint - and the murders were all planned to provide Clint with a viable donor heart. But who would do such a thing? How about the slacker staying in the house boat next to Clint? How about Angelica Huston who seems to have absolutely no other reason for being in this movie?

It’s a tough day when you have to take the car keys away from grandpa. But Clint was reaching an age where it might lead some to conclude that the master was losing his edge. Blood Work surely did nothing to convince these critics otherwise … but Clint was just about to regain his stride in the next few years with Mystic River and Million $$ Baby and I’m sure that new Angelina Jolie movie is finally gonna get some attention for that lady which she’s been lacking so much of lately.