Malick by Stuart Doty

Terrence Malick

by

Stuart Doty

            Terrence Malick is a director like no other. After directing the critically acclaimed Days of Heaven in 1985, he took a ten-year hiatus from the director’s chair, staying busy with other aspects of movie making such as writing screenplays and producing.  In 1995 he returned to the big seat to direct The Thin Red Line, a film based on the battles that took place in the pacific theater during World War II. The film earned him a nomination at the academy awards for best direction.  The latest film to be directed by Malick was The Tree of Life, in which Terrance Malick was also nominated for best director. 

            Malick’s style is purely cerebral. His shot selection within the edit often doesn’t follow a story arch. There is seldom a beginning middle and end; rather Malick focuses on a single idea or message that he tries to communicate throughout the film. To communicate this message, Malick transitions back and forth throughout the timeline, sifts in and out of dream and reality, and uses the mundane to champion the existential.

            In The Thin Red Line, Jim Caviezel plays Pvt. Witt. We see Pvt. Witt at the beginning of the film living AWOL amongst the natives of the pacific islands.  We see shots comprised of native kids diving into the clear blue waters of the oceans, the elders of the village working together in the daily chores, we also view Pvt. Witt as he teaches the kids how to walk on their hands. The innocence! Much later in the film, after a monologue of another solider reflecting about how he wishes he could return to his wife unchanged, we see Pvt. Witt walk through a similar village, only this time it is not the Shangri-La we remember.  This time we are shown native kids covered in bug bites as they futilely swat mosquitos away.  We are shown villagers nearly come to blows over a disagreement. Nothing is the same as what it was. This sequence demonstrates the changes War can have on the human soul.

            In The Tree of Life, Brad Pitt plays Mr. O’Brien, a father that instills life’s hard lessons on his children at a young age.  The film jumps from one passing moment to the next; events separated by years are shown back to back.  In one particular scene, the oldest child sits at the table during a family dinner; the serving tray is handed to him from his father. The boy struggles with the serving utensil as the food slides around on the plate. The boy, already nervous, contemplates whether it appropriate to use his fingers, aware that his on-looking father is judging his performance.  This very subtle scene communicates a shit load of information.  We feel the terror as we harken back to the days in which we ourselves “were meant to be seen and not heard.”

            These scenes are meant to communicate life’s deeper meanings. The story of the film almost plays second fiddle to this objective. When watching Malick, one must let go of the traditional story arch and embrace the freedom of the movie. Despite its lack of three-act structure, the movie’s characters usually experience something powerful enough to be felt by the viewer, these are the moments that make Malick’s films worth watching.

            

          Malick’s directorial style lends itself to a very specific style of editing. As it is been said that Malick often explores thought processes or ideas rather than story plot, his shots are edited in such a way to visualize that idea, often times this information disrupts the present scene or setting.  The shots that are montaged together form descriptive sentences that make up the idea of a larger poem. At the moment, a certain shot might seem incongruous to what is going on, though once viewed as a whole the composition makes perfect sense. 

  

            Malick is a visually driven director whose films often shoot for an idea or specific message, even at the expense of the narrative.  He is a welcome change to your average “cookie cutter” director.  For some this style of film may seem too abstract, though for those ready to see something new, Malick is a quintessential example to the power of communication through cinema. 

Citation:

1Hopwood, John C.. "Terrence Malick." IMDB. amazon, n.d. Web. 18 Mar 2012. <http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000517/bio>.

2. Rovi, Jason Ankeny. "Terence mailk Biography." Rotten Tomatoes. TMZ, n.d. Web. 19 Mar 2012 <http://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/terrence_malick/biography.php>.

Director Worksheet

Name: Terrence Malick

Year Born: 11/30/1943

Country of Origin: America

Background (education/upbringing): Terrence Malick grew up in Waco Texas. He attended Harvard University where he studied philosophy and eventually graduated cum laude. Malick began his professional career teaching philosophy at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, all while freelancing as a journalist writing for The New Yorker and various other magazines. Malick earned a Master in fine Arts. He gained momentum in the industry by revising scripts. It wasn’t until he wrote the script Deadhead Miles, which was deemed un-releasable, did he decide to direct his own scripts.

First Feature: Badlands

Most notable Films: Badlands, Days of Heavens, The Thin Red Line, The Tree of Life

Major Influences: So little is known about the director due to his reluctance to give interviews. He is known to be notoriously camera shy; though, I would venture to guess he is influenced from his background in philosophy.

Genre’s Explored: Love Triangle, Crime, War, Existentialism, and Existence

Stylistic Tendencies: Non-traditional story Arch, series of shots to evoke a certain emotion or idea.

Typical Content: Human Nature

Awards & accolades: Nominated for best Director for The Thin Red Line, and The Tree of Life

Long-term collaborators: Malick has worked with a core group of producers throughout his career; Billy Weber has worked with Malick as Editor on The Thin Red Line, and The Tree of Life.

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