James jones fought in that battle, and the thin red line is his haunting portrait of men and war. Army private witt awol is found and imprisoned on a troop carrier by his company first sergeant, welsh. To those who actually read books andor know of 20th century us literature, the title the thin red line was already familiar as a. The thin red line, a 1986 album by glass tiger, or the title track. The thin red line is a threehour fictional account of the american assault on guadalcanal in 1942. The thin red line is a daringly philosophical world war ii film with an. The men of c company,1st battalion,27th infantry regiment,25th infantry division have been brought to. Discussion of themes and motifs in james jones the thin red line. Paul fussell said that it was perhaps the best american wwii novel, better than a walk in the sun and the naked and the dead. If i never meet you in this lifelet me feel the lacka glance from your eyesthen my life will be yours. Later in the day, i heard the lord speaking about america and how she had once been great and beautiful, but now she was playing the harlot.
With their hearts they would fight the final struggle between honor of truth and the glory of lies. Our most popular guides include quick quizzes, so you can test your retention before. The thin red line, a film by terrence malick based on joness novel. The thin red line is the greatest film i have ever seen. The book, first published in 1962, has come to be recognized as a classic war novel. The same main characters appear in from here to eternity 1951, the thin red line 1962, and whistle, though their names are changed. The house gate public education supreme court and battle for american mind paperback sat vocabulary sparknotes discussion for educators americanread more. Thorough summaries and insightful critical analyses of classic and contemporary literature.
The thin red line, a novel by james jones, narrates the experiences of the american sixtymember cforcharlie company during the guadalcanal campaign in the second world war this american. A seasoned soldier with 10 years service, wendson was a great athlete, the best shot in the company, and something of a legend in the regiment. Mark leggatt, author of the london cage a superb political as well as military thriller, the red line stitches an alltooplausible doomsday scenario. Reilly, sean penn and more in various supporting roles. How close it comes to james jones novel, on which it is based. Grant blackwood, new york times bestselling author of tom clancy duty and honor youre going to hold this book so tight youll leave thumbprints on the page. Nick nolte, jim caviezel, john travolta, ben chaplin, sean penn, woody harrelson, george clooney, john. The touch of a cluster of leaves revolved it slowly, tracing like the leg of transit, a thin red circle in the water. A seasoned soldier with 10 years service, wendson was a great athlete, the best shot in the company, and something of a. The units captain is too intelligent and sensitive for the job, his first sergeant is half mad, and. Jones closely based the thin red lines company commander, captain james stein, on blatt. The thin red line is american author james jones s fourth novel.
The thin red line is much shorter, but its still over 500 pages, and though there are tons of characters, almost all of them get enough page space to make a lasting impression. But blattalong with everything elseseemed to disgust first sergeant wendson. There has been great attrition among its members, the commanding captain has changed twice, the. The thin red line is the classic novel by james jones dealing with the horrific battle of guadalcanal fought in the pacific in 1942 between the united states and the imperial japanese army. The original text of classic works sidebyside with an easytounderstand translation. Joness experiences informed his epic novels from here to eternity and the thin red line. The thin red line, by james jones, is the fictional account of the trials endured by the men of charlie company during their first month on guadalcanal in the early days of wwii. Summary read a plot overview of the entire book or a chapter by chapter summary and analysis. The christian science monitor the thin red line moves so intensely and inexorably that it almost seems like the war it is describing. Derived just barely from james joness great but crude portrait of an infantry.
The thin red line the second book in the from here to eternity series. Terrence malick is the director of two of the best films i have ever seen. As with from here to eternity, which focused on a military base in hawaii immediately preceding the attack on pearl harbor, the writing in the thin red line is historically authentic, having been written. The thin red line is american author james joness fourth novel. No fear literature is available online and in book form at. The truth about war revealed in the film, the thin red line terrence malicks the thin red line 1998 is a film that examines the guadalcanal battle of world war ii, looking past the physical results of the violence, in order to uncover the deeper truths and ramifications of war. The actors in the thin red line are making one movie, and the. The soldiers of cforcharlie company are not cast from the heroic mold. Buchanan was a yale classmate of the 1925 novels narrator, nick carraway, who calls him, one of the most powerful ends that ever played football at new haven, a rich brute in riding. The units captain is too intelligent and sensitive for the job, his first sergeant is half mad, and the enlisted men begin the campaign gripped by cowardice. The plot was a bit creepy in the sense that i found myself checking the locks on the doors as i read late into the night.
Adrien brody appears as private fife, the major character of jones novel and the. In chapter four, he looks at the famous pentagon war game of 2000, in which an enemy red team and a heroic blue team engaged in a mockwar for control of the middle east. Adaptation of james jones autobiographical 1962 novel, focusing on the conflict at guadalcanal during the second world war. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. The truth about war revealed in the film, the thin red line essay 2140 words 9 pages. Essays and criticism on james jones the thin red line critical essays. Twenty years is a very long time, but as the thin red line proves, genuine talent and a true. The author served in the united states army s 27th infantry regiment, 25th infantry division. And, after boasting this way of my tolerance, i come to the admission that it has a limit. The first novel of the trilogy, from here to eternity, which won the national book award, was a controversial bestseller that was made into one of the best movies of 1953. The war histories of robert blakeney, john colborne, harry smith, george, james outram. It draws heavily on joness experiences at the battle of mount austen, the galloping horse, and the sea horse during world war iis guadalcanal campaign. There are three things to look for when you see the thin red line.
It really reads more like a viet nam precursor than like a novel of wwii. Writer paul maggioni examines james jones novel, the thin red line, and the. The best world war iii epic ive read since red storm rising. Autoplay when autoplay is enabled, a suggested video will automatically play next. Welsh sean penn, witt is forced to resume his active duty training for the battle of guadalcanal. The reader will indeed learn which gun is which and which rank is which. The thin red line, a film by andrew marton based on joness novel. The thin red line is very long, yes, but thats not even one of the films biggest. How it compares to the years other big world war ii movie. Jones closely based the thin red line s company commander, captain james stein, on blatt. Where platoon showed us what all of the nationalistic war films prior to apocalypse now wouldnt dare, the thin red line showed us what even platoon wasnt ready to.
The thin red line, a novel by james jones, narrates the experiences of the american sixtymember cforcharlie company during the guadalcanal campaign in the second world war. The red pony is a novella by john steinbeck that was first published in 1937. The thin red line was intended to be the second book of a planned trilogy, picking up with the amphibious landing and fight for guadalcanal. James jones examines the bloody guadalcanal campaign in his giant army story, after dissecting the hardcore army man in from here to eternity and bringing a world war ii veteran back to his midwestern home town beginning in some came running.
This american campaign against japan was a bloody affair, and the book reveals how the battles fought affected the members of the company. Put that way, its so simple but this may well be the most singular war film ever made. The thin red line, an 1881 painting of the battle by robert gibb. This minor character in the novel, a crazy sentimental kentuckian sharpshooter who longs for a chance to save the lives of his fellow soldiers, is reinvented as a serene emersonian.
It was not this way in the novel by james jones that inspired the screenplay. On every plant and tree thy cares are shown, nothing neglected, but thyself alone. The thin red line between fact and fiction historynet. If there is a central character in the thin red line, it is private witt jim caviezel, an enigmatic and charismatic presence, who marches to a different drummer, much like martin sheens kit in badlands. The author is james jones who wrote the book in 1962 based on his own. And jones clearly has a good sense of what motivates or demoralizes soldiers, and communicates it well. It was after we started with gatsby toward the house that the gardener saw wilsons body a little way off in the grass, and the holocaust was complete. His other works include some came running, the pistol, go to the widowmaker, the icecream headache and other stories, the merry month of may, a touch of danger, whistle, and to the end of the wara book of previously unpublished fiction. Conduct may be founded on the hard rock or the wet marshes but after a. Thin red line by jones, james and a great selection of related books.
The thin red line, a soundtrack album from the 1998 film. Thus 1945 was a great vintage, 1939 mediocre, 1918 good, 1914 dismal. In the second half of the book, gladwell explores some of the case studies of his theory of thinslicing. As it says in the article, jones took it from a kipling poem. Although it has all the realistic, gritty detailing that any novel recounting world war 2 guadalcanal should have, it is so much more. It did not help that the story line is about a serial rapistkiller who sneaks into womens homes at night when they are in bed and alone, which i was when i read this book.
Despite reports to the contrary, terrence malicks the thin red line isnt set on. In this new novel withoutahero, cforcharlie company itself is the protagonist draftee and professional soldier. It explored so deeply the psychology of war that even eric banas character in black hawk down 2001 and jake gyllenhaals character in jarhead 2005 fell somewhat flat in its wake. The gripping story of the rafs bloodiest raid on hitlers germany uk ed. Is the thin red line as good as or even better than the naked.