thin red line film thin red line american ensemble epic war film written directed based novel tells semi fictionalized version portrays soldiers 27th infantry regiment played title refer line poem tommy calls foot soldiers thin red line heroes referring stand regiment battle war reality quote book reads discover thin red line divides mad living dead film marked return filmmaking year absence stars reportedly assembled cut took seven months edit ran hours final cut footage performances removed scenes included special features criterion blu ray dvd release film scored shot principal photography took place new_zealand australia state queensland film grossed million million budget critical response generally strong film nominated seven academy awards best picture best director best original score best sound mixing won golden bear berlin international film festival ranked second favorite film 1990s movies gene called greatest contemporary war film seen previous film adaptation novel released plot goes unit lives natives found imprisoned troop carrier company men 27th infantry regiment brought reinforcements campaign secure seize island japanese wait navy transport lives invasion battalion commander lieutenant colonel tall talks brigadier general invasion importance company lands unopposed marches interior island encountering natives evidence japanese presence arrive near key japanese position japanese placed bunker machine guns hill attempt climb hill cut brief hill begins day dawn company attempts capture hill repelled gunfire killed platoon leaders second lieutenant battle squad led hides swell safe enemy fire wait reinforcements reaches grenade accidentally pulls pin dies process lieutenant colonel tall orders company commander captain bunker frontal assault cost refuses tall decides join line situation japanese resistance tall opinion sealed private having assigned bearer asks rejoin company allowed small detachment men performs reconnaissance mission tall orders determine strength japanese bunker reports machine guns bunker joins small team men including led captain flanking mission bunker operation success japanese strongholds island japanese find largely dying little resistance efforts men given week leave airfield based comes enemy artillery bombardment bell receives letter wife informing fallen love wishes divorce captain relieved command lieutenant colonel tall soft pressures combat suggests apply lawyer washington offers arrange purple heart avoid unit stained having officer removed command comes locals notices grown distant quarrel regularly company sent patrol river inexperienced 1st lieutenant head japanese artillery fire falls close positions band orders men scout encounter advancing japanese column attacked buy time inform rest unit draws away japanese encircled squads demand surrender raises rifle company able retreat safely later buried welsh receives new commander captain boards waiting departing island cast production screenplay new_york based producer approached asked direct film adaptation play declined offer instead discussed idea film life word got film elephant man shelved idea met paris writing directing movie based thomas novel white hotel declined told willing instead write adaptation thin red line producers chose paid write screenplay began adapting thin red line january months later producers received draft pages long according article entertainment_weekly gained director confidence catering providing obscure research material including book titled reptiles amphibians australia information code recruited communicate native language evade understanding japanese troops radio making travel plans helping director wife mortgage paris apartment producers spent lot time talking vision film said raped green poison terry war violence portrayed indirectly soldier shot showing bloody face tree explode vegetation gorgeous bird broken wing flying tree spent years working projects including stage production script known english speaker spending million producers money half writing met widow daughter adapting film january broke pressured decide complete approached agent setting production company agreed start work deal began scouting locations panama costa_rica settling rain forests northern australia april months filming sony pulled plug crews building sets queensland new studio chairman think movie proposed million budget traveled los_angeles pitch project studios 20th century fox agreed million budget stipulation cast movie stars list interested japanese company contributed million budget phoenix added million casting casting film hot topic met told dollar tell scripts sent word went making movie years numerous actors approached flooding casting directors announce wouldn accepting requests class actors example offered work fraction offered work free went far offering pay class tickets casting crew lines movie home staged reading delivering screen directions playing main roles june year day workshop scheduled dropping culminating putting soundtrack eagles dare playing japanese drums met interested johnny project book soup flew austin met impressed actor screen test fear reportedly took day filming time kill followed including flew mexico set romeo juliet meet lounge austin airport casting finalized lunch hollywood february went scout locations tried calling cage summer find phone number disconnected offered substantial role contact days decided steven_spielberg film instead actors filmed scenes movie cut final film time cast private credits casting turning point career began talking august times phone film toll met september year asked film beginning toll began location scouting february started principal photography june year principal photography pre production went slowly weeks filming began told australia film ostensibly location producer supporting line producer told upset studio refusing title production credit stevens tell clause inserted contract barring producers set behavior told entertainment_weekly didn think capable betrayal magnitude toll shot days australia cameras lenses days solomon islands days united_states scouted historic shot footage health concerns malaria limited filming daylight hours logistics difficult shoot entire film director photography bit difficult island scenes involved extras bring everybody financially didn sense filmed predominantly north queensland australia filming took place rough terrain trailers production trucks hill base camp set base roads carved mountain transporting actors crew members hill took hours filming took place pacific_ocean coast southern_california near unconventional filming techniques included shooting scene bright sunny morning finish weeks later sunset habit pointing camera away action sequence focus tree branch fauna reputation working methods commanded great respect actors staying extra month finished scenes watch work post production addition cast seen final cut film performed scenes eventually cut editor location months rarely saw left devices principal photography wrapped came hour cut spent seven months editing contributing hours narrative voice material point editor came board spent months post production months mixing film avid machines fifth added point edited footage reel time sound listening green day preview screenings house ones largest attended people marketing executives editors faced challenge blending footage veteran actors experienced ones integrating cameos voice overs according jones removed scenes dialogue possible final film varying greatly original concept months principal photography invited toll rough cut screening film december toll color correction lab prior film release north_america editing resulted known cast members screen brief period example appearances little cameos appears prominently marketing movie unfinished film screened new_york press december attended screening find originally significant role carry movie reduced lines approximately minutes screen time april interview revealed upset removal work expressed opinions interview london newspaper focused professional gave receive terms witnessing work extremely unpleasant begun press film wasn terry obviously changed entire concept film experienced like know expression don believe hype shouldn upset studio screened unfinished version critics penn ended helping editing room shaping final version spent months cut additional minutes film director refused subject film test screenings delivering final cut told story vanity_fair magazine attorneys declared breach contract threatened remove names film agreed future interviews academy_awards music film score composed additional music album nominated academy awards fifth oscar nomination composer lost life beautiful music album released conducted music written appears film requiem opening minutes unanswered question wrote hours music abundance different themes started shoot film director played music set filming rest crew actors right frame mind official soundtrack features tracks film tracks film found film features pieces choral music sung featured soundtrack soundtrack released containing tracks choir gone circulation release reception box office thin red line given limited release december theaters grossed opening weekend film given wide release january theaters grossed million opening weekend film earned worldwide box office critical reception film rating critics rotten_tomatoes metacritic indicating generally favourable reviews gene described finest contemporary war film seen steven_spielberg earlier year platoon roger_ebert subdued praise giving stars saying felt confused unfinished wrote movie keeps greatness film firm idea doesn bad fact sort fascinating battle scenes creating sense geography particular hill way defended japanese ways american soldiers attempt actors like find perfect tone scenes seconds minute dropped rhythm established review time wrote films deal plot truth expresses emotional truth heart search saving wisdom imagery film days heaven usa today gave film stars writing washington_post wrote thin red line movie creation growing destruction love expect find angels especially fallen kind happen men new york wrote like previous efforts days heaven line film incredible beauty atmosphere created breathtaking cinematography powerful score occasionally compromised parade cameos briefly appear somewhat distracting fact bell accents makes characters hard differentiate confusing times little long line film rare substance power gave film review entertainment_weekly wrote thin red line think turn season beloved movie high minded connect audiences review new_york_times wrote heart piercing moments film awards thin red line nominated best film editing best original score best picture best sound best adapted screenplay failed win awards film awarded golden bear best film 49th berlin international film festival named time magazine ranked film best cinema list film critic ranked film second favorite film ranked second favorite film 1990s roger_ebert television home video september criterion collection released special edition dvd blu ray new restored digital transfer supervised approved cinematographer release met positive reviews
The Thin Red Line (1998 film)