Read on Twitter
The poetry of that film was profound at that age.
I remember writing a 2,000 word review for my local newspaper and being gutted that they cut it down to 500, rewriting sentences and ideas that I had agonized over.
A year later I was a copy editor for my college newspaper.
I remember writing a 2,000 word review for my local newspaper and being gutted that they cut it down to 500, rewriting sentences and ideas that I had agonized over.
A year later I was a copy editor for my college newspaper.
It has one of the all-time what-am-I-about-to-watch opening shots. In retrospect, you can almost feel the b-roll camera operator thinking, “Oh man Terry is gonna LOVE this.”
“I was afraid to touch the death I seen in her.”
Tears were streaming down my cheeks when Witt spoke that line.
Tears were streaming down my cheeks when Witt spoke that line.
“I wondered how it’d be when I died... I just hope I can meet it the same way she did... With the same calm. Cause that’s where it’s hidden. The immortality I hadn’t seen.”
The choice of no roof in that room is genius.
The choice of no roof in that room is genius.
This is officially a Thin Red Line appreciation thread now. Would love to hear anyone else’s thoughts connected to the film, then and now. Rewatching it during the pandemic stirred up a lot of emotion.
VO can be a crutch but it’s critical in helping capture the loneliness here.
VO can be a crutch but it’s critical in helping capture the loneliness here.
The small moments feel so monumental. Like Witt comforting the shell shocked soldier by pouring water on his head and neck.
Nick Nolte always hit like a sledgehammer, but watching him as Lt. Col. Tall Hits so much harder in 2020. His bravado is not bravery. It is getting people needlessly killed in service of a hollow pride.
I adore Elias Koteas in this film. He’s torn between duty and doing what’s right. His denial of Tall’s order is a thing of beauty and a moment I’d always wanted to see in war movies that typically glorify military command. Not here.
The raid on the bunker is incredible. But just as incredible is the look Cuasack’s character has for Tall when the commander complains that this is only his FIRST war. This is the look I have for many of our “leaders.” We see through you, tough guy.
Shoutout to one of the most influential shots in my creative life.
The water motif and Witt’s movement through it is a masterclass in cinema.
