Nietzsche and Thin Red Line.
“Birth Of The Tragedy” is Frederick Nietzsche’s aesthetic work where he explains his view on dualistic ancestry of art. “The Thin Red Line” is ultimately a Nietzschean tragedy. Malick balances Apollonian and Dionysian in his film, tragedy appears.
Nietzsche believed, as a classical studies scholar, that Ancient Greeks found antitoxin (based on pessimism and nihilism) from meaninglessness of reality in their art. He sees constant tension between two origins of art (or types of aesthetic experience) that he calls Apollonian and Dionysian. Life, according to Nietzsche, is a constant fight between this two; each of them tries to take over person’s soul.
Apollonian origin, according to Nietzsche, is connoting order, harmony, structure, and calm articism. It is giving birth to plastic arts such as architecture, sculpture and painting.
Dionysian origin is chaos, oblivion, ecstatic intoxication, and identity dissolving, giving birth to non-plastic art, primarily music. Its origin takes place in nature, wilderness. “Where then must tragedy have come from? Perhaps out of joy, out of power, out of overflowing health, out of overwhelming fullness?” asks Nietzsche. He views Dionysian as madness that gives rise to tragic as well as comic art.
Both origins stand up against each other, as artificial stands against nature. Nevertheless, both origins are inseparable from each other, they always act together. According to Nietzsche, they always confront with each other in the artist and appear together in any piece of art.
Nietzsche argues that the Ancient Greece had no higher art form than tragedy, due its mixture of Apollonian and Dionysian elements into an inseparable art piece. Chorus to be found a constellation of entire character of Dionysian, while the Apollonian element was found in the dialogue that gives concrete symbolism that balanced the Dionysian revelry. That way the Apollonian spirit was able to give form to the abstract Dionysian.
“The Thin Red Line” is a real Nietzschean tragedy, because of its Apollonian and Dionysian that merge together. The most recognizable scenes are always accompaniment with this mixture. Some scenes are more Apollonian than Dionysian and conversely, however they always complement one another in one scene. Dialogues, background music (sometimes monologue), edition and uninterrupted contrast of nature and military show us consternation of the two origins.
The very first scene depicts an alligator entering the water. The animal represents power and the chaos of nature. Witt, in his turn, balances the scene out with his monologue. He says, “What is this war in a heart of nature?” `With this question arises a paradox: could Apollonian war be more chaotic than Dionysian nature? Or this change within the scene take Dionysian to another level, a level of warfare, with its fear and mostly unorganized action.
Another scene that represents balance of Apollonian and Dionysian is the Japanese camp scene, in the beginning it is very Dionysian, the camera moves randomly – from face to face, sometimes bumping into random objects, transfusing the agony of the battle. The calm non-dialectic music makes the scene especially grotesque, the Chorus accomplishing its mission. Witt appears and brings order, with his empathy and monologue, diluting the scene with the Apollonian. He says, "We were a family. How'd it break up and come apart, so that now we're turned against each other? Each standing in the other's light. How'd we lose that good that was given us? Let it slip away. Scattered it, careless. What's keeping us from reaching out, touching the glory?" He gives a viewer an opportunity to analyze, whether this war is right or wrong.
Malik is a genius director, the camera moves with him. There is way more to this movie than just actors’ play and set-up, the greatest edition, music and shots making the whole picture a perfect Nietzsche tragedy.
