Behind the Lines
Synopsis
In John B. Benitz’s documentary Behind the Lines, you might end up questioning whether history should just be written by historians. Based on Andrew Carroll’s New York Times best seller Letters of a Nation, Behind the Lines, and War Letters and inspired by a subsequent stage play, Benitz’s film tells the story of Carroll’s life mission to travel the world seeking out war letters. Over the past 25 years, he has preserved more than 200,000 correspondences from troops, veterans and their families, dating from the American Revolution to present day Ukraine. In Behind the Lines, we accompany Carroll on his continuing quest; one of fact finding but also tremendously emotional. This is captured evocatively when letters written by soldiers, some of whom having lost their lives only a day after having written them, are read by various actors such as Laura Dern and Gary Cole. The film is narrated by Annette Bening. – Adam Schartoff
Key Information & Fast Facts
- Director
- John Benitz
- Original Title
- Behind the Lines
- Country of Origin
- Germany, Poland, Ukraine, United States of America
- Spoken Languages
- English
- Runtime
- 1h 47m
Creative Leadership & Key Crew
John Benitz
Department Leadership Roster
John Benitz
Director
Production Stills & Gallery
Official cinematic photography and background stills for Behind the Lines.
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Frequently Asked Questions About Behind the Lines
Quick factual answers about cast, synopsis, director, box office, and release information.
What is Behind the Lines about?
In John B. Benitz’s documentary Behind the Lines, you might end up questioning whether history should just be written by historians. Based on Andrew Carroll’s New York Times best seller Letters of a Nation, Behind the Lines, and War Letters and inspired by a subsequent stage play, Benitz’s film tells the story of Carroll’s life mission to travel the world seeking out war letters. Over the past 25 years, he has preserved more than 200,000 correspondences from troops, veterans and their families, dating from the American Revolution to present day Ukraine. In Behind the Lines, we accompany Carroll on his continuing quest; one of fact finding but also tremendously emotional. This is captured evocatively when letters written by soldiers, some of whom having lost their lives only a day after having written them, are read by various actors such as Laura Dern and Gary Cole. The film is narrated by Annette Bening. – Adam Schartoff
Who directed Behind the Lines?
Behind the Lines was directed by John Benitz.
Who stars in Behind the Lines?
The principal cast of Behind the Lines includes Not specified.
When was Behind the Lines released and how long is it?
Behind the Lines was released in 2024 with a total runtime of 1h 47m.