Thin Red Line


I think the dialogue plays a significant role in how the film communicates ideas to the audience. Witt is seen in the film as able to accept death after a transformation during the nature of war. I found it interesting that life happened to be continuing on even in the midst of brutal shooting and war. This is shown through the example of the hatching of the bird and the light shining through the trees that the soldier focuses on at times rather than the heat of battle. This can be seen as an idea of the sublime and the Holy, as life must still go on even during terrible circumstances as God portrays in the Bible.  


The nature aspects and symbols of the film that I noticed include: supply of water, the long grass and deep rooted trees of the forest of Guadacanal and the hilly terrain. The supply of water represents life and purity of the men in this war and their struggle to survive. As their supplies run lower and lower and certain soldiers ask to check if they were due to receive some soon, their lives in a way may seem closer and closer to the end. There is also scenes of running water towards the end of the film which could represent the flow of life. The long grass of Guadacanal I think represents roots of the soldiers and their beliefs in both their countries. I think both the Japanese and the American soldiers have undoubted pride and a deeply rooted system that is ingrained in their head to give their life for their country. Finally, the hilly terrain may represent the challenges the American soldiers face in coming to a unknown island and fighting a war that they no little about. The shining light through the trees is also another valuable symbol that shows a vision of Heaven, the Holy, and a more transcendent reality. 

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