Pulling its title from the novel (written by James Jones) that it is based on, Terence Malick’s 1998 film, The Thin Red Line, which was nominated for seven Academy Awards, brings together a who’s who ensemble cast to tell the tale of an intense World War 2 story set in the Pacific Theatre, specifically, the Guadalcanal Campaign.
Over the past several weeks you have read about the filmmakers behind the Tribeca Audience Award winning movie, Here Alone – first, producer Noah Lang, and secondly screenwriter David Ebeltoft. Today’s Star Pick will feature the motion picture’s director, Rod Blackhurst.
An up and coming director in the business, he has had great success from the beginning. The first time I came across some of his work, funnily enough, was by accident. As I sat awaiting the screening of The Corpse of Anna Fritz at the St. Lawrence International Film Festival, the lights dimmed and a movie (not in Spanish, like the above mentioned flick) popped up on screen. It was a short, vintage-style horror film titled Night Swim; a taut, spooky and atmospheric four minutes that I have since reviewed for Filmizon.com – if interested, click on the link here: http://filmizon.com/movie_reviews/sink-or-swim/
One of those serendipitous mistakes (as they put the wrong movie on), it drew me to Night Swim’s director, you guessed it – Rod Blackhurst. So, when I heard a little over a year later that the festival would be holding a special gala with his next horror film, Here Alone, I was excited. Need I say, it has also been reviewed here on this site: http://filmizon.com/movie_reviews/lost-in-the-adirondacks/
Not just a horror maestro, he has garnered a great deal of acclaim for his most recent film, the 2016 documentary Amanda Knox, looking at the story of an American girl who was convicted for the death of a student in Italy. Uniting once again with David Ebeltoft and Noah Lang, two projects have been announced this year that bode well for their future.
Speaking to the director after the screening of Here Alone at the gala, Blackhurst discussed many things revolving around his films and the business. Turning to his favourite movie, he highlighted the aforementioned The Thin Red Line as being at the top of his list. Make sure to watch the interview below to hear more from the talented filmmaker.
Terence Malick’s return to film making after a twenty year hiatus (1978’s Days of Heaven. . . five years before that, Badlands), he concocts a rich, dichotomous story that follows soldiers of C Company, 1st Battalion, 27th Infantry Regiment, 25th Infantry Division, most specifically Private Witt (Jim Caviezel), a zen-like soldier who is AWOL, enjoying the simple beauty of living with the local natives in the Melanesian region. Contemplative of life and death, Malick’s screenplay gets to the root of those things that seep into the mind of soldiers as they meet, head on, the futility and horrors of war.
Found and picked up, he is imprisoned by 1st Sgt. Edward Welsh (Sean Penn), only to be released soon after. The men have been sent to assist in taking a ridge and then securing Henderson Field – a vital airfield to hold, from the Japanese. Given their instructions from Brig. Gen. Quinard (John Travolta), the aging Lt. Col. Gordon Tall (Nick Nolte) sees this as being his big break (most of his good years have been spent doing little during peaceful times). He has a close bond to Capt. John Gaff (John Cusack).
Led on the ground by Capt. James ‘Bugger’ Staros (Elias Koteas), a lawyer by profession, he sees his troops as his sons. A kindly, wise soul, he has been through much, a strong figure that has led them through thick and thin. He has the difficult task of marching them up Hill 210, a bunker-filled stronghold of the Japanese.
Due to the large number of troops, the actors will be highlighted here, without their roles, to exemplify the impressive cast. Ben Chaplin, Dash Mihok, Adrien Brody, John C. Reilly, Woody Harrelson, Jared Leto, Nick Stahl, Thomas Jane, Kirk Acevedo, Tim Blake Nelson, as well as several others make up the lower lieutenants, privates and corporals that form the Division. George Clooney also has a small cameo as Capt. Charles Bosche.
Met with major force, the Japanese have the higher ground and the better strategic positioning. Will the troops be able to make their way up the hill and take the vital position, or will they fail to complete the immense mission?
Visually stunning, some of the most impressive moments find the camera providing a first person perspective, placing the audience in the ominous position of being one of the soldiers making their way up the hill. Manoeuvring through the long grass, its sways with an emotive purpose, feeling like it could be the souls of the dead, attempting to rise again from their gruesome deaths. It is both utterly beautiful and eerily sombre – a seemingly serene setting that at any moment could turn into a chaotic bloodbath. Malick often flashes to shots of leaves, animals and the picturesque sky, depicting what many of the severely wounded likely saw with their last dying breath. At one point, a butterfly meanders through the chaos, another example of the stunning beauty found amongst the brutal bedlam. The way in which he depicts death is visual poetry, as injured birds and wounded natural wonders of the area are used to symbolize their horrid ending. It is perhaps even worse that we can see the surreal, almost Heaven-like beauty of the landscape, for when we do see the dead and the charred remains of what was once so perfect, it pains our very souls.
Love, both the importance and pain of it, is also captured here. Ben Chaplin’s Pvt. Bell’s mind often flashes to the love of his life, Marty (Miranda Otto). It helps him get through the day, remembering the quiet passions they shared before he departed for the Pacific. Though, The Thin Red Line also forces us to ponder whether or not ‘absence makes the heart grow fonder’ or ‘out of sight, out of mind’. . . and whether it can be different for two individuals.
Also highlighting the futility of war, Elias Koteas’ Capt. Staros exemplifies the issues with higher ups making calls over those onsite. With goals to reach, commendations to receive and ranks to climb, they care more for the mission’s success than for the lives of those on the ground. It is Staros’ moral quandary, not willing to lose his men in a needless way, that drives him to open rebellion with the driven Lt. Col. Tall. What comes of this in many ways has a major effect on the concluding notes of the film.
The Thin Red Line really is a unique vision. Less about plot than the emotions felt by those involved, we sometimes jump from blinding morning sun to sunset, or leave cast members for long runs of time. Clocking in just shy of three hours, it is a film that probably could have been a few hours longer to flesh out the characters. Entire parts were edited out (Mickey Rourke, Bill Pullman, Gary Oldman, Viggo Mortensen, Martin Sheen, Jason Patric and Lukas Haas. . . as well as a narrative voice-over from Billy Bob Thornton), while Adrien Brody was upset over his limited screen time compared to what he filmed and put into the originally more complex role (in the script, he had a ton of dialogue, while in the finished project, he barely utters a word). Though, despite that, it is the way in which Malick places us in the mind’s eye of those soldiers that is so intriguing. Featuring voice-overs from eight characters, it feels real, and we learn of their spirituality and desires, passions and heartache, sometimes their final flashes before their untimely deaths. Personal ruminations from the front lines.
A breathtaking feature, The Thin Red Line artfully depicts the atrocities of war and those little glimmers of hope found in the darkest of times. Fusing beautifully framed shots and stunning landscapes with the horrors of the Pacific battlefield, Malick composes a piece of art onscreen. It captures the luck, chance, bonds created, horrors, love, mind-numbing pain, hope and hopelessness, selflessness, and fortitude found in a conflict such as this. So, don’t feel like you have to buy time before watching this epic, volunteer to see this moving motion picture and be enthralled by the spark of the director’s vision.