The Thin Red Line (1998)

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

Director:

Terrence Malick

Writers:

James Jones (novel), Terrence Malick (screenplay)

Stars:

Nick Nolte, Jim Caviezel, Sean Penn

Nominated for 7 Oscars. Another 20 wins & 19 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Nick Nolte	...	Lt. Col. Gordon Tall
Jim Caviezel	...	Pvt. Witt
Sean Penn	...	1st Sgt. Edward Welsh
Elias Koteas	...	Capt. James 'Bugger' Staros
Ben Chaplin	...	Pvt. Bell
Dash Mihok	...	Pfc. Doll
John Cusack	...	Capt. John Gaff
Adrien Brody	...	Cpl. Fife
John C. Reilly	...	Sgt. Storm
Woody Harrelson	...	Sgt. Keck
Miranda Otto	...	Marty Bell
Jared Leto	...	2nd Lt. Whyte
John Travolta	...	Brig. Gen. Quintard
George Clooney	...	Capt. Charles Bosche
Nick Stahl	...	Pfc - Beade

Storyline

In World War II, the outcome of the battle of Guadalcanal will strongly influence the Japanese advance into the Pacific theater. A group of young soldiers is brought in as a relief for the battle-weary Marines. The exhausting fight for a strategically-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 form the soldiers into a tight-knit group; their emotions develop into bonds of love and even family. The reasons for this war get further away as the world for the men gets smaller and smaller until their fighting is for mere survival and the life of the other men with them.

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Plot Keywords:

guadalcanal | soldier | japanese | private | survival | 

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Taglines:

Every man fights his own war.

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Genres:

Drama | War

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for realistic war violence and language

Details

Official Sites:

Fox

Country:

USA

Language:

English Tok Pisin Japanese Greek

Release Date:

15 January 1999 (USA)

Also Known As:

La delgada línea roja

Filming Locations:

Bramston Beach, Queensland, Australia

Box Office

Budget:

$52,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

£83,657 (UK) (26 February 1999)

Gross:

$36,385,763 (USA) (7 May 1999)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Fox 2000 Pictures, Geisler-Roberdeau, Phoenix Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

170 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Hans Zimmer, the composer on the film along with John Powell (who provided additional music) composed over four hours of music on this film, presumably for the original director's cut of the film. However, when director Terrence Malick re-cut the film down to its current running time of 170 minutes, he chose only a few select pieces of music from Zimmer's and Powell's musical contributions, along with original source music and that's what ended up in the theatrical edition of the film.

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Goofs

When we first see the American patrol boat, a surfboard is lying in the foreground. It's a shortboard, which was introduced in the late 60's.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Private Edward P. Train: What's this war in the heart of nature? Why does nature vie with itself? The land contend with the sea? Is there an avenging power in nature? Not one power, but two?

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Crazy Credits

Composer Wrangler. . . Moanike'ala Nakamoto

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Connections

Referenced in 99 francs (2007)

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Soundtracks

"The Unanswered Question"
by Charles Ives
(scene after the Japanese camp has been over-run)

User Reviews

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.