Thin Red Line - Tyler Baldwin

 Tyler Baldwin- Thin Red Line

This movie was the second war movie the class has seen, and I think I see more of the holy in Apocalypse Now than I do in Thin Red Line. In Thin Red Line, we are confronted with images of peaceful nature alongside the horrors of war. This juxtaposition is jarring upon first inspection, but is not wholly so opposed as the first glance. The sublime shows through in this movie upon second inspection, realizing the awe the soldiers feel in both the violence of battle and the beauty of nature. The main protagonist is also confronted with something that inspires the sublime, which does not always have to be completely a positive experience, like how people who are struck with fear when experiencing a holy encounter. The main character, Witt, is confronted with his own mortality multiple times throughout the movie, something he fears and is awesome to him. This struggle on these beautiful hills is poetic and hard to watch as we watch the characters go through their own mortal fears and we just have to watch with a similar sublime feeling. I think the moment Witt is finally captured, and is surrounded by the Japanese, is the most beautiful moment in the movie. Having already accepted his own death, and subsequent transcendence, we watch him peacefully contemplate his last moments on earth, as he is shouted at to surrender. He looks up as if to admire where he is, and finds the sublime moment where he is.

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