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:
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.
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