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Essay on The Thin Red Line
The Movie
The Thin Red Line is a 1998 war film which tells the story of United States forces during the Battle of Guadalcanal in World War II. It was directed by Terrence Malick, who adapted the screenplay himself from the James Jones novel of the same name, which had previously been adapted in a 1964 film.
The film features a large ensemble cast, which includes Sean Penn, Adrien Brody, James Caviezel, Ben Chaplin, George Clooney, John Cusack, Woody Harrelson, Elias Koteas, Jared Leto, Dash Mihok, Tim Blake Nelson, Nick Nolte, John C. Reilly, Nick Stahl, John Travolta and John Savage.
It was nominated for Academy Awards for Best Cinematography, Best Director, Best Film Editing, Best Original Score, Best Picture, Best Sound and Best Adapted Screenplay.
There is a great deal of voice-over narration in the film. Billy Bob Thornton recorded three hours of narration, but none of it made it to the final cut. In addition, Bill Pullman, Lukas Haas, Viggo Mortensen and Mickey Rourke all performed in the movie, but their scenes were eventually cut. Reportedly the first assembled cut ran at over six hours.
The movie explores the behavior of ordinary men in war, 'cowboy' officers chasing medals and the pain of separation from loved ones.
Although featuring several intense and realistic action scenes, the movie is in essence a long poem on war, or rather anti-war, although the message is subtle and poetic.
History of Guadalcanal
Guadalcanal, a 2,510 square mile (6,500 km²) island in the Pacific Ocean and a province of the Solomon Islands, is largely a jungle. The island became the scene of the important Battle of Guadalcanal during World War II.
The island contains the national capital of the Solomon Islands, Honiara.
A Spanish expedition under Álvaro de Mendaña discovered the island in 1568. It was named by Mendaña's subordinate Pedro de Ortega after....
