Thin Red Line: Andrew Ours

 War movies throughout film history have been one of the most popular subjects to depict on screen. In most films, they glorify war, and don’t show the true realities of the horrors that happen. Thin Red Line does not glorify war, but rather brutally shows the realities of WWII. The most prominent thing I will remember about the film was how loud it was, and how horrific the imagery on screen was as well. I believe this was done in a way to show that war is not what you see in most movies where empires fall and heroes are made. Additionally, a significant motif is life and death in the movie. Each soldier has a unique perspective on the fragility of life and death. Private Witt does not want to die. He has seen that his mother found no peace while she was dying, so his expectations of death are tied to her. However, through the film, he is surrounded by death and sees how his fellow soldier have an indifference and more serene death. This leads Witt to make the ultimate sacrifice for his country. He understood that his death will served a purpose and therefore he can die knowing his death had meaning. In my opinion, I think that fear of death is something that is very common with humans. However, one of the journeys throughout life is to find a way to come to terms with our existence and the fact that at some point we will die as well. 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Decalogue

2/9/2021 This particular retelling of the Ten Commandments does so in a more modern format than most would expect. Some audience members questioned the ability of the Ten Commandments to be told in such a format as this particular retelling strays from the original meaning of midrash. I argue that this retelling as a form of Midrash that is more assessable and understandable to the modern audience. It grabs your interest by telling a beautiful story with many characters and elements one would not anticipate seeing in such an explanation of the ten commandments. Each commandment lays out a plot that causes the audience to forget the original intention of the film, finding unique ways to gain emotional ties and capture the attention of those watching. I will say as a view it was difficult to watch more than one of these films at a time. Perhaps this was due to my personal religious beliefs and connection to the midrash, but the intensity of these films weighed heavy on me and I felt very...
Read more

Thin Red Line - Bev Hollberg

  The Thin Red Line, which I would describe as several hours of watching men be brutally murdered, was intentionally made so disturbing so as to encourage viewers to reflect on the gift of life. One of my initial reactions was "I'd be the worst soldier ever, I'd just hide in the grass the entire time" and "I'm so glad women aren't included in the draft". My gratitude for never having to go to war is probably fairly universal within viewers (as the director intended). By emphasizing human distaste for war through the film's graphic depictions of death, the director leads his viewers to the question of "what is worth the sacrifice of human life?" For Krishna and the Colonel, duty is the price of life.   The Thin Red Line was very difficult to watch, as I'm not normally someone who puts up with any type of blood and guts. I think the gore was intended to convey the sublime nature of war and life. By reminding viewers of how terrible th...
Read more

Student Chosen Topic #4: Andrew Ours

  Over winter break, I had the opportunity to raid my Dad’s bookcase to find a book I had not read before. I had the opportunity to pick up a book titled,   The Last Amateurs  by John Feinstein. The book is about the 1999-2000 season in the Patriot League conference of NCAA College Basketball. What I found most interesting is how the narrative explored in the book is still ever present today in College Basketball. The thesis of the book is that college basketball is an organization corrupted by money and the need to win for the bigger programs. However, there is a purity to the integrity and how the game is played in the Patriot League, true Student Athletes. Today, there is a debate on if college athletes should be paid to play, due to the amount of money they made for their college and university, especially in college basketball and Football. In today’s game, for the top universities, even more so than they were in 1999, it is just a stepping stone for professional bas...
Read more