The Thin Red Line(1998) by Kerry Kutzer

Title/Year : The Thin Red Line/1998

Director/Birth Country/Year Born: Terrence Malick/United States/1943

Budget: $52,000,000

Gross: $81,600,000

Synopsis: The men of C-Company fight for victory and for their lives in this epic tale of the battle of Guadalcanal during World War II.

Narrative/Visual Keywords: Brutality, war, brotherhood, leadership, death, honor, sacrifice, love, heartbreak, WWII

Characterization/Dialogue:  The men of C-company are sent in to secure a valuable air field in the South Pacific.  They encounter formidable Japanese opposition, which forces them to come together to not only secure the island, but also to maintain their sanity and sense of self.  All of which can be taken away by the horrors of war.

Camera/Lighting/Editing: Being a Malick film, we are always teetering on the edge of the surreal.  Shots of nature, abstract flashes from the past, while on the surface, may not seem to add to the narrative, but they add deeper meaning.  The camera itself is always free flowing and moving.  Even with the chaos of the battle raging, the very fluid camera adds an almost calming flow to the film.

Political/Social Commentary: The film sheds a light on just how a war can affect a person.  We see these young men get beaten down and broken by battle.  In the end though, for those who survive, they rise up as new men with new values, new ideals, and new purpose.

 Notable Collaboration: Hans Zimmer and John Powell composed over 4 hours of music for the film but after significant cutting to the film, only a few selections actually made it into the film.

Historical relevance/recognition:  While winning many awards, the film came away with no Academy awards despite being nominated 7 times.

Etc. Before pre-production began, director Terrance Malick walked on foot across the entire southwest, stopping periodically to call producers Robert Michael Geisler and Grant Hill to talk about the meaning of the film.

 

Sources:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120863/trivia

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120863/awards

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120863/

1)      The whole film feels like one giant integration scene.  From the start, these men are together and ready to fight together.  At the beginning of the film, we see Whitt, who has once again gone A.W.O.L., being brought back into C-Company.  Once he is among these men once again, we see how much he cares and what he’s willing to do for these men.  The most poignant scene for me however, is towards the end, when Staros is relieved of his command, we see him saying one last good bye to his men.  They don’t want him  to leave and are willing to fight to keep him around.

2)     Much like the previous element of integration, this entire film centers around self-sacrifice.  The very act of these men volunteering for war could be seen as a form of self-sacrifice.  There are many scenes in the film showing great sacrifice.  During the battle sequence in the middle part of the film, we see Gaff lead his seven volunteers to the top of the ridge to take out the Japanese bunker.  Before that, Staros disobeys a direct order to attack, sacrificing his rank and reputation.  Of course, the most obvious example is near the end of the film when Whitt distracts a force of Japanese commandoes while the rest of C-Company can escape.

3)     *What facets of the central character’s personality are revealed by what he chooses or rejects?

Choosing a central character in this film is rather difficult as it focuses on so many different characters.   Each character is very clearly defined by their choices however.  In the case of Whitt, we see a character who has deserted the military several times, leading us to believe that he clearly has a disdain for fighting and war.  When we first see him, he is living with a group of natives.  He seems happy, at peace and that he genuinely cares for these people.  To me this and his sacrifice at the end of the film, show how much he cares about people and what he is willing to do for them.

4)       *Which minor characters function to bring out the personality traits of the major characters? What do they help reveal?

Character interaction is the keystone of this film.  One of my personal favorite interactions is the relationship between Staros and Tall.  These two men are perfect foils for each other.  On one hand, you have the caring leader Staros who cares so much about his men that he isn’t willing to risk their lives.  On the other side of the coin is Lt. Col. Tall.  The worn out commander who is willing to do whatever it takes for victory and glory.  In the pivotal scene in which Staros refuses Tall’s order to push forward, both characters are revealed.  In Tall’s case, this refusal seems to show that he may truly not have as much control as it seems and that his willing throw as many men as he has to at the enemy in order attain his goals.  Conversly, it reveals that Staros may not be cut out to be a leader on the battlefield and that he doesn’t have the ability to do what it takes for the greater good.

The Thin Red Line (1998) by Noelle Henderson

Title/Year: The Thin Red Line (1998)

Director/Birth Country/Year Born: Terrence Malick, United States, b. 1943

Budget: 52,000,000 (estimated)

Gross: 81,600,000 (Worldwide)

Synopsis: During World War II, the battle of Guadalcanal is seen through the American soldiers eyes.  The horror they face during battle and the traumatic aftermath they experience is vividly depicted through several of the soldiers point of views.   

Political/Social Commentary: Reflects the army’s inequitable chain of command and their willingness to sacrifice lower ranked lives, despite the high likelihood of being unsuccessful in their battle. Shows the true side of war through the soldiers eyes and not the country’s eyes, and portrays the soldiers primarily as victims.

Narrative and Visual Keywords: WWII, battle of Guadalcanal, nature, jungle, rivers, the ocean, boats, Japan, bloodshed, hopelessness, unity, explosions, guns, death, accepting and facing death, narrative, voiceovers, multiple POVs, authority, hostility, trauma, depression, trapped, survival, poor living conditions, thirst, hunger, escape, conquer, AWOL, flashbacks, cigarettes,  grief, remorse, fear, strategy, anger, resentment, and sacrifice.

Camera/Lighting/Editing Technique: Prolonged shots, pans, quick cuts in battle scenes, a few jump cuts, flashbacks, landscape establishing shots, close ups of nature, wide shots, POVs, over the shoulder, close ups on soldiers faces during battle.

Main Character/Arc: The main characters included, Private Witt (Jim Caviezel), Private Bell (Ben Chaplin), Sergeant Welsh (Sean Penn), and Captain Staros (Elias Koteas).  As the story progressed the pressures of each character’s rank both high and low were shown.  Private Witt started out as defiant especially towards Sergeant Welsh, however by the end seemed to have matured and instead of just thinking about himself became a team player.  Private Bell went from being in love and motivated to go home to his wife, to heartbroken and hopeless.  Sergeant Welsh learned to show compassion towards his men, even Private Witt, and felt the pressures of being in an authoritative position.  Captain Staros had to make a tough decision to go against his orders and sacrificed his rank to save the lives of his men, he went from wanting to stick by them at all costs to being happy about his discharge.  

Notable Collaboration: Many big name actors had roles, including Sean Penn, John Cusack, John C. Reilly, Woody Harrelson, George Clooney, Adrien Brody, Elias Koteas, and Jim Caviezel.  

Historical Relevance/Recognition: Told the story of the battle of Guadalcanal, and the history of WWII.  

Random Fact, Etc: In the script Adrien Brody was one of the characters with the most lines, although in the movie he hardly speaks at all.  Also, the original cut of the film was just under six hours and over a million feet of film was shot.  

Are they any evident elements of an evolving group integration?

Yes, many of the characters grew great compassion towards their fellows as they saw them vulnerable and dying.  The soldiers that were dead or dying allowed them to take off their hard masks and as well compel the hardened characters watching them to do the same.  The soldier facade was taken off and raw human empathy was brought out, which encouraged the soldiers to become more unified and not only fight for themselves but fight for each other.   

Are there any scenes where self-sacrifice is apparent?

Yes, two scenes come to mind that display two different kinds of self-sacrifice.  One is when Captain Staros chooses to go against his orders to save his men’s lives, which in turn costed him his rank.  The other self-sacrifice was by Private Witt, when he volunteered to act as a distraction to the Japanese and lead them in the opposite direction of his men.  As a result it allowed Fife to get back to their unit and alert them of where the Japanese were, Witt was surrounded and killed and saved his men from going under an unexpected attack.  

Pick out bits of dialogue, visual images, or scenes which you consider especially effective in revealing character and tell why they are effective.

I think when Private Witt is shown swimming and playing with the Melanesian children it shows his personality in that he just wants to live.  It displays that he is not a soldier at heart and does not want to fight, but rather wants to be relieved of his duty and be surrounded by life and not death.  This is effective because he is shown being kind and gentle to these people, and he is shown truly enjoying himself being in a peaceful environment.  It shows another side to him that is not shown with the other soldiers.  Also when Captain Staros refuses to follow his orders shows that he is not one of those higher ranks that sees soldiers as just another number, but rather people just like him.  It’s effective because the other captains that were told to go forward in dangerous circumstances did and didn’t stand up for themselves or their men.   

Which minor characters function to bring out the personality traits of the major characters?  What do they help reveal?

Private Bell’s wife shows his softer side and true love for her, which reveals that he is not just a hardened soldier.  Lieutenant Colonel Tall brings out Captain Staros’ selflessness and dedication to his men when he denies his orders, which reveals his humanity and bravery.  The soldier named Tella, who was injured and screaming loudly in the middle of the field brought out Sergeant Welsh’s bravery and selflessness.  Welsh risked his life to bring Tella to safety and quiet his screaming, so that the noise wouldn’t give away their position.  In doing so, it revealed that he is a true leader and didn’t selfishly sacrifice one of his men like many other sergeants would have.  

My way (2011) by Sungjin in

Title/Year: My Way (2011)
Director/Birth Country/Year Born: Kang Je-gyu, 1962, South Korea
Budget: $30 Million
Gross: $67330 in U.S. 22screens were opened. Gross from other countries were not estimated.
Synopsis:   Jun-shik, who works for Tatsuo’s grandfather’s farm while Korea is colonized by Japan but he has a dream to participate in Tokyo Olympics as a marathon runner. Tatsuo also aims to become a marathon runner, so the two are in rivalry. But the war breaks out.
Jun-shik and other Koreans were forced to join the Japanese millitary. Tatsuo became the head of defense in Jun-shik’s unit and he devises a scheme but fails. Jun-shik and Tatsuo are held captive by the Soviets. They run away but soon are captured by Germans and forced to separate. In 1944, they meet again at the shores of Normandy.
Narrative and Visual Keywords:Korea Japan, Russia, Germany, Hero, Pride, war, D-day, Normandy.
Characterization/ Dialogue:
Camera/lighting/editing technique:has distintive sephia tone of color profile throughout the movie.
Political/ Social Commentary: This was very special movie in asian culture. Many asian countries have grudge against Japanese imperialism during WWII. It is very sensitive subject to touch on movie, since people who lived through that timeline is still living.
Historical Relevance/ Recognition: Story was based on true story. name of characters were changed, and the ending was changed a bit.
Notable Collaboration: One photo inspired director to make this movie.

The name of the soldier in this photo is Kyoungjong Yang who was born in Shin Euijoo, Northwestern Korea on March 3, 1920. He was conscripted to the Kwantung army in 1938 and captured by the Soviets in Nomonhan and captured again by Germans in Ukraine in the summer of 1943, maybe in the battle of Kharkov, and captured finally by Americans in Utah beach, Normandy on June 6, 1944.
 He was freed from a POW camp in Britain on May, 1945 and moved and settled in America in 1947. He lived near the Northwestern Univ. in Illinois until he died on April 7, 1992. He lived as an ordinary US citizen without telling his unbelievable life story even to his two sons and one daughter.
 His story was revealed by an article of 'Weekly Korea' on Dec. 6th, 2002, which became a big topic in the Korean society here at the time.

Random fact: When people were rehersing for the battle scene, there were Korean, Japanese, Russian, Chinese, German and American people working together. Director mentioned on the interview once, that there were more translators than antors and actresses on the set most of the time.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/My_Way_(2011_film)
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1606384/

Reaction Questions.
1. Are they any evident elements of an evolving group integration?It does. Jun-shik goes through Series of battle through countries to countries and build friedship with his enemy Tastuo.

2. Are there any scenes where self-sacrifice is apparent?Ending.  Junshik gives his dog-tag to Tatsuo to save his life.

3.  Answer TWO of the following question on analyzing characterization:

Identify the central (most important) character or characters. Which characters are static and which ones are developing? Which characters are flat and which ones are round?
Jun-shik's character was already developed but charater of Tatsuo gets to build up through the story.

What facets of the central character’s personality are revealed by what he chooses or rejects?Jun-shik escapes from Japanese camp. in the process he finds out Soviet Tanks were on move to attack Japanese camp. He goes back to warn Japanese millitary when he find out Soviet Tanks were on move.

Grave of the Fireflies by Mike Mitchell

Title/Year : Grave of the Fireflies/1988
Director/Birth Country/Year Born: Isao Takahata/Japan/1935
Budget: Approx. 3.7 million USD
Gross: Approx. 5 million USD
Synopsis: A young boy and his sister try to survive in WWII-era Japan.
Political/ Social Commentary: Whether the director intends it to or not the close focus on how the war has direct effects on society paint a pretty clear anti-war picture.
Narrative and Visual Keywords: fireflies, candy drops, red, hunger, family, air raid
Main Character/Arc: 14 year old Seita/Pretty much just becomes increasingly desperate to take care of his younger sister.
Notable Collaboration: This is the only Studio Ghibili film that was not apart of the Disney-Tokuma deal.
Historical relevance/recognition:  The film is based on a novel written by a man who lost his sister to  malnutrition in 1945. He blamed himself for her death and wrote the novel as a way to make amends and accept what had happened. Included in several best films lists and near the top ten in many best animated films lists.
Etc.: In South Korea, the release of the movie was postponed indefinitely because of a concern that the movie somewhat justified Japan's role in the war. 

1. Seita gradually withdraws from society at large throughout the whole film and by the time he and his sister leave their aunts house to move into an abandoned bomb shelter, they pretty much cut themselves off entirely save for the business Seita has to do with local farmers to get food. The biggest indication that he has gone full hermit is when he is withdrawing the remains of his mothers bank account and overhears the men in line behind him talk about Japan's unconditional surrender. So this film pretty much demonstrates the opposite of group integration.

2. Seita does put his sister's well being above his own as much as he can, but being younger she succumbs to illness faster. While he doesn't lay down his life, he does resort to stealing from nearby farmers and looting houses during air raids so he has what he needs to care for her.  

3a. Seita has a very strong sense of pride. When food becomes so scarce that he can't even buy rice from a farmer, let alone trade for it, and the farmer suggests he just suck it up and apologize to his aunt he instead just tells the farmer "I'll ask someone else." And the reason he and his sister move into the bomb shelter is because his aunt keeps berating him for not helping with the war effort.

3b. The day after they move into the bomb shelter, Setsuko is burying all the fireflies they caught the night before and when her brother asks her what she is doing she replies "making a grave, Mama's in a grave too." Seita immediately has a flashback to seeing the bodies of burn victims being piled up after the raid that burned down their town, while Setsuko explains that their aunt told her their mother was dead. This causes Seita to have a small breakdown as recent events finally catch up to him.

The Blue Max by Jordan Kulm

Title/Year: The Blue Max/1966
Director/Birth Country/Year Born: John Guillermin/England/1925
Budget: $6 Million
Gross: $16,151,612
Synopsis:   A young pilot in the German air force of 1918, disliked as lower-class and unchivalrous, tries ambitiously to earn the medal offered for 20 kills.
Narrative and Visual Keywords: War, Germany, Hero, Pride
Characterization/ Dialogue:
Camera/lighting/editing technique:
 Political/ Social Commentary:
Historical Relevance/ Recognition:
Notable Collaboration:
Random fact, Etc. In some scenes George Peppard was actually flying his plane.

1. Did you find any evidence of ineffective military leadership (associated with upper-class ineptitude) that is compensated for through hard work and commitment of the lowly infantryman? Any scene where difference in social class is evident? Describe the dynamic or scene in which this theme is portrayed.

The main character, Bruno, is climbing the ladder from the very beginning of this film in an attempt to earn the most prestigious award in Germany. He is mocked from the moment his peers discover that he comes from a lower-class family. In one scene, the soldiers are shown gossiping at the fact that Bruno comes from a family that owns a five bedroom hotel while one man claims that his family owns a five-hundred room resort.

2. Does the film show a suffering soldier as a victim of war rather than exposing the structure of violence and presenting soldiers as elements in it? Or does it portray the soldier as a strong individual following codes of honor and duty How does the film achieve this point of view?

Bruno is definitely a strong individual. His personal ambitions are what drive his choice to excel at his duties. This also drives him to make selfish decisions so his code of honor is not for the pride of his country.

3. Does the film offer the audience the familiar pleasures of cinema – the romantic scenarios and melodramatic poses woven into a more direct and immediate sense of war? What elements of spectacle in the story (battle scenes or otherwise) achieve a sense of melodrama? 

The ultimate demise of the character is his risky affair with the baroness. Without this relationship the movie would be quite drab and would possibly take the focus off the main character making the film seem to sympathize with the Germans.

4. Is the enemy portrayed as neutral or through hysterical exaggerations of atrocity?

The enemy, being the protagonist, is quite neutral as I have stated that Bruno is the focus of this film. They are performing as they are expected to and do not have any particular personal vendetta towards the British or Americans.

 Thin Red Line/Bradley Davis


Thin Red Line/1998

Terrence Malick/Ottawa, Illinois USA/November 30 1943

Budget- $52,000,000

Gross- $81,600,000 (Worldwide)

Synopsis- Company C struggle with the fight for an airstrip in the south pacific.

Narrative and Visual Keywords-WWII, death, jungle,war for America,friends, the higher rank.



Characterization/ Dialogue--A group of young soldiers is brought in as a relief for the battle-weary Marine units. The exhausting fight for a key-positioned airfield that allows control over a 1000-mile radius puts the men of the Army Rifle company C-for-Charlie through hell. The horrors of war forms the soldiers into a tight-knit group, their emotions develop into bonds of love and even family.


Camera/lighting/editing technique-CU showing how the war at the moment was effecting the individual as well as the group.Malick not only used the close up on the actors but on terrain to give the feel of how big it was.


 Political/ Social Commentary-This film shows us the horrors of war from both sides of the fight


Historical Relevance/ Recognition-To show how terrible the war, and battle for Guadalcanal was.


Notable Collaboration-  Here is a list some of the acto in the movie; Sean Penn, Adrien Brody, Jim Caviezel, Ben Chaplin, George Clooney, John Cusack, Woody Harrelson, Nick Nolte, John C. Reilly, John Travolta.

Sources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Thin_Red_Line_(novel)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Thin_Red_Line_(1998_film)

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120863/

1. Are they any evident elements of an evolving group. Yes from every battle. They all came together in battle,No matter what they where they all became one. The scene it the tent,when they where moved off the line, is the biggest point of this. They are different places in the us, but because of the war they are family from that point on.

2. Are there any scenes where self-sacrifice is apparent? This is a movie where self sacrifice was in almost every battle scene.

  

 

         *Which characters function as stock characters and stereotypes and how can the presence of each be justified in the film? The LT.COL. He had to push to the point of almost being inhuman,Its was to show how he wanted to not only live up to his war,but also show the people he reported to that they had made a mistake in passing him up. Capt.Staros refused a direct order to save his men.This is showing that you still can have compassion for a human being even in the time of war. 1ST sgt. Welsh was a bad on the boat ride over. Slowly battle atfter battle he started to soften up,going to the point of wondering why they where in the war. This showing how war can change a person.

         *Which minor characters function to bring out the personality traits of the major characters? What do they help reveal?Capt.John Gaff, he brings the lt. col. back to earth by just standing and looking at him.The LT.COL. makes a point to tell him what his son does,just because the capt want some water for his men.

The Thin Red Line- by Carol Ostling

Title/Year : The Thin Red Line, 1998
Director/Birth Country/Year Born: Terrence Malick, USA,1943
Budget: $52,000,000(estimated) 
Gross: $81,600,000(worldwide) or $98.1 million
Synopsis: During WWII the soldiers of C- company struggle with the horrors of war as they take Guadalcanal.

Characterization/Dialogue:  The men of C- Company struggle with the horrific nature of War.

Camera/Lighting/Editing: Lots of CU and MS and tracking shots to make you feel like you are trapped with them in this war.There were a lot of symbolic cuts of nature and it relating to the moment or the feeling of the character.  

Narrative and Visual Keywords: Japanese, US Soldiers, family, brotherhood, unit, nature, Guadalcanal, Voice over, War, Death, WWII, Harsh Reality, Paradise Lost

Political/Social Commentary: The thin red line depicts how war is a wild thing and a wild thing destroys nature as well as people.

 Notable Collaboration: HOLY CRAP! What actor didn’t get a foot in this movie?  Here is a list some of the actors you SAW in the movie; Sean Penn, Adrien Brody, Jim Caviezel, Ben Chaplin, George Clooney, John Cusack, Woody Harrelson, Nick Nolte, John C. Reilly, John Travolta. There were many actors that were cut in post production, here is some of there names; Billy Bob Thornton, Martin Sheen, Gary Oldman, Bill Pullman, Viggo Mortensen, Mickey Rourke. Sean Penn helped edit the movie.

Historical relevance/recognition: The movie initially was seen as that other WWII two movie because Saving Private Ryan had been released earlier that year. However, this movie made a mark of its own, with reviews saying things like “the finest contemporary war film I’ve ever seen supplanting Steven Spielberg’s Saving Private Ryan….” The Thin Red line was adapted from a book of the same name and was adapted another time in 1964. The book portrays the horrific and realistic depictions of War. The 1998 Version won several international awards, one of them being Best Cinematography but the National Society of Film Critics. The movie was nominated for 8 different Academy Awards but did not win any of them.  The backdrop of this movie is the Guadalcanal Campaign, the first strategic offensive by the allies. Obtaining and keeping Guadalcanal helped end WWII.
Etc. Leslie Jones assembly edit was 5 hours long. After editing for seven months  Billy Weber  join in post production and they spent another 13 months editing. It took 4 months to mix the film. They used 4 Avid Machines and at one point added a fifth.

 

Sources: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Thin_Red_Line_(novel)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Thin_Red_Line_(1998_film)

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120863/

www.netflix.com

1)      On the Ship going to Guadalcanal we are introduced to the members of Charlie Company and what their fears are. It is not until they are in the battle and the trenches before we start seeing their bond. When waiting they tell their stories and fears to each other. We see an example that these men are a group is when Captain Staros refuses to send more men to get slaughtered on the hill. It becomes them against the Colonel who is ordering them to keep pushing.

2)      Toward the end when Witt and a couple of the other men are on a scouting mission upriver from the rest of the company they spot some Japanese.  Witt Sends Private fife back to the company and in order to give them time to retreat Witt draws away the Japanese. He becomes encircled by the enemy and ends up dying and the rest of the company is saved.

* Pick out bits of dialogue, visual images, or scenes which you consider especially effective in revealing character and tell why they are effective.*

                There is a scene when captain Straos is starting to stand up to the Colonel and they cut to an image of a bird that was just hatched in the mud but has a broken wing. I found this an effective symbolize of the Captain finding his voice in the trenches but the voice is not necessarily as strong as it needs to be. I believe that it also references the fact that it was a lot of young men that were in the trenches of this war. They were born men in the trenches but they were equally broken by the experiences.  The shot is also a harsh reality shot about how the wild can be unforgiving, just like war.   
*Which minor characters function to bring out the personality traits of the major characters? What do they help reveal?*

There is a scene when a man is feeling sick to his stomach. Sgt. Keck tells the man to get up or else. Welsh over hears what’s going on and comes over.  Welsh orders the man to the medics he looks to Keck and says “don’t argue with me”. The minor character revealed that Welsh does still have a soft side, while Keck is a hard man. It also establishes the respect that Welsh holds in the company.