thin red line for the soundtrack.....

Compare TRL's "War does not ennoble men. It turns them into dogs." to SPR's "Earn this!"

TRL comes from source material written by someone who went to war. SPR was written by someone who grew up watching war movies.

So TRL is less pretentious because its dialogue is wordier (i.e. it takes TRL three times as long to say what it has to say than SPR)? Mm-hmm, 'kay... :rolleyes:

Looks to me like one was written by a man tired of making sacrifices as a soldier, and another was written by a "civvy" who is deeply thankful for the sacrifices made by others for his freedoms--I don't see that one has earned a more exalted status either way, in terms of who wrote it.

I will admit that the "Earn this!" line and the coda ("Am I a good man?") make me cringe a bit. But it's still nothing compared to TRL. It's hard for me to believe that soldiers, when pinned down by machine gun nests, fantasize about their wives walking in slow motion down a beach, or swinging on a swing set...

Re: The Thin Red Line vs Saving Private Ryan
 

I just watched "The Thin Red Line" for the very first time today, on Blu Ray no less, and I thought it was magnificant. I think "Ryan" is a great film, but IMO, "Line" was vastly superior. And I am stunned it lost to "Ryan" in Best Cinematography category. While "Ryan" is also well shot, "Line" had the most gorgeous cinematography I have ever seen.

Re: The Thin Red Line vs Saving Private Ryan
 

I already voted years ago on the poll but I will say it again

The Thin Red Line

Re: The Thin Red Line vs Saving Private Ryan
 

I voted, but didn't post my pick: TTRL

Still need to get that Criterion.

Re: The Thin Red Line vs Saving Private Ryan
 

The Thin Red Line

I wonder if any of those people that voted SPR have changed their minds.

Re: The Thin Red Line vs Saving Private Ryan
 

Nope.

Re: The Thin Red Line vs Saving Private Ryan
 

Interesting that so many people love one film and hate the other. I like both films, but prefer TTRL.

Re: The Thin Red Line vs Saving Private Ryan
 

I've always thought SPR was overrated and Thin Red Line was underrated.

Re: The Thin Red Line vs Saving Private Ryan
 

Having re-watched THIN RED LINE again earlier this year after having finally read the (great) book, I can now say that both SPR and TTRL are overrated.

Re: The Thin Red Line vs Saving Private Ryan
 

I loved TTRL from the start, and although I also like SPR, it certainly wasn't the better film. I actually just re-watched SPR last week for the first time in about 8 years, and I have to say, it actually was worse than I had once thought. The opening and closing scenes are stupid and sentimental, perfect for flag waving nut jobs but laughable to humans who have a defense system set up against propaganda and patriotism. Still a fairly solid film though, even after the opening 'landing' scene, I think it still stays somewhat respectable.

TTRL on the other hand is one of my favorite films that deal with the subject of war, Paths of Glory and Apocalypse Now are two others.

Just as all Malick films tend to be beautifully shot, this one is my favorite (Malick) as far as Cinematography goes.

Just as SPR has a heavy handed patriotism stigma attached to it, TTRL comes across very even handed. Malick shows war to be many things but doesn't seem to want to draw out any single thought from the viewer. Instead you are left with many feelings, "War is unjust, War is a waste, war is etc etc". Some possibly positive towards war as well.
Also, Jim Caviezel did a fantastic job as Prvt. Witt.
Fantastic film, that sadly, I think many people just do not get or have no patience to watch (but then again, who cares about THOSE type of movie watchers..hehe)

Re: The Thin Red Line vs Saving Private Ryan
 

Get it.....NOW! I went online to read all the BD professional reviews and so many have said it's the best Hi Def DVD they had ever seen. And I agree.

Re: The Thin Red Line vs Saving Private Ryan
 

I agree with every word you say here. Like yourself, I watch SPR for the first time in many many years when it came out on BD, and there is so much in it that I didn't like as much as I did the first time around. I like the film a great deal, but there are a few extremely corny scenes that made me cringe. That probably wouldn't have been in there with another director.

Re: The Thin Red Line vs Saving Private Ryan
 

TTRL is almost 80% on RT so I don't think it is underrated by critics or the people who actually saw the movies. As you can read most rave about it. It just never caught on with general audiences. Of course it didn't help that it got it's wide release in January.

And I need to pick up the Criterion.

Re: The Thin Red Line vs Saving Private Ryan
 

Definitely not. I can easily rewatch SPR. It's a struggle to get through TRL, although I do love the middle battle sequence, with some terrific exchanges between Koteas and Nolte. But Caviezel's poetic mumbo-jumbo voiceover is just as cringe inducing as it was 12+ years ago.

Re: The Thin Red Line vs Saving Private Ryan
 

TRL is the only war movie that i ever fell asleep watching

SPR started out good but the whole journey thing made it a bit too long to watch. it came out when i was in the army and the commanding general made the entire installation watch it because it gave him a hard on

Re: The Thin Red Line vs Saving Private Ryan
 

don't care for either
but TTRL's cinematograpy wins hands down

Re: The Thin Red Line vs Saving Private Ryan
 

A minor character, Pvt. Train (The panicked soldier who wants "To own a automobile") actually does the main narration for the movie. But I guess that shouldn't matter if the the VO is atrocious, regardless.

Re: The Thin Red Line vs Saving Private Ryan
 

Both films are great, but for pure blood lust I would watch SPR. TRL on the other hand has some of the best cinematography and easily the greatest musical score ever written. It's funny, but the more I watch Band of Brothers, the more I dislike SPR.

Re: The Thin Red Line vs Saving Private Ryan
 

I'd be interested in seeing how faithful the movie is to the book.
Is it as poetic as the movie or was that all Terrence Malick?

Personally, I think The Pacific miniseries communicates better the horror of war.

Re: The Thin Red Line vs Saving Private Ryan
 

definitely Saving Private Ryan is the BEST.

and also I saw The Thin Red Line once in about 10 years ago and I dont remember at all.

Re: The Thin Red Line vs Saving Private Ryan
 

Nope. I don't plan to revisit something that I thought was crap years ago and walked out of.

Re: The Thin Red Line vs Saving Private Ryan
 

Nah.