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Flashbacks in The Thin Red Line


Miguel Roman

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I am writing my dissertation about the films of Terrence Malick and I am very interested in the flashbacks that appear in The Thin Red Line; particularly I would like to ask if anybody knows at what rate of frames per second were shot the flashbacks that appear at the moments 00:05:15, 01:17:09, 02:38:08 y 02:34:58. The action on those flashbacks is slower than the usual 24fps but I would like to know the exact speed.

John Toll was the cinematographer and there is an article in American Cinematographer (February 1999) about his work in the movie, but they don't mention this information on it. So far I haven't been able to find out about it, so any help will be appreciated!

Thanks!

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They look variable to me.  In the first segment you mentioned, even though the old woman and child are moving very slowly, I suspect that was coached.  The movement of the birds at 1.25X speed appears normal.  Of course, when the shot cuts to the pendulum on the clock, that is clearly moving at normal frame rate.  The woman walking in the water and the children swimming under the water both appear to be shot at 48fps.

Which version of the film are you watching?  I'm not seeing a flashback sequence at 02:38:08.

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Hi, thanks for your comments! I apologise, the flashback is not at 02:38:08 but at 02:08:38, with the character of Marty in the swing. To me, the slow motion also appears to have been shot at 48 fps, but since I can not confirm that, I was hoping to find a legitimate source for this info.

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