The film's title comes from James Jones's novel and, in turn, from an old saying. In the movie, Captain Stone, played by Ray Daley, says, "I remember an old Midwest saying, 'There's only a thin red line between the sane and the mad.' "
The original 'Thin Red Line' refers to the routing of a Russian cavalry charge by the Sutherland Highlanders 93rd (Highland) Regiment during the Battle of Balaklava on 25 October 1854, during the Crimean War.
The original 'Thin Red Line' refers to the routing of a Russian cavalry charge by the Sutherland Highlanders 93rd (Highland) Regiment during the Battle of Balaklava on 25 October 1854, during the Crimean War.
This movie takes place at the Battle of Guadalcanal. Guadalcanal is situated in the Solomon Islands in the Pacific Ocean, north-east of Australia. Its local name is Isatabu with a capital city named Honiara. The climate is humid and the island comprised mostly of jungle terrain with a surface area of 2,510 square miles (6,500-km²). Guadalcanal was named after Pedro de Ortega's home town Guadalcanal in Andalusia, Spain. De Ortega worked under Álvaro de Mendaña who charted the island in 1568.