The Thin Red Line (1998) by Andrew Barrick

Title/Year: The Thin Red Line / 1998

Director / Birth Country / Year Born: Terrence Malick / USA / 1943


Budget: $52 million

Gross: $91 million

Synopsis: The film follows the soldier of C - Company; 2nd Battalion during WWII as they fight for Guadalcanal and their own sanity.

Characterization / Dialogue: A group of young WWII riflemen are sent in as backup reinforcements to capture the hill of Guadalcanal. Through their adventures and exploits they come to learn what friendship, family and love truly are.

Camera / Lighting / Editing: Epic tracking shots / Naturalistic outdoor lighting / Dreamlike compositions for memory sequences / CU shots on characters to help convey the expressions and emotions.


Political / Social Commentary: The Thin Red Line is a contemporary take on the "war is hell" concept. It is a political view of the evils of war, and a social commentary on how war destroys those who must fight in it.

Narrative and Visual Keywords:  WWII, US Soldiers, Guadalcanal, Leadership, Honor, Personal Discovery

Notable Collaborations: Large Star Actor Cast: Sean Penn, Adrien Brody, Jim Caviezel, Elias Koteas, Ben Chaplin, George Clooney, John Cusack, Woody Harrelson, Jared Leto, Nick Nolte, John C. Reilly, John Travolta, Miranda Otto.

Historical Relevance / Recognition: The film is based on James Jones's 1962 novel of the same name. The book pulls from Jones's own personal experiences of his campaign of Guadalcanal in which he served in the US Army. The 1998 feature film would go on to be nominated for seven Academy Awards (Best Picture, Best Director, Best Writing from an Adapted Screenplay, Best Cinematography, Best Film Editing, Best Music; Original Dramatic Score, and Best Sound)

Etc / Random Facts: The original assembly edit of the film was over five hours long. A number of other star actors appearances were cut from the film. Theses actors included Gary Oldman, Bill Pullman, Billy Bob Thornton, Martin Sheen, Lukas Haas, Mickey Rourke, and Viggo Mortensen.

Sources: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120863/
               http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Thin_Red_Line_(1998_film)
               http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Thin_Red_Line_(novel)

1.) From the very start of of the film the unit of C - Company is always evolving in various forms of group integration. At different points in the film various characters change roles, whether in a military capacity or that of a brother and friend. These men share their hopes and fears with each other, and are all fully developed and realized personalities.

2.) As with the evolving character traits the Army unit displays throughout the film, they also show personal acts of courage and self sacrifice. In some cases they are able to survive to the next moment in time, in other situations they are acts of fatal sacrifice and valor. In one scene Sgt. Welsh, rushes out into the line of fire to give a fellow solider who has been wounded. Earlier in the film, Sgt. William Keck sacrifices himself to protect his fellow soldiers from an accidental grenade explosion.

3a.) Some of the scenes that I felt really were effective where those of Private Jack Bell and his wife Marty Bell. With little dialogue, except for voice-over that is culled from private letters, the audience is able to discover and learn about their romantic relationship. Separated by time and space, we hear of their desire for each other and the love they share. Slowing moving camera shots, soft lighting and images of nature and their separation from each other during war time. One striking sequence of images shows Marty on a swing, going back and forth, to and from the camera. In one take the shot is flipped and she is seen swinging upside down. It would seem that literally their world and relationship has been turned inside out and upside down. In the end Marty meets another lover and pleas for a divorce from Jack.


3b.) A character that seems to be rather exaggerated in the film, is that of Lt. Col. Gordon Tall as played by Nick Nolte .While I did find that character and his actions believable, I believe that his mannerisms and exposition we emphasized to extremes to help Lt. Col. Tall as being a man of power. He is definitely given the screen presence to be a foil to the character of Captain Staros. At a number of turns Lt. Col. Tall seems only be concerned about the mission and victory at hand, rather than the safety and well being of the troops he commands.