NEW ULM – The New Ulm Film Society will hold strong with a screening of “The Thin Red Line.”

The screening starts at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 8 at the New Ulm Library and is the final film in the America at War series.

“The Thin Red Line” is a 1998 film based on a 1962 film by James Jones. The story tells a fictional account of the Battle of Mount Austen during the Guadalcanal Campaign during World War II. The book was a follow up to Jones previous novel “From Here to Eternity” which was also adapted into an extremely popular film from 1953. “The Thin Red Line” had previously been adapted in 1964, but the story was not as well remembered.

The decision to adapt “The Thin Red Line” came as a surprise to many. The most surprising thing about the new adaption was its director, Terrance Malick.

“The Thin Red Line” was the first film directed by Malick in 20 years. Malick also wrote the screenplay, which he started working on in 1989. His script for the film strayed significantly from Jones’ novel but maintained much of the tone. However, once Malick began shooting the film the story veered off script and became something else.

“The Thin Red Line” has become infamous as a film that changed widely from script to final cut. During the early production of the film, Malick was able to attract several high profile actors to the project including George Clooney, John Cusack, Woody Harrelson, John Travolta, Mickey Rourke, Nick Nolte and a young Adrien Brody.

In the film, Brody plays Cpl. Geoffrey Fife. In the original script his character was intended to be the main character and the audience point of view. That was until Malick began filming the movie. During the actual filming Malick changed course and the film never really sticks to one particular character. If the film has a central character it’s Private Witt character played by Jim Caviezel, who gets most of the screen time.

The first cut of the film ran five hours long. When the movie was finally released in 1998, it was cut down to just under three hours. With significant cuts to the script, entire plot points and character arcs were left on the cutting room floor. Brody, who was once the main character, had his part cut down to a few minutes of screen time.

The results of the cuts led to an unusual war film. Film critic Roger Ebert described the movie as schizophrenic with no clear idea what it is about. At the same time Ebert said this made the movie fascinating.

“The Thin Red Line” was released the same year as “Saving Private Ryan,” another WWII film, but the approach of the two films is night and day. Unlike other war films, “The Thin Red Line” is not as focused on plot as it is the tone. What are the soldiers’ feelings as they prepare to lead an assault on a heavily guarded hill? What are they thinking about?

This unusual approach to making a war film led to significant praise from critics and earned “The Thin Red Line” a nomination for several Academy Awards including Best Director and Best Picture, but it failed to win a single Oscar. Malick actually lost the Best Director Oscar to Steven Spielberg who directed “Saving Private Ryan.” In the end, “The Thin Red Line” may have been too unconventional for the average film goer, but the movie stands out as a fascinating curiosity.

The New Ulm Film Society’s screening of “The Thin Red Line” is free to the public. Before and after the film, there will be a discussion about the film’s place in film history.