The Thin Red Line (1998)

Director:

Terrence Malick

Writers (WGA):

James Jones (novel)
Terrence Malick (screenplay)

Release Date:

15 January 1999 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Drama | War

Tagline:

Every man fights his own war.

Plot:

Director Terrence Malick's adaptation of James Jones' autobiographical 1962 novel, focusing on the conflict at Guadalcanal during the second World War.

Plot Keywords:

Soldier | Guadalcanal | Japanese | Rifle | Accidental Death

Awards:

Nominated for 7 Oscars. Another 18 wins & 19 nominations

Cast

Kirk Acevedo	...	Pvt. Tella
Sean Penn	...	1st Sgt. Welsh
Penelope Allen	...	Witt's Mother (as Penny Allen)
Adrien Brody	...	Cpl. Fife
James Caviezel	...	Pvt. Witt (as Jim Caviezel)
Benjamin Green	...	Melanesian Villager (as Benjamin)
Simon Billig	...	Lt. Col. Billig
Ben Chaplin	...	Pvt. Bell
Mark Boone Junior	...	Pvt. Peale
George Clooney	...	Capt. Bosche
John Cusack	...	Capt. Gaff
Norman Patrick Brown	...	Pvt. Henry
Woody Harrelson	...	Sgt. Keck
Elias Koteas	...	Capt. Staros
Nick Nolte	...	Lt. Col. Tall

MPAA:

Rated R for realistic war violence and language.

Runtime:

170 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital

Certification:

Italy:T | Iceland:16 | Philippines:PG-13 | New Zealand:M | USA:TV-MA (cable rating) | India:A (cinema release) | Argentina:16 | Australia:M | Belgium:KT | Finland:K-14 | France:U | Germany:16 | Hong Kong:IIB | Hungary:16 | Netherlands:16 | Norway:15 | Portugal:M/16 | Singapore:PG | South Korea:12 | Spain:13 | Sweden:15 | Switzerland:16 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:16 (canton of Vaud) | UK:15 | USA:R | Canada:14A

Filming Locations:

Bramston Beach, Queensland, Australia

Company:

Fox 2000 Pictures

Trivia:

While most of the character names are consistent in all three versions, the Captain's name is not: it's Stein in the novel, Stone in the 1964 film, and Staros in the 1998 version.

Goofs:

Crew or equipment visible: When Welsh is talking to the scared young soldier in the shaving quarters at the beginning of the film, the soldier says, "Only two things that are permanent is dying and the Lord," and the camera and the operator's hand are reflected in the far left mirror (visible only in the widescreen release).

Quotes:

[first lines]
Private Witt: I remember my mother when she was dyin', looked all shrunk up and gray. I asked her if she was afraid. She just shook her head. I was afraid to touch the death I seen in her. I couldn't find nothin' beautiful or uplifting about her goin' back to God...

Movie Connections:

Referenced in 99 francs (2007)

Soundtrack:

Sit Back and Relax

A poem of a picture

This film is three hours of movie poetry. "Saving Private Ryan," though brilliantly made, is a jingoistic cartoon by comparison. "Thin Red Line" follows a company of American rifleman brought in to consolidate the Allied grip on the Pacific island of Guadalcanal in 1942 in the face of Japanese invasion, but the place could be just about anywhere where war is fought.

The company is not made up of conscripts but regular soldiers. Some of them have been in the Army more than 10 years. Some of them however have never seen real action before and this is a hot and uncomfortable location, despite the lovely tropical scenery. Some crack up, some die, some do heroic deeds. Their leaders are not particularly admirable; one is quite happy to get his men killed if he can come out of the action looking good.

Out of sight for most of the film are the Melanesian inhabitants, the Solomon Islanders, who are carrying on living as best they can while the war rages around them. Their serenity is in sharp contrast to the frenetic military activity. Of course, there is nowhere for them to go.

There is some action excitingly filmed but as in real wars much of the time is spent preparing and waiting. Personal stories unfold but at the end it is survival that matters.

The lighting and photography is quite superb, the lighting in particular fitting the mood perfectly. Filming was not actually on Guadalcanal but near Port Douglas in Northern Queensland where there is similar tropical rainforest and fauna but with much easier logistics. It took ages apparently but seems more than worth the effort.

This is probably one of the four or five greatest war films ever made, right up there with "All Quiet on the Western Front, " "Paths of Glory," "Bridge on the River Kwai" and "The Longest Day." Never has a movie better portrayed what it's like to be a frontline soldier.

Terrence Malick has the reputation of being an eccentric, difficult director - Kubrick without the fear of flying. Yet this is not a particularly unconventional movie - it's just that everything hangs together - the story, dialogue, performances, photography and settings. On thing is clear - this is a better interpretation of James Jones' novel than the 1964 version.