Although he has directed only five movies to date Terence Malick's feature film career goes back to the Seventies. The strength of his reputation would seem to rest on two films. Both of them - Badlands (1973) and Days of Heaven (1978) - have taken on a hallowed glow over the years.
Judging from the budget for The Thin Red Line some of the top talent in Hollywood must have taken hefty pay cuts for the pleasure and privilege of working with Malick when the revered director announced plans to direct his first film in two decades.
The cast list included Sean Penn, Nick Nolte, John Cusack, John Travolta, George Clooney, Woody Harrelson and Adrien Brody.
Malick adapted his screenplay from American author James Jones' 1962 novel about the experiences of a company of infantrymen who are part of a U.S. force charged with wresting the tiny but strategic island of Guadalcanal from Japanese control in 1942.
Not for Short Attention Spans
In sharp contrast to the sturm und drang of Steven Spielberg's Saving Private Ryan (also released in 1998) Malick's WWII epic opens softly with shots of children at play on a tropical island.
A young American G.I. named Witt (Jim Caviezel) is blissfully AWOL until Sgt. Welsh (Penn) arrives on the scene and escorts him back to the troop ship.
Things are eerily quiet as the troops land on the beach at Guadalcanal and make their way warily through the jungle.
Malick takes his own sweet time building up to the combat. When violence finally enters the picture it is swift, unexpected and deadly.
No Star-Spangled Heroics
Compared to his recent Tree of Life head scratcher, this 1998 entry is downright accessible.
Malick makes artful use of voice-overs and flashbacks to allow viewers to peer into the minds of the soldiers and gain insights into their character and reactions to combat.
"War doesn`t enoble men," Witt reflects. "It turns them into dogs."
Lieutenant Colonel Tall, played by Nolte at his gruff, flinty best ("It`s never necessary to tell me that you think I`m right. We`ll just assume it") personifies the chilling amorality of the people in charge. Passed over for promotion, the Colonel views the battle for the island as a career opportunity and has no qualms about ordering men to their death to further his goals.
"I`ve waited all my life for this," he tells Capt. Gaff (Cusack), "I`ve worked, slaved, eaten untold buckets of (bleep) to have this opportunity and I don`t intend to give it up now."
Obviously, we`re not in flag-waving John Wayne territory here.
Using stunning imagery from the natural world and metaphysical musings by the various characters Malick reinforces his theme of the frailty and futility of human existence when set against the timeless cycle of life and death in the natural world.
In one memorable scene a baby bird crawls out of its egg and flutters to life as soldiers fight and die all around it.
"What's this war in the heart of nature? Why does nature vie with itself?" wonders battle weary Private Edward Train (John Dee Smith). " Is there an avenging power in nature? Not one power, but two?"
Getting the Big Picture
The Thin Red Line was nominated for seven Academy Awards including Best Picture, Director, Adapted Screenplay, Cinematography, Film Editing, Musical Score and Sound.
The film even made a modest profit, taking in $98 million worldwide on a $52 million budget (according to boxofficemojo.com.)
Viewers who are accustomed to more traditional methods of Hollywood storytelling may be baffled. (Note: the running time of the film is almost three hours long.)
However, for discerning film fans, Malick's movie has many rewards, revealing new textures and emotional truths with repeated viewings.
Some may even see a similarity between the conflicts depicted in the film and the wars being waged in our present century.
"Property," mutters the cynical Sgt. Welsh, "It's all about (bleeping) property."
Richard Goertz - Richard Goertz has a Bachelor of Arts degree majoring in English and History acquired light years ago (when his hair was longer) and have ...
