942 The Tree of Life

[Cde.]

This new film is described as a 'romantic drama' and a 'powerful and moving love story'. Those who've read the old The English Speaker script say that it's very intense and disturbing and have likened it to The Exorcist. I very much doubt they are the same project.

[solaris72]

There was a rumor a while ago that Malick wanted to adapt Gawain and the Green Knight. Anyone's guess of course, but that's one possibility.

[ellipsis7]

From Film Guardian by Xan Brooks...

Terrence Malick film tipped for Cannes
Terrence Malick's The Tree of Life could be on Palme d'Or shortlist, raising speculation that the reclusive director may attend Cannes in person

Cannes' red carpet could play host to the most reclusive figure in world cinema if Terrence Malick is confirmed as a contender for this year's Palme d'Or award. Speculation is growing that Malick's latest feature, The Tree of Life, will be selected for the competition at the 63rd Cannes film festival, raising the prospect of the director attending the May event in person.

Malick has shot just four features since making his debut with the acclaimed Badlands back in 1973, and makes a habit of refusing all interview requests. Contenders for the Cannes Palme d'Or are typically expected to attend the red-carpet premiere of their film, as well as fielding questions at a press conference following the screening.

True to form, plot details of Malick's latest work remain shrouded in secrecy. Sources suggest that The Tree of Life is an inter-generational rites-of-passage drama in the style of John Steinbeck's East of Eden. Brad Pitt takes the role of the father in the film's early sections, and the plot then jumps ahead to chart the experiences of his adult son, played by Sean Penn. The Tree of Life is due for an official theatrical release in November.

[MyNameCriterionForum]

Increasingly likely that the film is "in the Cannes"

[Cde.]

I won't believe it until I see it in the line-up on April 15th.

[MyNameCriterionForum]

I am Terrence Malick

[/url]It's this little tiny story of a kid growing up in the 50s with a mother who's grace incarnate and a father who's oppressive in nature. So he is negotiating his way through it, defining who he's gonna be when he grows up. And that is juxtaposed with a little, tiny micro-story of the cosmos, from the beginning of the cosmos to the death of the cosmos. So that's where the sci-fi – or the sci-fact – comes in.

[Cde.]

It's strange to finally see someone involved in the film explain it.

[Nothing]

Well, today is judgement day Can't see Malick ever attending a press conference, so let's hope it still makes the cut.

[accatone]

Croisette Twitter: "Malick is NOT ready…"

[MyNameCriterionForum]

*sigh*

[Oedipax]

Croisette Twitter: "Malick is NOT ready…"

That's our Malick! Maybe Venice?

[Nothing]

Hmm... Well, don't count it out yet. It can't be good for Malick's long term employability to drag his heels beyond a certain point, and that point must surely soon be reached...

[knives]

They do realize giving him an infinite amount of time means he will use an infinite amount of time.

[ivuernis]

It's Malick, I can wait.

[Finch]

The waiting is excruciating for me because the UK almost certainly won't get it this year now that the US release is in November.

[MyNameCriterionForum]

Over at Slashfilm, there's a few comments on an unrelated Vincent Gallo article (yeah, I know #-o ) regarding a screening that just took place in Austin:

It has already occurred. He screened it to an audience of about thirty, and it's literally 97% done. Our boss was able to see it, and called it the best film of his since "Badlands". Emmanuel Lubezki was in attendance, as was some vfx gurus (one of which was my boss).

Our house is referring to it as "Voyage of Time". I don't know if it will be a separate documentary. Terrence has made sure that we work on footage without knowing too much of the plot or reason behind it. It's always about a feeling or an emotion. He is definitely the most interesting director we've had the pleasure of working with, and probably the only who's interacted with the digital artists themselves. He has never settled for results less than immaculate, but is humble and patient about it.

[MoonlitKnight]

Our boss was able to see it, and called it the best film of his since "Badlands".

I think it'd be hard to top "Days of Heaven," but we'll see.

[Nothing]

Our boss was able to see it, and called it the best film of his since "Badlands".

I think it'd be hard to top "Days of Heaven," but we'll see.

The New World is the one to beat (or not), imho.

[MyNameCriterionForum]

Trumbull confirmed that he worked on a new Terrence Malick film, his first feature credit in 27 years.

The Malick project will be Trumbull's first feature credit since Brainstorm. Malick is working on two films, a long-awaited cosmic family drama starring Brad Pitt called Tree of Life, and an accompanying IMAX movie. Like most who work with the notoriously secretive director, Trumbull was reluctant to discuss the project. But he hinted at a retro style of visual effects: "Terry is a friend," Trumbull said. "He said to me, 'I don't like CG.' I said, 'Why not do it the old way? The way we did it in 2001?'" Trumbull said he also has two modestly priced sci-fi fantasy movies of his own in stages of development. And there is the 2001 documentary, made in partnership with author David Larson, who has spent years digging through the Kubrick Archive in London, unearthing artwork, photographs, and memos. The clips of the documentary Trumbull showed bring back the computer HAL as a character that takes viewers through the artifacts. But Trumbull, for reasons he declined to discuss, is pessimistic about the documentary ever making it to audiences.

[Cde.]

With the departure of its head Bob Berney, Apparition will likely collapse.
No one is saying anything, but I imagine this film is once again without a US distributor.

[Matt]

You think Apparition will collapse? If Pohlad, the money guy, had bailed, maybe yes. Berney did a good job, but there's also a glut of talented, unemployed indie distributor executives out there right now who could take up where he left off (after a short rough patch, no doubt).

[Cde.]

Apparition's stature as a distributor was entirely derived from Berney's past credentials. Without him, they'd be an entirely different company. Their previous releases have all performed below expectations, and they only have two more films to release. At this point, it makes more sense to sell them off and close up shop than to relaunch.

And it looks like Matt was right and I spoke too soon. Pohlad is talking to unemployed indie distributor executives to find a replacement and get Apparition running smoothly again.

The Playlist have posted a production still with Jessica Chastain that's very reminiscent of Miranda Otto's scenes in The Thin Red Line.

[MyNameCriterionForum]

Pop Matters has a very long summation of, basically, all information and speculation on the film as of now. Nothing new in the article, as far as I can tell; the author seems to have been keeping a close eye on the IMDB boards, as well as following this thread (and the many pics and links posted here and subsequently deleted).

There are what appear to be a few unattributed presumptions presented as fact, for example on Malick's work with Douglas Trumbull the author says:

The result is a retro-version of Trumbull’s best work combined with the unique artistic sensibility of Malick. By relying as much as possible on in-camera effects and super-soaking the film stock, the results were staggering.

...unless there was an error in quotes or punctuation, that seems to indicate the author or someone else has seen the collaborative footage, but it's not said by whom or when.

There is also reference to

cell phone snapshots captured images of a business-suited Sean Penn standing in the desert, or of crew members constructing a lone doorway in the desert

which I distinctly remember seeing myself, and which has troubled me since. Assuming the doorway was indeed for the film, I can imagine a few of its uses in the movie: Malick is very fond of empty or disabused houses (Thin Red Line especially has several, including the shot where the camera tilts up and out of the mother's room to the sky) and if the doorway is simply used as a sort-of-symbolic or metaphoric nudge, then that's fine. But what worries me is I also remember reading the suggestion that the doorway is one which Penn literally walks through to pass through time. Dear lord, please, no. That sounds incredibly clumsy and gimmicky, and I can only hope those reports were the silly thoughts of an uninformed fan.

[solaris72]

There is also reference to

cell phone snapshots captured images of a business-suited Sean Penn standing in the desert, or of crew members constructing a lone doorway in the desert

which I distinctly remember seeing myself, and which has troubled me since. Assuming the doorway was indeed for the film, I can imagine a few of its uses in the movie: Malick is very fond of empty or disabused houses (Thin Red Line especially has several, including the shot where the camera tilts up and out of the mother's room to the sky) and if the doorway is simply used as a sort-of-symbolic or metaphoric nudge, then that's fine. But what worries me is I also remember reading the suggestion that the doorway is one which Penn literally walks through to pass through time. Dear lord, please, no. That sounds incredibly clumsy and gimmicky, and I can only hope those reports were the silly thoughts of an uninformed fan.

Can we hold off on our critiques until we've actually seen at least two consecutive frames of footage?

[flyonthewall2983]

Trumbull confirmed that he worked on a new Terrence Malick film, his first feature credit in 27 years.

The Malick project will be Trumbull's first feature credit since Brainstorm. Malick is working on two films, a long-awaited cosmic family drama starring Brad Pitt called Tree of Life, and an accompanying IMAX movie. Like most who work with the notoriously secretive director, Trumbull was reluctant to discuss the project. But he hinted at a retro style of visual effects: "Terry is a friend," Trumbull said. "He said to me, 'I don't like CG.' I said, 'Why not do it the old way? The way we did it in 2001?'" Trumbull said he also has two modestly priced sci-fi fantasy movies of his own in stages of development. And there is the 2001 documentary, made in partnership with author David Larson, who has spent years digging through the Kubrick Archive in London, unearthing artwork, photographs, and memos. The clips of the documentary Trumbull showed bring back the computer HAL as a character that takes viewers through the artifacts. But Trumbull, for reasons he declined to discuss, is pessimistic about the documentary ever making it to audiences.

It's official. I HAVE to be in the theater for this one.