Eastwood to direct WWII drama for Spielberg

[vik]

US movie actor and director, Clint Eastwood, will visit Iceland in August to shoot scenes for a new movie, "The Flags of our Fathers".

Based on a bestselling book by American James Bradley, the movie chronicles one of the most famous moments in US military history when six US servicemen raised the American flag on top of Mt. Suribachi during the epic World War II battle for the Pacific island of Iwo Jima.

Like in Iceland, Iwo Jima's beaches are covered with black, volcanic sand. Helga Reykdal of the Icelandic movie production company True North said in an interview in Morgunblaðið that it was the beaches that made Eastwood and his collaborator Steven Spielberg decide to come to Iceland. Eastwood and his crew have selected True North as their local partner.

http://www.hostel.is/displayer.asp?cat_id=262&module_id=220&element_id=576

[Lilly]

   Thanks vik.

Here's the production company's website:

http://www.truenorth.is

There are some nice pics on the Locations > Beaches page.  (And Lin there is a lighthouses page.)

[Lilly]

Two articles with some new details.

Yesterday in Iceland Review Online (LINK):

06/29/2005 | 11:57

Eastwood licensed to shoot in Krísuvík
Film director and actor Clint Eastwood has been issued a license to shoot scenes for his new movie "Flags of Our Fathers" in the area around Krísuvík in southwest Iceland.

The building commission of the town Hafnarfjörður issued the license to Eastwood and company yesterday with a "no-impact" stipulation under which the filming crew must leave the land where they'll be shooting in the same condition as it will be when they start later this summer. In addition they must take care to preserve any archaeological remains in the area and are obliged to solicit the services of the Icelandic Archaeological Institution to mark those areas which are likely to contain artifacts.

The license was issued in spite of being opposed by the environmental commission of Hafnarfjörður and the governing council of the national park Reykjanesfólkvangur. The environmental commission and the governing council of the national park have expressed concerns about the possible adverse effects of cast, crew and props on the delicate ecology and landscape at Krísvík.

And for those of us who were wondering whether the ship would go to Iceland or have a different number painted on... (maybe that was just me! )  Seems they have a few difficulties to surmount (and will be using some of that Spielberg digital wizardry).

From the Evansville Courier and Press:

City may be movie stage for LST 325

By BYRON ROHRIG
Courier & Press staff writer 464-7426 or blrohrig@evansville.net
June 30, 2005

New developments involving the use of LST 325 in the filming of a Clint Eastwood-produced movie about the World War II landing on Iwo Jima could set the stage for shooting segments in Evansville.

Mayor Jonathan Weinzapfel said Wednesday he has pitched the idea to those in charge of filming marine portions. Film officials, in turn, requested documents and photographs showing areas where shooting might take place. "We are in the process of preparing those now," Weinzapfel said.

 One factor that may open a door for filming in Evansville is LST 325 Commander Capt. Robert Jornlin's refusal to allow the ship to go to Iceland, chosen as filming site for much of the movie because its terrain resembles Iwo Jima's. LST 325, by the wonders of film technology and repainting different numbers, will represent 30 landing ship tanks in the film, Jornlin said earlier this month. But the Courier & Press learned from Mike Whicker, Evansville author and teacher as well as an LST 325 crew member on an East Coast voyage this summer, that Jornlin vetoed the Iceland trip because of potential risk to the ship.

Whicker explained that the U.S. Coast Guard insisted the ship be towed to Iceland, an operation that could place LST 325 in jeopardy in the event of a major storm or other emergency. That's because standard operating procedure would require the towing vessel to cut LST 325 loose under those conditions, almost certainly dooming the ship.

Weinzapfel confirmed Whicker's account. Attempts to reach Jornlin, aboard LST 325 in the Atlantic between Savannah, Ga., and Jacksonville, Fla., were unsuccessful Wednesday.

Technology also could play a big role in Evansville's favor, enabling filming LST segments virtually anywhere, yet making action appear to be taking place at the primary site where shooting occurred.

"All this is purely speculative," Weinzapfel said, "and filming would probably be limited. But it would be nice to see it happen in Evansville."

George Rehnquist, chairman of the Evansville LST Committee, seemed to relish the idea.

"I can't imagine something better than a movie for publicizing (LST 325's docking in Evansville) - especially a movie by Eastwood."

A target completion date of Sept. 15 has been set for a new municipal dock at Marina Pointe. It will become LST 325's permanent mooring site on or before Oct. 1.

LINK, but  free registration required.  You can get in with cookies enabled and using username: courierpress@mailinator.com  password: evansville

Seems a shame they can't take the ship to Iceland.

[Lilly]

The ship discussion got split between two threads.  I'm bringing it back here and quoting tgy's post.

The USS LST 325 may now not be used for Flags of our Fathers.

fox19

Thanks for that info tgy.  Bit of a shame for the previously keen locals.

Here's a bit more detail from the Courier Press site.

LINK.

LST won't be part of Hollywood

By BYRON ROHRIG, Courier & Press staff blrohrig@evansville.net
July 6, 2005

EVANSVILLE -- Plans to film LST 325 for the movie "Flags of Our Fathers" have been abandoned, a movie official told ship commander Capt. Robert Jornlin on Tuesday.

"They told me they were just going to paint (an LST) on the backdrop and save themselves a lot of money," said Jornlin, who was reached aboard the ship in Mobile, Ala.

 Jornlin added he suspected movie officials decided in part to eliminate any role for the ship in the Clint Eastwood production because they were unhappy with Jornlin's refusal to allow the ship to go to Iceland, where filming will take place this summer. "I think a lot of them have the attitude that, if you don't do it our way, you don't do it at all," he said.

The Coast Guard insisted the ship be towed to Iceland, which meant that as standard operating procedure LST 325 would have been cut loose from the towing vessel in event of a serious storm. Loss of the ship would be likely in such an event, and Jornlin refused to risk it.

"It's not a lot disappointing," Jornlin said. "It kind of takes the load off. We're a volunteer crew ... now we'll all get to go home for a while and take a break. We're ready to go home to our families."

This weekend, the ship and crew concluded a voyage of more than a month's duration to Washington, D.C., and Boston.

Mayor Jonathan Weinzapfel said Tuesday the development is unlikely to change the schedule for completion of the new municipal dock.

"We will have a dock ready Sept. 15," Weinzapfel said. "Of course, if we can get it done earlier, they can come earlier."

Both Weinzapfel and Jornlin held out some hope that LST 325 may yet appear in the movie.

"I'd like to get them to Evansville to at least film the inside of the ship. There are several things they could do here that wouldn't even require us to move the ship," Jornlin said.

Jornlin will meet again with movie officials in Iceland, where he and his wife have planned a trip for August.

[Grizzled]

Jornlin added he suspected movie officials decided in part to eliminate any role for the ship in the Clint Eastwood production because they were unhappy with Jornlin's refusal to allow the ship to go to Iceland, where filming will take place this summer. "I think a lot of them have the attitude that, if you don't do it our way, you don't do it at all," he said.

The Coast Guard insisted the ship be towed to Iceland, which meant that as standard operating procedure LST 325 would have been cut loose from the towing vessel in event of a serious storm. Loss of the ship would be likely in such an event, and Jornlin refused to risk it.

But don't they have weather forecasts for this sort of eventuality?! I mean is it really likely the producers of Flags of Our Fathers, who are paying to hire LST 325, would ever put it in a position where it would end up having to be cut loose in the middle of a storm? I don't want to sound like Mr Cynical here but it sounds to me as though, for once, it just might be the owners of the ship who are trying to put one over on the producers rather than the other way round.

"I'd like to get them (the filmmakers) to Evansville ..," Jornlin said. Yeah, I'll bet he would. 

[vik]

eh your talking about the atlantic aren't u

very unpredictable seas

i think i can understand what with a volunteer crew as well

of course could get hijacked as well

[paulk]

It'll will be interesting to see this movie.  Clint is always trying something different.  He hasn't been sticking to one type of movie.  If he's acting or directing,  it's always a pleasure to watch his movies.  The man was ahead of his time.

[Grizzled]

From poster 'Sean Flynn' at the GoldDerby.com forums re Flags of our Fathers:

'I know someone who read the script - he said it made Saving Private Ryan seem like a comedy.'

Normally I wouldn't dream of mentioning such 'I know someone who knows someone who knows somone else..'' type-comments but regular readers of GoldDerby will know that Sean Flynn's knowledgable posts strongly suggest that he is indeed an industry insider (anyone interested should head over there and run a search for Million Dollar Baby. Interesting stuff awaits). 

So 'Flags' makes 'Ryan' seem like a comedy, eh? ...blimey...