Flags, Lies and Tragedy

With Flags of Our Fathers (2006) and Letters from Iwo Jima (2006), Clint Eastwood made a unique contribution to film history, examining the battle of Iwo Jima from the perspective of both two nations, two languages, and two cultures. In an edited volume just out with Columbia University Press, international scholars from the disciplines of political science, film studies, and cultural studies undertake multifaceted investigations into how Eastwood's diptych reflects war today: from global attitudes toward war memories, icons, and heroism to new perspectives on cinema, photography, journalism, ethics, propaganda, war strategy, leadership, and the war on terror. DIIS researcher Vibeke Schou Tjalve has contributed with the chapter ‘To Sell a War: Flags, Lies and Tragedy.