Summary:
In 1943, during World War II, the United States takes their first offensive movie in the Pacific Theater on the island of Guadalcanal. The United States army battles to break the Japanese's last resistance and to seize control of the island. The men of Charlie Company suffer huge casualties as they travel up a hill that geographically highly benefits the Japanese because they have a bunk at the top of the hill, giving them a better position. Eventually, however, the U.S manages to seize the encampment and even take a few men as prisoners. As they return to the battlefront, another battle rises and more deaths come, but the men do eventually leave the island., only there are less of them.
Historical Analysis:
Upsides
The Thin Red Line, directed by Terrence Malick, has several positive and accurate depictions of what the war was like in the Pacific Theater. The sound and special effects helped make the film a much better portrayal of the war environment. During the film, the audience seems a scene where the captain is struggling to do what is right for his men, so he prays to God hoping he's doing what's best. This was very common because captains were put under so much pressure and they didn't want to hurt their own men by making the wrong calls. Also, there was a scene after a battle where there were birds flying above, ready to eat the dead men's flesh, which was a also a common occurrence. During the war, women would often get lonely and fine new men to fall in love with, so soldiers would receive "Dear John" letters, and the movie included a very realistic example of this.
Downsides
There are many inaccuracies within The Red Thin Line. One of the most significant is that, in the film, the nature of the Guadacanal is displayed to be almost like a paradise. The mountains are bright green and there are beautiful waterfalls and other scenery constantly shown. In reality though, the Guadacanal was the complete opposite. It was of annoying insects and dangerous animals and the temperature was constantly at an extreme high. The movie never even showed the soldiers breaking a sweat. In the film, the majority of the deaths were due too battles, but in that particular area, most of the deaths were caused by the poor living conditions rather than the through actual combat.
Conclusion
The Red Thin Line did not seem to have enough historical details or specific events provided, so it is hard to determine just how accurate the film is. However, the mistakes were merely to make the movie an easier watch, so they can be disregarded, and the film did do a job well done overall. As narrated in the film, "war turns noblemen into dogs; poisons the soul." This is, unfortunately, true.