What's this War in the Heart of Nature?

"What's this war in the heart of nature? Why does nature vie with itself, the land contend with the sea? ls there an avenging power in nature? Not one power, but two?"

- Private Witt (The Thin Red Line)

* * *

This opening line of questions frames the entire experience of 'The Thin Red Line' and makes me wonder if the movie is really about WWII or if it's much deeper and more meaningful than the story of American soldiers taking an island in the South Pacific.

Of course, these thoughts comes not only from watching the film but also reading through The Thin Red Line (Philosophers on Film). Between the two, I'm blown away that a movie has this much potential meaning packed into it. I say potential meaning because I'm taking away insights cast through the filter of a bunch of philosophers who had nothing to do with the film itself. They may be far off course from the original intent of the film. In fact, there's a good chance that the director didn't have much more in mind than making a movie about war. But whatever the case, this film has given an awful lot of philosophical and religious fodder to academics, and I'm enjoying the experience of borrowing the ideas of other people and wrestling with thoughts that are much bigger than my own.