Terrence Malick's The Tree of Life

[crocodile 8,012]

I like that The Master feels so... vague.

Karol

[Brónach 1,302]

I don't care. I want Voyage of Time.

[Koray Savas 2,251]

I like that The Master feels so... vague.

Karol

I just bought it on Blu so we'll see how it holds up for a second viewing.

[A24 4,333]

I still have to see The Master and it's one of my favorite directors! Of course, the reason why I haven't seen it yet is because I'm waiting for the blu-ray. I do think is awfully quiet around the film in Cineland ... almost as if people are somewhat disappointed. As if the film already is forgotten ... As if only the performances were any worthwhile ...

[crocodile 8,012]

It's a divisive film, that's for sure. And takes interesting risks, especially with its narrative. Visually quite beautiful as well, I must say. While his other films still feel very "American" this one leans more heavily towards European art house. I suppose for people used to things like Boogie Nights and Magnolia... well. that wouldn't be a recommendation for them. Even There Will Be Blood is much more mainstream than this. It's not a smooth sailing for a general viewer. I've watched it only once, so can't say how well it holds up. Failed or not, still interesting and worth a watch.

Karol

[Corellian2019 386]

So far, The Master remains my favorite film of the year

I just wish the Blu-ray's extras were more inclusive about the actual production of the film. But the deleted scenes were awesome

[Koray Savas 2,251]

Ooh, I didn't even bother to check if there were deleted scenes under special features. I also notice a 20 min score featurette. Nice.

Like Karol said, it's a visually striking film, I thought the performances and all the technical aspects were brilliant, but it was lacking in terms of plot. At the end I was ultimately unsure of what the movie was even about. This is coming from someone who sees a clear line in The Tree Of Life.

[crocodile 8,012]

I need to watch it again, that's one thing I'm sure about.

Karol

[Corellian2019 386]

I didn't see a score featurette, but the deleted scenes appear under the banner of Back Beyond

[filmmusic 1,829]

Wow you're right

http://www.slashfilm.com/terrence-malick-prepping-the-tree-of-life-directors-cut-voyage-of-time-coming-in-2014/

Guess I need to see the original now

Oh, great news!

I'm glad I didn't buy the Bluray too!

I hope a new Bluray will be released with both versions of the film!!

and I'm also looking forward to the Voyage of Time. (although I think I'd prefer if it didn't have any narration)

After seeing those images in Tree of Life, this is my most anticipated movie ever at this period..

[Brónach 1,302]

I woulnd't mind narration as long as it's coherent or necesary and not irrelevant.

Although I'm not sure if Voyage is actually happening...

[Koray Savas 2,251]

It's finished. Didn't you read the article Jay posted?

[Brónach 1,302]

Ah, no, I hadn't read it.

Great news. Hopefully it will showcase Malick's strengths. The Tree of Life didn't do it for me, but this might do the trick.

[Koray Savas 2,251]

How or when recut Tree of Life will be released remains to be seen, but while Malick fans wait for that they’ll be able to dig into Voyage of Time. Malick’s been working on the ambitious documentary for years, and Weber says it may finally be ready to land by next year. “Voyage of Time is supposed to come out, I think, 2014. It’s all planned, it’s got a release, it has a distributor — it’s IMAX, it’s a big IMAX film — I think it has a date and all of that,” he explained.

I'll be seeing it at the Air and Space Museum, they'll surely be playing it on their IMAX screens.

[Brónach 1,302]

I've never seen a feature film on a IMAX screen.

I think there are five here, two in Madrid, one in Barcelona, another in Majorca and another in Valencia. I was at the one in Valencia years ago and I saw a documentary about Shackleton.

Someday. It drives me mad that they can see films in IMAX screens and without dubbing in some privileged places of Europe...

[filmmusic 1,829]

How or when recut Tree of Life will be released remains to be seen, but while Malick fans wait for that they’ll be able to dig into Voyage of Time. Malick’s been working on the ambitious documentary for years, and Weber says it may finally be ready to land by next year. “Voyage of Time is supposed to come out, I think, 2014. It’s all planned, it’s got a release, it has a distributor — it’s IMAX, it’s a big IMAX film — I think it has a date and all of that,” he explained.

I'll be seeing it at the Air and Space Museum, they'll surely be playing it on their IMAX screens.

I haven't seen any film on IMAX either (like Chaac) (I'm not sure if we have here), but I don't think I'd like to.

Once I watched a film in the largest screen I had ever seen (it was Memoirs of a Geisha), and you had to turn your head every second to the left and to the right to see the whole picture..

So, size doesn't matter to me..

I prefer a smaller screen on which you have a visibility of the entire picture without having to move around your head..

[crocodile 8,012]

How do you know what it's like if you've never seen it?

I've never seen a feature film on a IMAX screen.

I think there are five here, two in Madrid, one in Barcelona, another in Majorca and another in Valencia. I was at the one in Valencia years ago and I saw a documentary about Shackleton.

Someday. It drives me mad that they can see films in IMAX screens and without dubbing in some privileged places of Europe...

The only film I watched in IMAX was The Dark Knight Rises. It made such an impression I had to see it one more time this way. I felt like a kid.

Tree of Life would be absolutely awesome in this format. It's been created for filmmakers like Malick in my opinion.

Karol

[filmmusic 1,829]

How do you know what it's like if you've never seen it?

well, didn't i mention how uncomfortable was with the large screen?

i assume the IMAX screen is even larger, so... even more uncomfortable for me..

edit: Oh, just found the specific screen i watched!

it's this:

http://www.villagecinemas.gr/include/popup_photo.asp?imgL=../media/Village_Cinemas/VMax/VMax2.jpg

A V-Max. (i understand this is a bit smaller than an IMAX)

[A24 4,333]

I only saw that first space thingy in IMAX. It was a long time ago so it must be dated to today's standards.

I never had a problem with huge screens. You sorta see the whole thing and yes, you can also turn your head to a specific corner, just like you would in real life.

[Dixon Hill 4,234]

I noticed a "guest" reading this thread and decided to check it out myself since it predates me.  In retrospect, my experience with this movie has been very satisfying.  Over the last few years it's quietly become indispensable to me, something I think about often, one of my most treasured films.  Malick, like a few other choice directors, comes from a very particular interior place, the same place that I seem to come from, and it's rapturous to see him put his skills into action in his singular way to serve his singular visions.  He is also, along with those same choice directors, a frequent cause of despair for me at how music on its own almost constantly fails to say the things one might want to say; in other words, he reminds me why film is the ultimate art.  I imagine Voyage of Time could be something of maybe unprecedented artistic pleasure for me. 

 

We don't have a Malick thread, so that's just some ramblings I've never had the right spot or impetus to share.

[Koray Savas 2,251]

He's my favorite living director. 

[Thor 7,504]

This is a great film, far superior to TO THE WONDER and KNIGHT OF CUPS, although the latter showed some promise again (who can resist Malick doing urban landscapes?). The music is a labyrinth of existing and new compositions, but it's surely something to explore. I tried to do that awhile back, in this article (in Norwegian):

 

http://montages.no/2011/09/tree-of-life-og-malicks-musikalske-montasjer/

[Not Mr. Big 4,639]

I'm usually not into "art-housey" films but I really love this one.  It affects me in an unexplained, almost primal way emotionally.  

[Dixon Hill 4,234]

Yes, as the best cinema always should.  And of course it isn't art housey.  The art house, in my mind anyway, wants to appear deep and profound but never has the goods to back it up.  Such films as succeed at that are never pretentious in order to cover up what they lack, because they don't lack it.  They're just genuine.

[KK 3,307]

This is indeed a wonderful film, that resonated with me more as time went by. I'd like to see it again soon.

 

Having said that, his last two films (To the Wonder and Knight of Cups) don't look too good.

[Dixon Hill 4,234]

To The Wonder must try the patience of even the most devout Malickian.

[Koray Savas 2,251]

It's easily his weakest film (haven't seen Knight Of Cups yet), but it's still superbly filmed. Didn't find the story that interesting, but I'd have to visit it again. 

[Not Mr. Big 4,639]

6 hours ago, TheGreyPilgrim said:

Yes, as the best cinema always should.  And of course it isn't art housey.  The art house, in my mind anyway, wants to appear deep and profound but never has the goods to back it up.  Such films as succeed at that are never pretentious in order to cover up what they lack, because they don't lack it.  They're just genuine.

Yeah, it feels more like a genuine expression of the director than something made to appease an academic standard 

[Koray Savas 2,251]

That's because it is! Malick is the audiovisual embodiment of a philosophical study of the human condition.

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

6 hours ago, Koray Savas said:

That's because it is! Malick is the audiovisual embodiment of a philosophical study of the human condition.

 

Sounds pretentious!

[BloodBoal 7,538]

Forget it, Stiff. It's NeoJWFAN.

[Dixon Hill 4,234]

And you are one of the most annoying relics of the past!

[BloodBoal 7,538]

That's not a very nice thing to say to Stiff.

[Dixon Hill 4,234]

Stiff is not a relic, he is the living embodiment of this place!

[BloodBoal 7,538]

The living embodiment of a philosophical study of film music?

[Dixon Hill 4,234]

A living machine?

[BloodBoal 7,538]

The Stefinator?

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

I AM JWFAN!

[KK 3,307]

"Knight of Cups" Composer Got His First Work with Terrence Malick Through a Want Ad

 

I guess for us composers out there...anything is possible!

[Dixon Hill 4,234]

Really like what he did for that film.

[Koray Savas 2,251]

I like Townshend a lot. He's also the only composer that's able to continuously keep Malick happy in the score department. 

[Will 2,215]

Watched this last night. I had really wanted to see it since I first heard about it several months ago, particularly because I've been thinking a lot about the types of philosophical questions this film ponders. 

 

As I suppose I kind of expected, it hit me a little cold. The cinematography is certainly beautiful (although often in a rather cliched way -- shots taken in the early evening around sunset get old eventually), and Malick does a much better job than most films of portraying genuine family life and interactions, rather than the Hollywood-ized stuff. But, like 2001, which I have watched once and likewise didn't really click with me, the film is really boring (my grandparents, who I persuaded to watch it with me, repeatedly made negative comments about it as it progressed, not without reason, although I had warned them that it wasn't a traditional film). I had to force myself to stay focused, and, indeed, I hyperfocused because only that could keep it interesting. The plot wasn't very engaging, so I had to focus on the lighting choices and such and keep trying to remind myself that some consider this one of the best films of all time. 

 

Afterward, I read an article on the meaning of the film, but somehow that didn't improve things much for me, since I didn't find this "meaning" very interesting. However, perhaps that article just wasn't very good. I'll try another one. And maybe watching this (and 2001) again would help me "understand" both better -- although somehow I doubt that, without additional enlightenment beforehand as to the "hidden meanings," I would really get much out of it, other than additional boredom. 

 

On the positive side, this film introduced me to some really great classical music. I was just listening to the "Funeral Canticle" on YouTube since I remembered it being really beautiful. I'll keep going through the list of pieces and I'm sure it will make more favorites for me. In the film itself, the music often worked beautifully, although, like in 2001, there are some places where the old-fashioned sound just doesn't quite seem to click with the modern picture, although this is arguable. 

[Disco Stu 15,495]

It's almost like you're Sean Penn, wandering the desert in search of meaning.  Come join us on the magical beach!

[DominicCobb 194]

Sounds weird but films like these almost need training to watch. What I mean is, if all you've seen is typical straightforward films all your life, then you jump into this, it's not going to make sense. Malick speaks in a different sort of visual language than most filmmakers. The more films you see with that kind of vernacular the more fluent you will be and the more prepared to decode the films' meanings.

[Will 2,215]

Yep, it's true that, other than 2001, I don't think I've watched any other films like this. I'm certainly no film student. 

[Disco Stu 15,495]

All the stuff about growing up in the 50s I find magical and hypnotizing.  The way it almost recreates how memories can feel.  And how the movie connects the enormity of space and time with our little meaningless mortal lives and emotions is mesmerizing.

 

Maybe Will isn't old enough to relate to such existential worries!

[Koray Savas 2,251]

Cinematography cliché?! You're a madman.

 

The Tree Of Life is one of my favorite films and my favorite Malick, but I would never suggest someone start his filmography with that. Watch Days Of Heaven; it's short, it has a traditional narrative, but it has Malick's visual prowess and storytelling devices on full display. But if you think sunset photography is cliché I'm not sure what to tell you, as the entire film was shot during twilight with natural light. 

[Thor 7,504]

6 hours ago, DominicCobb said:

Sounds weird but films like these almost need training to watch. What I mean is, if all you've seen is typical straightforward films all your life, then you jump into this, it's not going to make sense. Malick speaks in a different sort of visual language than most filmmakers. The more films you see with that kind of vernacular the more fluent you will be and the more prepared to decode the films' meanings.

 

Very true. If you go into this expecting a traditional film and/or if you're not accustomed to watching alternative filmmaking, it will no doubt leave you cold and bored.

 

Malick is all about sensations and audiovisual symbolism. I love TREE OF LIFE dearly. I even had a heated debate with one who DIDN'T on national radio a few years ago.

[Not Mr. Big 4,639]

6 hours ago, Koray Savas said:

Cinematography cliché?! You're a madman.

 

The Tree Of Life is one of my favorite films and my favorite Malick, but I would never suggest someone start his filmography with that. Watch Days Of Heaven; it's short, it has a traditional narrative, but it has Malick's visual prowess and storytelling devices on full display. But if you think sunset photography is cliché I'm not sure what to tell you, as the entire film was shot during twilight with natural light. 

I started Malick's filmography with Tree of Life and loved it.  One of my favorite films!  

[karelm 2,913]

Coincidentally, the guy who did the special effects for Tree of Life is the same guy who did the effects on 2001.  I love this movie and found it very beautiful and personal in the grandest scale imaginable.