The Thin Red Line
Short description
Based on James Jones's novel of the same name, The Thin Red Line follows C-for-Charlie, an Army rifle company sent to Guadalcanal in 1942 to relieve Marines worn down by fighting against Japanese forces. After landing with little resistance, the soldiers face months of jungle patrols, costly assaults on entrenched positions and brief respites behind the lines. Among them are Private Witt, drawn to the island's Melanesian inhabitants; First Sergeant Welsh, who shields him while expecting little from the war; Private Bell, who longs to return to his wife; and Lieutenant Colonel Tall, whose ambitions shape the men's ordeal. The campaign leaves its mark on everyone who survives it.
Terrence Malick directed and wrote the screenplay, returning to filmmaking after a twenty-year gap following Days of Heaven. Jim Caviezel, Sean Penn, Nick Nolte, Ben Chaplin, Elias Koteas and John Cusack head a large ensemble. The production, backed by Fox 2000 Pictures and Phoenix Pictures, cost about 52 million USD and earned roughly 98 million USD worldwide.
On IMDb the film holds 7.6/10 from 212,000 votes, and on TMDB 7.4/10 from 3,428 votes. A critics' rating of 7.5/10 from 106 reviews places it close to both audience scores.
What's left behind the scenes
- The film's total runtime is 6 hours.
- The thin red line is not just a topographic marker. It is how defensive lines held by soldiers of a single unit stretched over several kilometers are indicated on military maps.
- Harrison Ford declined to participate in the film.
- Billy Bob Thornton recorded a voice-over for the film. However, the voice-over did not make it into the final version of the movie. Additionally, other actors who participated in the project were also left out of the final cut: Bill Pullman, Gary Oldman, Lucas Haas, Viggo Mortensen, Martin Sheen, Jason Patric, and Mickey Rourke.
- Terrence Malick offered Edward Norton a role in the film, but the actor was ultimately not cast.
- Mickey Rourke's relatively extensive role was completely cut from the final version of the film. The actor is the sole possessor of a complete copy of the film. Adrian Brody's screen time was also significantly reduced.
- Terrence Malick used unconventional filming methods. He didn't wait for perfect lighting: he might shoot part of a scene on a bright sunny morning and finish it several weeks later at sunset. During action scenes, he had a habit of panning the camera away to focus on a parrot, a tree branch, or other elements of flora and fauna.
- The film is based on James Jones' novel "The Thin Red Line" (1962).
- Leonardo DiCaprio, Matthew McConaughey, Johnny Depp, Brad Pitt, Nicolas Cage, Kevin Costner, Peter Berg, Ethan Hawke, Dermot Mulroney, William Baldwin, and Josh Hartnett were considered for various roles in the film.
- The expression "thin red line" in English refers to fighting at the limit of human endurance. The phrase originated during the Battle of Balaclava in the Crimean War, when a British reporter present on the battlefield described the defending Scottish regiment (who wore red uniforms in the British army at the time) as a "thin red line bristling with bayonets".
- Filming for this movie and the film 'Saving Private Ryan' began in June 1997.
- Tom Sizemore was offered a role in this movie, but decided to star in 'Saving Private Ryan' instead.
- Woody Harrelson initially argued with the director for a long time about how his character should die. He felt that dying from a grenade explosion (which was ultimately shown in the film) was too insignificant and did not match his star status at the time. Terrence Malick prevailed when he promised to add a certain percentage of the income to Woody's fee.
- The film was not shot on Guadalcanal Island, but on the northeastern coast of Australia (Daintree Rainforest), in the state of Queensland.
Auditions in India
Casting calls in USA
Castingi w Polsce
Кастинги в Україні
