The Red Line: why the film was a very painful experience for Adrien Brody

Terrence Malick cut many scenes during the editing of “La Ligne rouge”, including those centered on Adrien Brody. Thinking of being the central character, the actor had a very bad experience of discovering the film.

The Red line : angels and devils of Guadalcanal

Twenty long years separate the sublime The Harvests of Heaven And The Red line, two tops of the too rare and very precious Terrence Malick. After questioning the notion of free will by focusing on a couple of killers in The Wild Strollthen on the frustrations linked to poverty and social ascent with The Harvests of Heaventhe filmmaker continues his spiritual journey with his war film.

Released in 1999, The Red line takes place in 1942, during the Battle of Guadalcanal. The feature film portrays several American soldiers. Among them, Lieutenant-Colonel Gordon Tall (Nick Nolte) does not hesitate to send his men to their deaths, which forces Captain James Staros (Elias Koteas) to refuse some of his orders. Pacifist soldier James Witt (Jim Caviezel) is reprimanded for having deserted by Sergeant Edward Welsh (Sean Penn), a completely resigned war hero who refuses the status that his brothers in arms attribute to him.

James Witt (Jim Caviezel) – The Red Line ©20th Century Studios

Different destinies embarked in the same hell, sharing their vision of death, duty, pain, sorrow and fear. Their voices follow one another in overwhelming monologues and end up forming only a “common soul”. Thanks to magnificent shots of abundant nature, or even an encounter between the soldier played by John C. Reilly and a Melanesian, the film reminds us above all that man belongs to the world, and not the other way around.

Several actors cut during editing

Ben Chaplin, Woody Harrelson, John Cusack, Jared Leto, John Travolta, George Clooney, Miranda Otto or Nick Stahl complete the phenomenal distribution of The Red line. Some of the actors like Adrien Brody see their screen time being minimal compared to their expectations. Others are cut completely in the edit, like Mickey Rourke, Bill Pullman and Lukas Haas.

The Red line
Edward Welsh (Sean Penn) – The Red Line ©20th Century Studios

In 2005, Mickey Rourke assures us that he considers having delivered one of his best performances in the feature film. The comedian states (via contactmusic.com):

It’s one of the best things I’ve ever done. I was cut from the film for political reasons. It really upset me. I was going through a really bad time and Terry knew that so he incorporated that into my character. It was working really well. But because of my relationship with the industry, my scenes were cut.

Bitter Adrien Brody

For Adrien Brody, it is also disillusionment. Until the moment of discovering the final result, the actor is convinced to be the central character. But at the editing table, Terrence Malick prefers the one played by Jim Caviezel. Before the consecration thanks to its interpretation in The pianistthe actor hopes to be able to make a place for himself in the industry thanks to The Red line and is very involved, which explains his deep disappointment.

The Red line
Geoffrey Fife (Adrien Brody) – The Red Line ©20th Century Studios

In 2001, Adrien Brody remembers (via IndieWire):

The pressure on this film was that I had to wear it with an all-star cast that I really admired, Nick Nolte and Sean Penn in particular. You may hear horrible stories about Sean Penn, that he can be a complete asshole if he doesn’t admire your work. (…) I was so focused and professional, I gave everything to receive nothing. (…) It was extremely unpleasant because I had already started promoting a film in which I was not really involved. Terry changed the whole concept of the film. I had never experienced anything like this…

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The Red Line: why the film was a very painful experience for Adrien Brody