The Thin Red Line - Joe Pascale

I had wanted to see this movie for a while now, but had never got around to watching it. It didnt disappoint, I really did enjoy it. The cinematography was excellent. I did not know that the director of The Thin Red Line also did The New World until Dr. Redick mentioned it in class, but after seeing the film it was obvious. One of the topics for discussion for this movie is the sublime. The sublime manifest itself through awe and terror. Both are extreme emotions. The film was able to produce awe, in my opinion, through the scenery and grand cinematography. The terror was achieved through the horrors of war. I have never been in a war and I wont pretend to know what those terrors are like to experience, but considering the strong emotions that the viewer experiences just by watching the film, I know that the soldiers experienced true terror. The visuals were not just eye-candy for the film. They had a deeper, more poetic purpose. I especially liked how when Witt was shown in the village, he stared into the forest canopy and was mesmerized by the awesomeness of it. The director then places the viewer in Witts place. The camera slowly drifts across the scenery and wilderness. The movement, interactions with sunlight, and allowing the camera to linger longer than most movies allow gives the scene a real sense of power. If the viewer is open-minded and relaxes, he will be able to achieve that level of awe despite not actually being in the natural setting. This is why the sublime aspect of the film is so effective.