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Message
re: The Thin Red Line vs Saving Private Ryan
Posted on 8/22/25 at 10:39 am to DavidTheGnome
Posted on 8/22/25 at 10:39 am to DavidTheGnome
I would recommend the book The Thin Red Line to anyone who liked the movie and also to anyone who didn't.
It's totally different in tone, visceral and focused instead of the way the movie goes kind of dreamlike at times. And the violence is more intense.
It's totally different in tone, visceral and focused instead of the way the movie goes kind of dreamlike at times. And the violence is more intense.
0
Posted on 8/22/25 at 11:29 am to DavidTheGnome
I've tried multiple times to like Thin Red Line. Impossible. Its a terrible movie.
Posted on 8/22/25 at 11:48 am to DavidTheGnome
quote:
SPR felt like just another Spielberg film
Posted on 8/22/25 at 11:49 am to Tangineck
quote:
The Thin Red Line is an absolute masterpiece, easily my favorite war movie of all time.
yeah, probably same here.
Posted on 8/22/25 at 11:51 am to Tangineck
quote:Haven't seen TTRL but interesting that both films had so many cameos. Loved seeing Danson, Giamatti, and Farina in SPR.
I wholeheartedly agree with this even though it is my favorite. The Clooney and Travolta casting for what ended as minor roles added zero value to the film.
Posted on 8/22/25 at 11:56 am to DavidTheGnome
one created a hollywood fake story but that opening sequence in Saving Private Ryan was well done, people literally walking out the theater in silence
Thin Red Line was more of a true war story being told
Thin Red Line was more of a true war story being told
Posted on 8/22/25 at 11:56 am to DavidTheGnome
A lot of the plot for Saving Private Ryan came from this book published by the LSU Press:
LSU Press books were also used for Band of Brothers. This one readily comes to mind:
LSU Press books were also used for Band of Brothers. This one readily comes to mind:
Posted on 8/22/25 at 12:01 pm to DavidTheGnome
I never did watch The Thin Red Line and watching some of malick’s other films later in life made me not want to. Is it akin to Tree of Life and some of his others with a bunch of narration and extremely slow pacing?
Tree of Life and The New World were both 2 hour movies that felt like 4 for me
Tree of Life and The New World were both 2 hour movies that felt like 4 for me
Posted on 8/22/25 at 12:17 pm to Tangineck
quote:
The movie would have been much better to ignore the typical need for an invented storyline and focus solely on the horror of the war and its effects on the Tom Hanks character.
What was the "invented story line"? The Niland Brothers, the Borgstrom Brothers, the Sullivan Brothers, all led to the "Sole Survivor Policy" adopted in 1948.
Niland Brothers:
Preston Thomas Niland - Killed in Normandy - June 7, 1944
Robert Niland - Killed in Normandy June 6, 1944 holding off a German advance
Edward Niland - Captured in Burma May 16, 1944 and presumed dead until the POW camp was liberated in May 1945.
Frederick Niland - 501st Parachute Infantry (actually friends with Muck and Malarkey from Easy Company 506). 9 days after D-Day, they found him, told him his brothers were dead and shipped him off to England and back to America from there. James Ryan is loosely based on him.
Borgstrom Brothers:
LeRoy Borgstrom - Killed in Italy June 22, 1944
Clyde Borgstrom - Killed in Guadacanal March 17, 1944
Rolon Borgstrom - Killed in Yaxham England August 8, 1944
Rulaon Borgstrom (Rolon's Twin) - Killed in France August 25, 1944
All 4 brothers died within 6 months of each other...the twins died 17 days apart.
Boyd Borgstrom was transferred home and released from military service after his brothers died...the youngest, Eldon, was not enlistment age yet, was exempted from military service.
Sullivan Brothers:
5 brothers: George, Frank, Joe, Matt and Al Sullivan all served on the USS Juneau, and all died when it was sunk in the Battle of Guadalcanal, November 13, 1942. Their deaths also contributed to the War Department adopting the "Sole Survivor Policy".
Rogers Brothers:
3 brothers: Edward, Jack and Charles all served on the USS New Orleans, and were killed during the Battle of Tassafaronga, November 30, 1942, just over 2 weeks after the Sullivan Brothers were all killed on the Jueau.
So, while the story is "loosely based on these stories", I wouldn't call it an "Invented Storyline"...at least no more than any storyline is invented. I had heard about the Sullivans as a kid because of all 5 dying together was tragic...and I heard about the Rogers Brothers because they were from nearby Chattanooga.
Posted on 8/22/25 at 12:20 pm to DavidTheGnome
From a music perspective: Thin Red Line ALL day
From an impact perspective: SPR ALL day
From an impact perspective: SPR ALL day
Posted on 8/22/25 at 12:48 pm to DavidTheGnome
Every Spielberg movie is too cloy by half. He's like Paul McCarney without John Lennon.
Posted on 8/22/25 at 1:14 pm to madmaxvol
quote:
, I wouldn't call it an "Invented Storyline".
The town, the battle, and the "search" were all invented for the movie. All were completely fictional.
Posted on 8/22/25 at 1:25 pm to HueyLongJr
quote:
Every Spielberg movie is too cloy by half. He's like Paul McCarney without John Lennon.
You have a point. After the Beatles broke up, McCartney only had 9 songs hit #1, and only 7 albums hit #1.
Spielberg has only had 27 movies break $100 Million in sales worldwide, and only one move to gross more than a Billion dollars. When you look at the highest grossing movies of all time, Spielberg's biggest hit only comes in at #49. Sure, movies like Schindler's List, ET or Raiders of the Lost Ark are fine...but could they really hold up against incredible blockbusters like Avatar, Avengers: Endgame and Avatar: The Way of Water (the top 3 grossing movies of all time).
I wish I knew what font to use to denote sarcasm.
Posted on 8/22/25 at 2:09 pm to Ice Cold
quote:
Ice Cold
I don’t mean it as a bad thing, Spielberg made some great movies. But TTRL was something totally different
Posted on 8/22/25 at 2:42 pm to DavidTheGnome
TTRL is Malick jacking himself off
I didn’t care a single bit about any character. Caviezal floating in the water and staring at the canopy of the jungle just doesn’t do it for me
For those giving SPR grief for its fictionalized version, TTRL is a fictionalized version as well.
I didn’t care a single bit about any character. Caviezal floating in the water and staring at the canopy of the jungle just doesn’t do it for me
For those giving SPR grief for its fictionalized version, TTRL is a fictionalized version as well.
Posted on 8/22/25 at 2:45 pm to Tangineck
quote:
, I wouldn't call it an "Invented Storyline".
quote:
The town, the battle, and the "search" were all invented for the movie. All were completely fictional.
Yes, it was Historical Fiction.
Posted on 8/22/25 at 2:45 pm to Frac the world
quote:
For those giving SPR grief for its fictionalized version
I don’t know why anyone would give half a shite about a war movie being fictional. It’s a great movie.
I have never seen TTRL. I’ll have to put it on my list.
Posted on 8/22/25 at 3:35 pm to madmaxvol
Here's how you do sarcasm
Because ticket sales are always the mark of great art.
Because ticket sales are always the mark of great art. 
Posted on 8/22/25 at 7:30 pm to DavidTheGnome
quote:
I enjoyed The Thin Red Line more
TTRL is a better movie to me. One reason, it doesn't have Tom "Overrated" Hanks in it. Another reason, its just a better movie & better acted. Jim Caviezel's performance is one of my favorites.
Posted on 8/22/25 at 9:52 pm to DavidTheGnome
I walked into the Thin Red Line movie late, not seeing the opening credits.
I sat there for a while watching the opening island scene and got up and left because I thought I was in the wrong theater, no lie.
It was okay, not great, not bad but did not hold a candle to the hype it was getting and could not ever match Saving Private Ryan.
JMO
I sat there for a while watching the opening island scene and got up and left because I thought I was in the wrong theater, no lie.
It was okay, not great, not bad but did not hold a candle to the hype it was getting and could not ever match Saving Private Ryan.
JMO
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