The Thin Red Line
Action, Drama, War
20th Century Fox  (1998) 170 mins TV-MA

7.4 (50,524 votes)
7 Academy Award Nominations Including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Cinematography, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Sound, Best Film Editing, Best Dramatic Score.

A powerful frontline cast - combining Hollywood's biggest names with its newest young stars - explodes into action as a U.S. infantry unit battles for control on Guadalcanal in this hauntingly realistic view of military and moral chaos in the Pacific during World War II.

Nominated for seven Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Director (Terrence Malick), The Thin Red Line is an unparalleled cinematic masterpiece that Gene Siskel called "brilliant... a terrific achievement...the finest contemporary war film!"...

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Cast and Crew
Kirk Acevedo  ......  Pvt. Tella
Penelope Allen  ......  Witt's Mother (as Penny Allen)
Benjamin Green  ......  Melanesian Villager (as Benjamin)
Simon Billig  ......  Lt. Col. Billig
Mark Boone Junior  ......  Pvt. Peale
Adrien Brody  ......  Cpl. Fife
Director  .....  Terrence Malick
Producer  .....  Robert Michael Geisler; Grant Hill
Writer  .....  James Jones; Terrence Malick
Notes
Goofs:
Anachronisms: There is a modern, fiberglass and foam surfboard on the beach. (more)

Trivia:
James Jones got the title of his book from the poem "Tommy" by Rudyard Kipling, Kipling's commentary of how "society" looks down on the military until "society" needs to be defended. A couplet that contains the line is, "Then it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' 'Tommy, 'ow's yer soul?'/But it's 'Thin red line of 'eroes' when the drums begin to roll," (more)

Filming Locations:
Bramston Beach, Queensland, Australia (more)

Quotes:
[first lines]
Private Witt: I remember my mother when she was dyin', looked all shrunk up and gray. I asked her if she was afraid. She just shook her head. I was afraid to touch the death I seen in her. I couldn't find nothin' beautiful or uplifting about her goin' back to God...
(more)

Awards:
Nominated for 7 Oscars. Another 17 wins & 19 nominations (more)