Film The Thin Red Line example essay topic

In the film 'The Thin Red Line,' director Terrence Malick presents his anti-war message through an objective view of war's crunching of humanity. Malick provides a distressing image of man's inhumanity to nature and the immorality of war when all men are 'brothers. ' The story of 'The Thin Red Line' covers the events of the Guadalcanal campaign during 1942, where the real enemy is war itself. The director unites the use of various camera angles and powerful orchestral music with a poignant script to epitomize the ultimate meaningless and dehumanization of war. Filled with unforgettable imagery and philosophical interior monologues, the film displays a frightening, surrealistic vision of war and shows the audience they way war destroys human life and nature. In the opening scenes, the deep and resonating organ music sets up the dark mood where the audience begins to presume that danger is lurking.

Significantly, the opening shot of 'The Thin Red Line' is that of a crocodile slithering into the water, which is symbolic of the dichotomy and duality evident throughout the film, as it is both graceful and deadly. From that point on, Malick imposes a somewhat celestial point of view on the ever-changing narrative. This is contrasted with Witt's observation of 'paradise,' where there are children playing and laughing and the audience is presented with an overall sense of innocence and freedom. The settings are beautifully shot portraying the pure, white sand and the green glassiness of the ocean to set up the notion of the destructiveness of mankind- "what are you to me- nothing". The cinematography is striking and the sheer eloquence of imagery is exhibited through visuals such as the death throes of an injured bird, dogs feeding on the remains of the recently deceased, and the partially buried face of a dead Japanese soldier. These are use to reinforce the horrors of war.

Malick constantly juxtaposes images of tranquility and destruction to emphasise the irrationality of war. This can be seen in a scene where a bearded local passes by the heavily armed Charlie Company not paying them any attention or in the serene image of a sea of tall grass being shattered by the life-and-death struggle between the opposing armies. War is not just 'hell' as it is projected in the battle scenes, but is also a violent intrusion on the natural order of cultures and values before two empires began sending their young men to be slaughtered on foreign soil- "We " re just dirt". The battle scenes in the film are very intense and vicious. It is here that the characters begin to unravel in the heat of battle, staring into the face of death, surrounded by the carnage of their fallen friends and fighting off the thick scent of death. The audience empathizes with the characters and travels inside the minds of the soldiers to listen to their thoughts and fears- "This great evil.

Where does it come from?" In one particular battle scene, there are wide shots accompanied by haunting, piercing sounds which builds in intensity and adds to the soldiers' anxiety. Crawling through the grass, it becomes frightening silent with only natural dietetic sounds in the background. The audience move with the men and are presented with subjective point-of-view shots before there is a sudden explosion and the scene erupts in screams, blood splattering on the camera lens, smoke to add to the confusion along with gunfire and cries of agony. Viewers immediately sense the bewilderment and feel the distress of the soldiers. The Japanese are portrayed without the use of subtitles and are therefore mapped out as an equal cause of rivalry. Both sides of the battle have their own values and reasons for going through the turmoil that is war.

Therefore it can clearly be seen that director Terrence Malick emphasizes his criticism of war in the film, 'The Thin Red Line. ' The film highlights not only the brutality of war, but illustrates the humanity through the hearts of the soldiers, encompassing their compassion and loyalty. 'The Thin Red Line' asks the quintessential anti-war question of "Why?".