Thin Red Line

Within the film Thin Red Line there is a constant balance of nature and war.  Throughout the film, we see scenes of battle complemented by scenes of wildlife.  During one of the main combat scenes we see men being killed, then the camera flashes to a bird carrying on with normal life.  The difference between American war tactics and Vietnamese are shown throughout the film as well.  The Americans often find themselves in the open because they do not know the landscape. The Vietnamese, on the other hand, use the land to their advantage, often time camouflaging themselves and using the landscape to mask themselves.  This is shown by the bunkers they chose to build on high grounds and their constant focus on being hidden.  Although they do not have the same technological advantages of the Americans, they use the landscape to even the playing fields.   Although the captain sent his men into a death trap, he felt it was necessary to win the battle.  If the men had not made advances, they would have never been able to take the bunker over.  The captain claimed this was essential to winning the war and advancing.  This is one aspect of the war that shows the true terror of war.  Men must die in order for there to be forced peace. War is simply peace being forced upon one party through force. 

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