Amazon.com
"When compared to the fact that he might very well be dead by this time tomorrow, whether he was courageous or not today was pointless, empty. When compared to the fact that he might be dead tomorrow, everything was pointless. Life was pointless. Whether he looked at a tree or not was pointless. It just didn't make any difference. It was pointless to the tree, it was pointless to every man in his outfit, pointless to everybody in the whole world. Who cared? It was not pointless only to him; and when he was dead, when he ceased to exist, it would be pointless to him too. More important: Not only would it
be pointless, it would
have been pointless, all along."
Such is the ultimate significance of war in The Thin Red Line (1962), James Jones's fictional account of the battle between American and Japanese troops on the island of Guadalcanal. The narrative shifts effortlessly among multiple viewpoints within C-for-Charlie Company, from commanding officer Capt. James Stein, his psychotic first sergeant Eddie Welsh, and the young privates they send into battle. The descriptions of combat conditions--and the mental states it induces--are unflinchingly realistic, including the dialog (in which a certain word Norman Mailer rendered as "fug" 15 years earlier in The Naked and the Dead appears properly spelled on numerous occasions). This is more than a classic of combat fiction; it is one of the most significant explorations of male identity in American literature, establishing Jones as a novelist of the caliber of Herman Melville and Stephen Crane.
Amazon.com Audiobook Review
An old Midwestern saying goes, "There's only a thin red line between the sane and the mad." War seems to stretch that line almost to the breaking point. James Jones's classic World War II novel recounts with brutal honesty the stories of the men of C-for-Charlie Company as they struggle to hold on to their honor, their sanity, and their lives on Guadalcanal. Actor Joe Mantegna turns in an able performance, his voice expressing a roller coaster of emotions (though his Welsh accent may require some patience). Whether or not you agree with Jones that war is the "most heroic of all human endeavors," this recording will move you. (Running time: 6 hours, 4 cassettes) --C.B. Delaney
Book Description
The World War II classic by the bestselling author of From Here to Eternity and Whistle, now a major motion picture from 20th Century Fox.
They are the men of C-for-Charlie Company--"Mad" 1st/Sgt. Eddie Welsh, S/Sgt. Don Doll, Pvt. John Bell, Capt. James Stein, Cpl. Fife, and dozens more just like them--infantrymen in "this man's army" who are about to land grim and white-faced on an atoll in the Pacific called Guadalcanal. This is their story, a shatteringly realistic walk into hell and back.
In the days ahead some will earn medals; others will do anything they can dream up to get evacuated before they land in a muddy grave. But they will all discover the thin red line that divides the sane from the mad--and the living from the dead--in this unforgettable portrait that captures for all time the total experience of men at war.
Download Description
Delta is proud to re-release "The Thin Red Line", soon to be a major motion picture. A classic war novel from the author of From Here to Eternity, it is the story of the men of C-for-Charlie company before, during, and after the Allied effort at Guadalcanal. Capturing for all time the total experience of men at war, it is a shatteringly realistic walk into hell and back.
Customer Reviews:
The Only Anti-war Novel Ever Written for Grown-ups.......2007-07-05
Nearly all anti-war novels are written at the intellectual level you find on display at college freshman rap sessions. "Gee, what would happen if they gave a war and no one showed up?" is the only message you'll get from Catch-22, Johnny Got His Gun and any others you can name. The Thin Red Line is the only anti-war novel with the intellectual and emotional heft that a serious thinker can enjoy.
The reason for this is that unlike other books that attempt to depict the horrors of war (which it does, by the way, better than any other novel I've read), James Jones understands the necessity and inevitability of war, even though he does not holdback from his readership the full horror of war. The result is a book like no other you'll read, one which brings you so closely to the cannon's mouth that you'll feel the humidity of the jungle, the sudden shift from calm to chaos, the friendships and the hatreds. Jones so captures the emotions of what it means to be a soldier, an American and a male that he is unparalled in American letters.
Not bad if you like War Stories.......2006-11-12
This is one of my first modern war books I read. It is about the invasion of Guadalcanal. But the story is so much more than the facts. The reader I think really gets to feel the blunt, ugly, horror of war. It would seem a soldier in WWII would feel the isolation and loneliness so far from home. Todays military features e-mail and access to information where ever you are. You have to wonder what kept many more of these soldiers from going insane. Sometimes I think the author could of developed his characters a little more, but the action in the book made for a lot of excitement.
Isolation of war.......2006-09-06
When I read the Thin Red Line, I was impressed by the imagery and character development, but I found myself searchign for the theme of the novel. There is no lead character, so I wasn't sure what point of view I was being asked to take. Most of the characters are unlikeable, secretive and selfish. But then I began to realize that this was the theme of the novel. It's about what war turns men into. All of these men in a normal time and place would enjoy friends and families, they'd have hobbies and ambitions and would feel love and kindness, but the war has robbed them of their capacity to care about anyone but themselves.
Most war stories are about the way that war brings men together, bonds them in ways that peacetime can never equal, but there is no bonding in The Thin Red Line. They're all on their own, selfishly scrabbling for survival. A few characters do show signs of humanity, but their kindness leads only to disgrace, death or tagedy.
As for the movie, All I can say is that I enjoyed the military scenes, but nothing in the movie holds a candle to the novel. Each character in the novel is so vivid and fascinating, but in the movie many of the actors don't seem to have any idea how to bring that character to life. Nick Nolte is awesome. He's exactly like the novel character. But Adrian Brody is nothing at all like Fife.
Mostly I was annoyed by how wimpy the movie was. There are scenes of horror in the book that are treated in the movie bloodlessly. It would have been better not to include those scenes at all. For instance, theres a long passage where an unlucky soldier is badly wounded in the field and is screaming bloody murder. In the movie his screams motivate compassion, and people die trying to help him. In the novel people are motivated by disgust at his screams. His screams are looked on as major annoyances, and he is credited with destroying the company's morale. So people die trying to shut him up. That was a raw and horrific scene in the novel, and would have been amazing if they'd done it properly in the movie.
Anyway, this is not an enjoyable novel, but it was definitely well written and not the same old thing. I've never read another war novel that's anything like it.
mission accomplished.......2006-04-14
James Jones draws the title of this book from the "thin red line between the sane and the mad." But the subtitle gives a clearer sense of the theme - "every man fights his own war."
On the surface, The Thin Red Line is strikingly similar to The Naked and the Dead. Each novel tell the stories of a group of inexperienced soldiers sent as cannonfodder to fight the Japanese on a lonely Pacific island.
But under the surface, the novels could not be more different. Norman Mailer's novel uses the war as a vehicle to preach a message about hypocricy and corruption at the core of American culture. The soldiers, not really human to start with, are manipulated and degraded by the military machine.
The soldiers in The Thin Red Line face the same experiences as Mailer's characters. But Jones' characters are realistically human. They display independent thought (rational or not) and realistic emotions (alternately strained and dampened by the extremity and exhaustion of battle). Canny or confused, each one strives to make sense of the war and of his own responses. The theme of the book is the diversity of those responses. The last line sums it up: "One day one of their number would write a book about all this, but none of them would believe it, because none of them would remember it that way."
Mailer gives us subhuman characters cast as soldiers; Jones helps us appreciate the humanity that survives even in the most degrading circumstances.
Although this is a novel about characters, it does not let the reader get sentimentally attached to them. I appreciated the measure of emotional distance because otherwise the (sometimes graphic) death, destruction, and mayhem would have been painful to read.
Excellent.......2006-03-24
A superb look into the psyche of the fighting man in the Battle for control of the Pacific Islands. Fast moving, page turning adventure.
Average customer rating:
- Cajun Proud
- My first and favorite Hoag book
- My favorite book by Hoag
- First book I've read by Tami Hoag
- Full of suspense; a complete pleasure to read
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A Thin Dark Line (Mysteries & Horror)
Tami Hoag
Manufacturer: Bantam
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Cry Wolf
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ASIN: 0553571885
Release Date: 1998-04-01 |
Amazon.com
Vigilantism can be swift and lethal, but it does not always carry the banner of justice. For Deputy Sheriff Annie Broussard, an attempt to honor the law traps her between the prime suspect in a vicious crime and her own colleagues on the force. And she's unsure which side, if either, is to be trusted. Set in the bayou country of Louisiana, A Thin Dark Line explores dark psychological territory while weaving through a complex plot rife with sordid characters and unlikely heroes. As the author of Night Sins and Guilty as Sin, Tami Hoag lives up to her reputation as a master of suspense.
Book Description
Terror stalks the streets of Bayou Breaux, Louisiana. A suspected murderer is free on a technicality, and the cop accused of planting evidence against him is ordered off the case. But Detective Nick Fourcade refuses to walk away. He's stepped over the line before. This case threatens to push him over the edge.
He's not the only one. Deputy Annie Broussard found the woman's mutilated body. She still hears the phantom echoes of dying screams. She wants justice. But pursuing the investigation will mean forming an alliance with a man she doesn't trust and making enemies of the men she works with. It will mean being drawn into the confidence of a killer. For Annie Broussard, finding justice will mean risking everything--including her life.
The search for the truth has begun--one that will lead down a twisted trail through the steamy bayous of Louisiana, and deep into the darkest reaches of the human heart....
Customer Reviews:
Cajun Proud.......2007-06-29
The story by itself is good. However the Cajun setting and dialog was overdone and not always accurate. I have lived in Acadiana for a very long time and I enjoy reading books set in this region. A Thin Dark Line is not one of them. I had to put the book down too often and take a deep breath and cool off before picking it up to read again. I am sure that Miss Hoag meant no disrepect to our culture, but I found her portrayal of south Louisiana offensive. It seemed like an imitation of a James Burke Dave Robichaux novel .
My first and favorite Hoag book.......2007-03-12
A Thin Dark Line keeps you glued to its pages. Wonderfully written to place you in the scene, this book evokes the taste and feel of the bayou. The plot twists are great and the characters really draw you in through skillful development. This was my first Hoag book and still a favorite.
My favorite book by Hoag.......2007-02-04
First, I want to say that for those who think this is a "follow up" to Cry Wolf and Lucky's Lady, well that's not quite right. Some of the characters from those books are mentioned in this one but A Thin Dark Line is not a follow up to either of those. I wanted to share that because Cry Wolf and Lucky's Lady were romance novels, not a suspense novel like A Thin Dark Line, and if readers who are viewing these reviews are mislead into thinking A Thin Dark Line is strictly romance, then they may not wish to read it. (Just wanted to clear that up.)
A Thin Dark Line was the very first book I read by Tami Hoag and remains my favorite to this day. I have read just about every book of hers unless it just was oozing and dripping entirely too much romance. A Thin Dark Line is a dark mystery and suspense tale that touches on base human nature, gritty human relations, murder, rape, a secret sociopathic criminal -who you won't know of until the very end!- and heady life in a small Louisiana town. The characters are intriguing, real and deep and they demand the reader's undivided attention. The atmosphere and dialect of the French Triangle is portrayed accurately and impressively throughout the pages. True to the very roots. Tami Hoag has always had the gift of profoundly placing her readers into the setting almost from the very first page. If you love stories set in the South, especially in Louisiana, you will love this book. Even if you aren't fond of Southern inspired literature, it's still a great and gripping read.
First book I've read by Tami Hoag.......2006-11-24
I thought it was pretty good. It certainly wasn't dull, although at nearly 600 pages it probably could have been cut down a bit. I enjoyed the book and will read more by Tami Hoag. My only complaint/concern or problem with the book was the heroine, Annie Broussard. What she went through, what grief she took from co-workers, and then the physical abuse her body took in the last 50 pages of the book....Well, she's a better man than...well, a better man than almost any man I could think of. Small and petite she may have been, but this was one tough lady both mentally and physically. We got a lot in this book about how tough Nick Fourcade was....Yeah right!...Annie puts him to shame. The point here is that I liked the book and the resolution came as a complete surprise. I think it's time to start another Tami Hoag book right now. Later.
Full of suspense; a complete pleasure to read.......2006-08-08
There's no dull moment for Nick and Annie in this one. I gave this one a 5 on my list, unfortunately that was before I started leaving my reviews on Amazon. I'm taking the time to share all my 5 star reads in hope you'll read them and enjoy them as much as I did.
Average customer rating:
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- Outstanding
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- Family Drama
- Women need all the support possible and there is help.....
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It's A Thin Line
Kimberia Lawson Roby
Manufacturer: Kensington
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
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ASIN: 1575666294 |
Book Description
When Kimberla Lawson Roby burst onto the literary scene, her fresh, wise, and witty voice grabbed the attention of readers and critics everywhere. Now, with three Blackboard bestsellers to her credit, including the #1 Casting the First Stone, she is back with her most absorbing work yet----IT'S A THIN LINE.
Sydney, Gina, and Rick are siblings who have always shared a special bond, and yet their lives are as different as can be. Responsible eldest sister Sydney has everything she's ever wanted-a sexy husband, an adorable daughter, and fulfilling work. But, little by little, the demands of her writing career have mounted, leaving her little time or energy for family life. Meanwhile proud middle sister Gina is struggling to raise her eight-year-old twins-and protect them from the increasing fury of their volatile father. Impulsive brother Rick, the baby of the family, is living the high life-dodging commitment with his longtime girlfriend and wondering if the grass is greener somewhere else.
When their beloved mother Delores suffers a debilitating stroke, all three suddenly find the tenuous threads of their individual lives at a breaking point. A dark childhood secret threatens Sydney's secure world; Gina is swept into a maelstrom of domestic violence; and Rick comes to a dramatic crossroads in his relationship with his girlfriend.
Worst of all, the burden of caring for a parent is tearing the siblings apart, shattering their faith in one another. Now, as Sydney, Gina, and Rick struggle to overcome daunting obstacles and rebuild their lives, they will discover something they've never let themselves believe: that their most stable-and most cherished-relationships have always been with each other.
Once again, Kimberla Lawson Roby has woven a compelling saga that could come only from a genuine storyteller. Alternating between moments of poignancy and humor; filled with complex and recognizable characters, IT'S A THIN LINE is sure to delight her faithful readers, and win countless new fans.
Customer Reviews:
Loved It.......2007-09-02
Kimberla Lawson Roby is a GREAT writer and once again has done a remarkable job of capturing some familiar and not so familiar scenes in the church.
Great read!
Outstanding.......2006-03-22
Here a book you can simply enjoy and relate to without all the sex scenes! I truly enjoyed it and she has done it again!
amazing.......2005-12-30
I loved this book. I'm in the process of debating should I ready it again. The only problem I had with the book is that I wish that the author profiled Rick more, he was my favorite character. I'm glad it worked out for him.
Family Drama.......2005-08-05
This story about a family dealing with an ill mother as well as their own issues was a great read. Kimberla's character's in my opinion did some strange things but I found those things interesting nonetheless.
Women need all the support possible and there is help............2004-07-15
This book was very good and very suspenseful. I have heard a lot of comments that people don't like these kind of stories.
But this happens to be the real issue of today. There are too
many women that are abused. We all need the family unit to be aware that all need to keep in touch with all problems that exist within relationships and marriages. Some of us are so afraid to let someone know there is a problem of abuse and that they need help. We must be patient and understanding to the needs of our moms, sisters, daughters and all women we know.
This story touched me and also made me aware of all the things that can happen when abuse is the issue. When lives are at stake we need to step up and assist where needed. Naturally we don't want anyone to be killed, but that is one thing that will happen if help is not there. The women of today should be aware of all the support groups, agencies etc. that are out there to assist with these types of issues. No woman or child should have to endure any type of abuse.
The thought to call 911 and keep them on the phone is what helped in this situation. And then the man's family always wants to put the blame on the woman.
This is another book that should be on Oprah's book club list.
This story also made me cry. Keep up the good work on these good novels to dedicate to all women and children.
Book Description
Jane Taylor is pregnant. Only, not in the conventional sense. It all began when Jane missed her period. Whether it was the clouds in the sky or a major case of pregnancy envy (this year's concern), Jane doesn't know. She only knows that she told her best male friend, and began to believe it. Until she got her period and realized she never was. Pregnant.
But that brief glimpse into the other world -- the world of smiling faces and courteous men -- was just too beautiful not to be a part of . . .and so Jane told a little white lie to her live-in boyfriend, and crossed the line. With the help of a pink Magic Marker she closed the gap that separated her from the positively perfect pregos.
Enter Jane's world, one of deception and success, Mr. Wrong and Mr. Right, Nutrition Police and tilted uteruses, baby showers and celebrity obstetricians. As Jane spins closer to her due date, she's got a lot of soul-searching to do -- not to mention an appointment with reality . . .
Customer Reviews:
with all due respect...........2007-09-25
This is one of the worst chick lit books that I've ever read. I mean, I expect "antics" in chick lit novels and I enjoy the genre....but *please*...the faking the pregnancy thing? So dumb. It's so obvious that Jane is going to mess up her work projects and "budding romance" - talk about the obvious. I had no sympathy for Jane and the entire plot was just...a waste of my time. The whole inventing of 'details' and 'faking' a growing stomach - er...this is entertaining or good reading? i don't think so. While I do think the plot is original - it isn't funny. In fact, I found it downright annoying.
I really expected to like this book..........2007-03-21
I'm an avid reader and usually really enjoy chick-lit as a fun, escapist read. I expected to really enjoy this book. I don't know if it is because I tried reading it while pregnant myself, but I just could not identify with this character. In fact, this is one of only two books I've ever just not been able to get through. I found the main character annoying, ridiculous and just plain shallow. I mean, if the author had found some really compelling reason for the main character to fake her pregnancy (which maybe she did, but not in the first 1/4 of the book), I might have liked her. But instead the main character just seemed shallow and I just couldn't root for her, or even continue reading about her. Too bad, the premise seemed like it could have made for a really fun and funny read.
What a Disappointment.......2007-01-25
Yet another one of those dime a dozen, 2nd rate chit lit books in which the heroine grates on my nerves through the very last page. I should've known better when the actual story begun on page 9 or the rather trivial quote that preceded the story.
It was hard to find any redeeming qualities in the novel. The story was implausible and unbearable- girl fakes pregnancy with dull boyfriend because "everyone else is having a baby" and she has a bad case of sibling rivalry. However, kudos to Jane for managing to keep up the charade without getting punched in the face for her stupidity, her blackmailing, or her lies. I guess it's supposed to be funny when someone fakes a pregnancy to force bf to propose so she can throw a wedding shower and a baby shower? The icing on the cake is when she steals a baby from a church steps and throws a party to showcase her arrival and come clean. Does someone have a bad case of the Me syndrome or what?
The cast of characters were as uninteresting as Jane herself- boring bf, "perfect" older sis, phony coworkers-friends,bland new love interest. It's no surprise she doesn't have any real friends except for the stereotypical gay bff name David (pronounced Duhveed) in which Jane learns to pronounce halfway through the novel. The author also gives a teaser for the sequel. I've read a few pages and it doesn't appear to get any better. Stealing a baby and trying to avoid child services is not funny or condonable.
If you read the book, just keep an open mind and try not to judge her too harshly (as I have done) and perhaps you will enjoy this little novel.
Kudos on Vertigo!!.......2007-01-13
I loved Vertigo!! It captures the reader right from the beginning. I never knew what was going to happen until the very last page. The characters were interesting.
I would have loved to like this.......2006-09-10
It all starts well for Jane Taylor. Period late, she sees a chance to snag her reluctant wet-rag boyfriend, Trevor. But then it all fall apart when she realizes the vacancy in her womb. Oops. But, heck, why not continue with the pregnancy? She'd get pregnant next month for real. A flawless plan.
Am I the only one who struggles with Janes motivations through out this book? Did the author do any research at all? This is not a believable book, not even by a stretch. Ponder this:
- Why, on this dear earth, would savvy Jane Taylor care to keep lackluster Trevor? Or get pregnant with him when he shows no interest in it whatsoever? Or marry him when he shows no interest in her whatsoever? So, either our author was grasping at motivational straws to make her story work, or Jane is the stupidest woman to have ever walked fictional chick-lit world.
- Why would David, her best friend (beautiful, gay, and loving of the wretched-- how ever so cliche) stand by her? And keep her secret? No one's friend is this nice.
- Fake a pregnancy in part to have people open doors and be nice to her? Oh come on!
- At the end of her 3rd month, Jane is looking for an out to her scheme, but would hate to come clean. Has our author ever heard of miscarriage? The fact that Jane did not take this very obvious out was the first big loss of credibility and enjoyability for me.
Jane is a sociopath with a chick-lit twist. That the author expected readers to connect with her in any way is astounding. So it speaks well to her ability that she's almost able to do that. There are moments were Jane is funny, charming even. But there's too much wrong with the plot for me not to have thought it a ultragalatic waste of time. The author frequently makes huge credibility errors (you cannot access a hospital nursery by giving the last name "Smith"- sorry- and a department store will not give you a fake preg suit- and if you steal a baby off a church stoop you will wind up in jail).
Worse of all, the author leaves us hanging. Jane has made a colossal mess of her life and she's in her ninth fake month. How is she going to dig out of this one? Her very professional and social existance hang in the balance. There's no way out of it for Jane. The author saw this and decided to take the easy road and just not resolve the issues. I suppose she realized she couldn't end the saga and make it sound at all realistic, so, hey, don't finish the story. The author should have known better to spin a fictional web she lacked the ability to control.
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The Thin Black Line
Hugh Holton
Manufacturer: St Martins Pr
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
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ASIN: 0312868200 |
Book Description
The Thin Red Line (1998) is only the third film directed by Terrence Malick, the maverick genius of American cinema, in his thirty-year career. Set during the savage World War II battle for Gaudalcanal, it boasts a stellar cast--including George Clooney, Nick Nolte, Sean Penn, and John Travolta--but otherwise goes entirely against the grain of conventional Hollywood filmmaking. Action, narrative, and patriotism are subordinated to cryptic interior monologues and exquisite images of animals and nature, a strategy found by many to be perplexing and disconcerting.
How to make sense of this extraordinary film? Michel Chion traces the film's connections to Malick's earlier work and links The Thin Red Line to the novel on which it is loosely based. More than that, he pays minute attention to the film itself--the images, sounds, faces, landscapes, and words that create a magnificent reflection on the beauty, inexplicability, and tragedy of our coexistence with each other and with the world.
Customer Reviews:
Plagued by fundamental problems.......2007-09-23
Terrence Malick's, 'The Thin Red Line' is one of my favorite films so I was excited to read Mr. Michel Chion's discussion of the film. I was pleasantly surprised to see Mr. Chion discuss elements of 'Thin Red Line' in relation to Malick's previous two films, 'Badlands' and 'Days of Heaven' as there are themes present in all three films. I also thought the author did a good job in discussing the distance between characters (whether it be in relation to the dialogue, or the way Mr. Malick chose to frame his shots) as well as man's distance between ourselves and nature.
My biggest problem with Mr. Chion's book has to do with the voice-overs (or monologues) that populate 'The Thin Red Line'. The monologues in the film are incredibly important, which Mr. Chion admits, indeed, he spends much of the book relating the monologues to what is, or is not, happening on-screen. He also attempts to penetrate the meaning of these statements as they relate to the 'bigger picture' (love, death, life etc.) However, Mr. Chion's problem is that he does not credit the monologue with the actual character who is speaking it.
I'm not sure if the mix-up is due to Mr. Chion being French and that perhaps he saw a dubbed version of the film, or was just unable to tell the accents apart, but the North American DVD release of the film, does tell the viewer (if the subtitles are turned on) who is speaking the monologues. As well, if you listen carefully, you can hear the subtle differences in voice between the characters of Private Witt (Jim Caviezal) and the speaker of the majority of the monologues, Private Edward Train (John Dee Smith).
Many of you may think, 'so what?' Does it matter who spoke the monologue/voice-over or does it matter what the monologue says? I agree, WHAT is said, is more important then WHO said it, generally. But Mr. Chion's discussion, indeed his thesis, is severely hampered by his mistake as to the monologues.
For example, Mr. Chion spends a great deal of time breaking down the ending of the film, and the final voice-over found at the conclusion (the one that contains the phrase 'look out at the things you made, all things shining.') He states that a disembodied Pvt. Witt makes the statement (an honest mistake perhaps, as both Witt and Train have deep southern accents) when in fact it is Train that makes the speech. Chion believes that Witt is the central character in the film and that we are, perhaps, trying to understand the relation between war and nature, through him. Dead at the end of the film, Witt can reflect back on what has happened.
The problem is that Train (the young soldier at the end who says something to the effect of, 'I've been through the think and thin of it...') makes the 'big' statement, changing the meaning of Witt (as Chion sees him) and introducing another character into the discussion (Pvt. Train). Again, because Chion spends so much time on Witt and the monologues, their importance is front and centre. But because he cannot tell the speakers apart, his view as to the meaning of the film is hampered (and dare I say, incorrect).
I value the attempt of Mr. Chion in this book, and in general, the other books in the BFI Modern Classics series, but the fundamental failure of the author to attribute the monologues to their owners, cripples this book's power.
J. Adams
Good book about a great film and filmmaker.......2005-07-18
This film is difficult to categorize and even harder to discuss in simple terms. Author Chion devotes a lot of space in this book to comparing each of Malick's three films to one another. Hard to tell if Chion is very insightful or just grabbing for straws sometimes.
Of note, Chion wrote this text in French and only later was it translated into English. It is significant because the same translation issue comes into play watching the film with French subtitles. Some of the characters' inner-monologues in the film have words and expressions that just aren't directly translatable into other languages. Chion, being bilingual, has the interesting perspective of experiencing the film in both languages and can make comparisons between the two, noting subtle and not-so-subtle differences in interpretations.
I believe that to get the most out of this book one should have seen the film multiple times. But if you are thinking of buying this book, chances are you have already seen the film mulitple times anyway.
And for good reason.
Recommended book, though a large percentage of seems to be more about Malick's body of work than this particular film.
Customer Reviews:
Excellent chronology of a complicated affair.......2006-06-20
In a nutshell the author has reviewed the voluminous data, (transcripts, interviews, personal logs and diaries, etc.) and has written a coherent and engaging book documenting an extremely convoluted and complicated foreign policy initiative, (actually several initiatives) during the Reagan presidency. Aid to the contras, weapons sold to Iran and the diversion of funds from those weapons sales are tracked from inception to implementation to the exposure of these "affairs". This includes all the high hopes and noble causes, the "zeal" of the Americans involved, the greed and corruption of the middlemen used for the transactions, and at times the sheer incompetence which led to the inevitable exposure of what was really happening behind the scenes. This last item being the crux of the book - the hijacking of US foreign policy in the Middle East and Central America by a handful of men, (at times overworked, completely over their heads and out of their league), outside of any purview, oversight or review by the White House, Cabinet or Congress. As for who knew what and when, from President Reagan on down, the author also does a very good job documenting this time line and each of the major players involved. (As an aside, Sec. of State Schultz's involvement, or really conscious lack thereof, was an eye opener for me.) As for the timeliness of re-visiting this affair 20 years later and any lessons to be learned, if any, .... All I know is I found this book both fascinating and a little scary.
Must read - even now!.......2006-06-18
The information contained in this book will keep your jaw dropping from page to page. If anyone is wondering why George W. Bush isn't being impeached, after reading this book, you'll know why. Why wasn't Reagan ipmeached? Or Bush Sr.? The abuse of power, the parsing and skirting of law has been going on since the early '80s. Nothing is new - even the people.
This is How Government Works.......2004-05-10
This great book tells how a group of rightwing White House ideologues hijacked foreign policy from the State Department and the Pentagon, with disastrous results: terrorists were empowered and America's image was left in tatters. It might sound like "A Very Thin Line" is about the Bush Administration and Iraq -- but it is actually about the Reagan Administration and Iran/Contra. Aided by the documentary record compiled during Congressional investigations and criminal prosecutions, Draper recreates this sordid and hilarious episode from the 1980s in painstaking detail. His book is smart and readable. Anyone who was surprised by the intelligence and policy failures in Iraq should read this book for a reminder of how Washington really works. (I'm a State Department official.)
Terrific book.......1999-08-22
I read this book in college and gave my copy to my history prof when I left school. If I had known how difficult it would be to try and get another copy, I might not have left it. (just kidding Proffessor Gill) This is perhaps the best book I have read since Shirer's Rise and Fall of the Third Reich as far as bringing a dense and complicated seiries of events together in an easily understandable, fascinating read. I followed the Iran-Contra "affair" very closely as it happened, and read many books on it before this; but only after reading this book did I feel as if I actually understood what went on. A keeper for anyone's non-fiction library.
Terrific synopsis of the facts known about Iran-Contra.......1997-06-13
This was an excellent book. It appeared to be meticulously researched. Mr. Draper took the amazing personalities of the Iran-Contra affair and made them very human, but with little or no loss of credibility concerning the story that he told - an unusual feat these days. His book delivered no smoking gun of any kind, but it certainly pointed the finger at the President and the Vice President who were clearly willing to go as close to breaking the law as they could in order to pursue a controversial policy. The stand-out person in the tale is Oliver North - a classic example of a man who, with apparent earnestness and conviction concerning his own mission, can become an arrogant dangerous player when given real or associated power. Given the reader's subsequent knowledge of North's rise to political prominence and wealth, reading this account of his actions is an even more satisfying experience
Average customer rating:
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The Thin Red Line
Manufacturer: Dell Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: 0739400584 |
Product Description
A gripping novel of World War II, now a spellbinding motion picture.
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