Thin Red Line Movie Response

Thin Red Line

Movie Response & Analysis

At the beginning of Thin Red Line, we are introduced to Private Witt, an AWOL soldier who is hiding out in a Melanesian village in the South Pacific. When the U.S. Army finally catches up with him, Witt is transported to Japan where he joins a group of soldiers and accompanies them as they attempt to push further and further into the island; defeating Japanese troops as they go. In the beginning scenes of the film, it is established that Witt is terrified of death As the movie progresses, the men deal with and are constantly surrounded by death. At the end of the film, Witt volunteers to scout upriver with a group of men, and suddenly finds himself surrounded by Japanese forces. Rather than submitting to them, he raises his gun and is shot down by the Japanese troops. In this final scene, it is clear that Witt has overcome his fear of death, and actually welcomes it. 

Thin Red Line, while it portrays numerous scenes that show the grim realities of war, also depicts elements of the sublime and a transcendent reality through visual communication. At different points during the movie, there are shots of nature that take the audience away from the violence of war. For example, when the movie begins, we see Witt swimming underwater with the Melanesian people. This beautiful and serene setting exists, even in the middle of a world war. These shots communicate that even as humans engage in violent wars and give in to their evil and sinful tendencies, the beauty and purity of God's creation transcends all of that.