Le héros d'Iwo-Jima

Clint Eastwood in Flags Of Our Fathers has probably given us the definitive version of the story of the flag raising on Mount Suribachi on Iwo Jima. Three of the six were later killed in action before the the flag raising became a Marine Corps symbol. The other three came back to all kinds of publicity because they became media heroes.

Probably you couldn't find three more ordinary guys than Jesse Bradley, Rene Gagnon, and Ira Hayes. The first two lived long lives in respectable obscurity after their 15 minutes of fame finally died down. Ira Hayes was unique in that he both survived and was a minority group member.

When Branch Rickey decided it was time to integrate baseball Jackie Robinson was chosen after a very careful selection process. Ira Hayes was part of a group photograph of a flag raising during a lull in a great battle. Fame chose him and as we see in The Outsider, he wasn't ready to deal with it.

Tony Curtis gives one of his best screen performances as Ira Hayes, the Pima Indian kid who mere chance at being in the photographer's lens when an immortal picture was snapped gave him fame he didn't want to deal with. How could he, really he was probably no better or worse than any of the other men and simply raising a flag during a lull of battle wasn't anything heroic. Hayes was acutely aware of this and felt himself unworthy to be the Jackie Robinson for the Pima Indians.

Such a sad story that Tony Curtis brings to us on the big screen. How would we deal with fame if it was suddenly thrust upon us for no discernible reason? Something Ira Hayes asked until the day he died.

Ira Hayes and Tony Curtis, himself a World War II veteran, wouldn't mind if this review was dedicated to all the men who served in the Marine Corps and fought for that volcanic island in the Pacific called Iwo Jima. Just another hero in the company of thousands of heroes, that's what Ira Hayes would have wanted.

Tony Curtis as a serious actor was pretty much a joke at the height of his career when he was the darling of the teenyboppers; but he finally delivered an AAA+ role in this gritty and unforgettable saga of "drunken Ira Hayes" --- perhaps the best known World War II soldier after super-hero Audie Murphy. Audie Murphy was the greatest and most decorated soldier of World War II; but all Ira Hayes really did was help a few other men erect the flag at Iwo Jima. How this single act bestowed undeserved and unwanted fame on this fine Puma Indian man, and how this destroyed his life, are the essence of this extraordinary film. This picture knocked me out 45 years ago, a film you never forget.

Tony Curtis portrays Ira Hamilton Hayes, the Pima Indian Marine caught in the photograph by Joe Rosenthal, as well as he subsequent struggle with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.

Curtis gives a simple, telling performance as the made miserable by his acclamation as a hero, after he buddy James Franciscus was killed in battle. His death is whitewashed a bit, but it's a telling portrait of a man wrecked by the realities of war.

Nowadays we are supposed to express our disdain at the casting of a New York Jew as a Southwestern Indian. Without a box-office draw like Curtis in the role, it's unlikely the movie would have ever been made.

I would love to see it. Just returned from the Doss, Texas reenactment/commemoration of the Battlle of Iwo Jima and Ira Hayes' name figures prominently in it's lore and legend. Tony Curtis should get an Oscar for his lifetime of work in the entertainment industry. His contributions have been huge and by all accounts his portrayal of Hayes is remarkable in its own right. Why has this movie been slighted all these years? And why is this movie so hard to find? Couldn't be because the director has had some troubles; Delbert Mann is Ray Harryhausen and Ray Bradbury's age and was active in directing well into his seventies.... Heck, he directed "Marty" for TV and for the 1955 Academy Award-winning movie; so where is the recognition this film so obviously deserves?

The official U.S. release date of "The Outsiders" is given as December, 1961, but in late August/early September of 1961, Tony brought the movie to the Marine Corps Recruit Depot in San Diego, CA. to give all us Marines a sneak peek. He had filmed much of the movie at MCRD, plus in Oceanside and downtown San Diego, so he let us "locals" have the first look. Before and after the showing, Curtis came on the stage at the base theater along with his wife Janet Leigh and MCRD Commannder Gen. Victor Krulak, and we jar-heads were totally impressed with ourselves for getting the VIP treatment from such bigshots. Curtis didn't play the usual featherweight role as Ira Hayes, but gave a tough, gritty performance as an alcoholic on the skids. I don't notice "The Outsiders" listed among Tony Curtis's credits in all these obituaries, but if you get a chance to see it don't pass it up.