Terrence Malick
The Thin Red Line

I have seen another world. Sometimes I fear it was just a figment of my imagination.

Then you have seen something that I will never be able to see.

"Much inferior to "Saving Private Ryan," which understandably overshadowed it at the Oscars and especially at the box office." (Antonino, 18 years old, Syracuse)

The third film by Terrence Malick, after the grand debut of "Badlands" and the delicate "Days Of Heaven," arrived after a twenty-year break. It was soon followed by the mediocre "The New World," and filming for "Tree of Life," a project he had worked on for thirty years, should have concluded in 2008.

"I have seen many films in my life. I will see many more. I hope I never see such a lethal film again. An undefined orgy of roughly sketched and barely believable characters. A slow, boring, and confusing film. To quote Fantozzi: The Thin Red Line is an unbelievable cr*p." (Dr. Costa)

The kind Dr. Costa, whose opinion I encountered while seeking useful information on the web, probably refers to Adrian Brody, Nick Nolte, Sean Penn, John Travolta, George Clooney, John Cusack, Jared Leto, Woody Harrelson, and a handful of other big names who, upon learning that the philosopher-director was working again after two decades, pulled out all the stops to be part of the project at any cost.

"I put it on the same level as "Battleship Potemkin": a masterpiece for the mast-mental, the same Fantozzian-style comment" (Mario, 39 years old, Reggio Emilia)

The soldier captured halfway through the film says in his language: "You will die too."

The soldier who shoots at the end of the film says: "I don't want to kill you."

What does it mean today to be a pacifist? Is it possible to fight war with poetry? Is it possible to convey drama through compassion?

"You're left with no plot but with a myriad of phrases thought by characters, with no meaning whatsoever (yes, I know true pacifists would find meaning!.. they'd even find an invisible needle in an invisible haystack!). Pure hypocrisy.. forget about poetry..." (Aldo, 31 years old, Portescuro)

Do you ever feel lonely?
Only when I'm surrounded by people.

"Bleeeeh this film is a flop. The best war films are Saving Private Ryan. This movie is an incredible bore and the cast is wasted... the only one who stands out is Sean Penn." (Iole, 24 years old, Trapani)

Are you a righteous man? Kind? Does your hope reside in this? Are you loved? I also thought I was. Do you really believe that your suffering can be alleviated just because you loved kindness and truth?

"I don't accept that those who despise this film are said to understand nothing and are reality show gluttons. (...) This film is lost with long, slow, and boring excursions of the protagonist (which adds to the already exhilarating overall picture a constant funeral expression) and that's it. It seems to want to dispense philosophical musings of wisdom pills at all costs." (Maxim, 26 years old, Modena)

Where is that place where we lived together? Who were you with whom I lived? Brother, friend, darkness, light, conflict, and love. Are these the results of a single mind? The features of the same face? Oh, my soul, let it reside in you now, look through my eyes.

"Truly disgusting, portraying war as a backdrop in which improbable characters move, who would be better suited on the psychologist's couch... along with the director." (Mauro, 55 years old, Turin).

This terrible demon. Where does it come from? How has it taken root in the world? What seed, from what root did it sprout? Who is doing this? Who is killing us? Robbing us of life and light. Mocking us with the show of things we should know. Is our ruin the benefit of humanity? Is our death helping the grass grow? The sun to shine? Is this darkness that torments even within you? Every man searching for their salvation, every soul like coal burned by the fire.

"I bought the original videotape attracted by the amazing cast. Then, watching the movie, I realized I had wasted my money: I have never seen such a slow and boring movie. I gave the videotape to a friend who threw it back at me two days later. In the end, I found its ideal placement: the dumpster." (Dario, 31 years old, Este)

Why should I be afraid of dying? I belong to you: if I go first, I will wait for you there, on the other side of the dark waters. In this world, a man is worth nothing. And there is no world but this one.

"Is this film a masterpiece? To me, it seems like rubbish. It's an incredible drag and moves incredibly slowly... go watch movies like Saving Private Ryan... they deserve more. Goodbye (Ciccillo, 32 years old, Genoa)

"The Thin Red Line" is Terrence Malick's very free adaptation of James Jones's autobiographical volume, an account of the Guadalcanal conflict during World War II, but applicable to any type of war, and is one of the most beautiful films ever made.

We live in a world that destroys itself to the point of exploding, faster than all those striving to save it. What difference do you think one man can make amidst all this madness?

(The comments reported were selected from some forums and can be traced back on the web.)