The Thin Red Line

The Thin Red Line (1998)

Timing: 2:51 (171 min)

7.444/10
3257

7.401/10
34503

7.6/10
212000

All about film

Video 2

Photo 119

Actors and characters

Release date

1998-12-23

Country

Japan, United States, Belgium, Canada

Production

Fox 2000 Pictures, Phoenix Pictures, George Stevens Jr. Productions, Pioneer LDC, Geisler-Roberdeau Productions, Pioneer Films

Genre

Drama, History, War

Budget

$52 000 000

Revenue

$98 126 565

Website

Director

Terrence Malick

Actors

Jim Caviezel, Nick Nolte, Sean Penn, Ben Chaplin, Elias Koteas, John Cusack, Dash Mihok, John C. Reilly, Woody Harrelson, Miranda Otto
All actors and roles (10)

Scenario

Producer

Grant Hill, Robert Michael Geisler, John Roberdeau, Sheila Davis Lawrence, George Stevens Jr.

Operator

John Toll

Composer

Hans Zimmer

Artist

Audition

Dianne Crittenden

Editing

Billy Weber, Saar Klein, Leslie Jones
All team (94)

• The film is based on James Jones' novel «The Thin Red Line» (1962).
• 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».
• 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.
• 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.
• The film was not shot on Guadalcanal Island, but on the northeastern coast of Australia (Daintree Rainforest), in the state of Queensland.
• 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 is based on James Jones' novel "The Thin Red Line" (1962).
• 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".