Tree of Life
A Summit Entertainment page focusing on new films is running a still from Terrence Malick‘s The Tree Of Life, which is currently shooting. Malick is directing from his own script. The stars are Brad Pitt, Sean Penn and Jessica Chastain. The producers are William Pohlad, Sarah Green, Brad Pitt, Dede Gardner and Grant Hill.
“Our picture is a cosmic epic, a hymn to life,” the copy begins.
“We trace the evolution of an eleven-year-old boy in the Midwest, Jack, one of three brothers. At first all seems marvelous to the child. He sees as his mother does, with the eyes of his soul. She represents the way of love and mercy, where the father (Pitt) tries to teach his son the world’s way, of putting oneself first. Each parent contends for his allegiance, and Jack must reconcile their claims. The picture darkens as he has his first glimpses of sickness, suffering and death. The world, once a thing of glory, becomes a labyrinth.
“Framing this story is that of adult Jack (Penn), a lost soul in a modern world, seeking to discover amid the changing scenes of time that which does not change: the eternal scheme of which we are a part. When he sees all that has gone into our world’s preparation, each thing appears a miracle — precious, incomparable. Jack, with his new understanding, is able to forgive his father and take his first steps on the path of life.
“The story ends in hope, acknowledging the beauty and joy in all things, in the everyday and above all in the family — our first school — the only place that most of us learn the truth about the world and ourselves, or discover life’s single most important lesson, of unselfish love.
Here’s a 1.28.09 Bay City Tribune article about some recent shooting in the vicinity.
I was literally under the impression that this was about a magical, time-traveling tree.
I thought Pitt had this silly haircut for Inglorius Bastards. Is it same haircut for both, but add mustache for IB?
Cannot wait for this. Rumor is either James Newton Howard or Alexander Desplat is scoring. It sure as hell won’t be James Horner.
I’m sorry to sound cynical, but this sounds like a huge “crock” to me. I used to love Terrence Malick but he seems to have lost his way as a filmmaker. The New World was beautiful to look at as was Thin Red Line and I thought some parts brilliant, but overall there was far too much straining at being poetical or emotionally profound. The films that truly succeed at these things never enter the realm of the pretentious but rather maintain the beauty and simplicity of understatement.
Pitt’s mustache is for Inglourious Basterds. He shot this movie already, but as we all know, Malick likes to take his time with the editing process. Hopefully Pitt will still be in the film by the time Malick is done with it.
I’m glad to see Pitt’s run of working with the best filmmakers continues. It’s going to make him a legend by the end.
This is the one film I want to see most in 2009. Hands down. Not even close. Mann and Scorsese both take a back seat to Malick.
Malick is the poet of cinema and I also look forward to his films above all other directors.
I look forward to this, a lot. But, I am looking forward to TODD SOLONDZ’S new film more.
“The New World was beautiful to look at as was Thin Red Line and I thought some parts brilliant, but overall there was far too much straining at being poetical or emotionally profound. The films that truly succeed at these things never enter the realm of the pretentious but rather maintain the beauty and simplicity of understatement.”
Care to give an example of the successful ones?
Malick’s last two films aren’t straining to be poetic or profound, they are poetic and profound. And they sure don’t come off as overstated to me.
So he left one epic project about a mystical tree only to star in TREE OF LIFE?
austin111 – glad to see I’m not the only one who finds the critical response to Malick’s recent work to have just a wee bit too much sacred cow/the emperor has no clothes to it.
New World was a massive misfire for me, but Malick earned so much respect for Days of Heaven and Badlands and the incredible bits of Thin Red Line that this goes on the top of my anticipation list. That so many good filmmakers such as Andrew Dominick rip-off Malick and fail so horribly doing so is a testament to the immense high-wire act his brand of cinema involves. He might have another classic in him, or one last debacle but either way very glad he’s stepping up to the plate again.
‘Days of Heaven’ and ‘The New World’ were brilliant — I can’t say the same about ‘Badlands’, it didn’t really work for me at all.
Yes, I believe that New World in particular was straining far too hard to be profound and poetic. It grew tiresome for me after only 45 minutes or so, and I did love Badlands and Days of Heaven. Too repetitive and parts were even a little dopey. The scenery and sets were fine and all was beautifully photographed but something just didn’t quite jell. I liked Thin Red Line better but it wasn’t all it could have been either. Part of the problem seems to be that Malick has forgotten how to really tell a story without letting the “poetry” get in the way. He didn’t have that problem in earlier work. I’m sure Tree of Life will have something beautiful going for it, but reading the above doesn’t make me hopeful that it will escape some of the overly precious and pretentious ambitions of the last 2 films.
For me, BADLANDS is Malick’s best, and one of the best films of the 1970s. I know I’m in the minority on this, but that film is brilliant on so many levels. Martin Sheen’s perverse James Dean deconstruction is one of the greatest performances ever given, and sadly far too subtle for the types at the Academy.
IF you’re so certain that hte New World was overly precioius and prententious, then what was the point of The New World, then?
I mean, I want to make sure you have a reasonable understanding of the film before I take your declaration of pretension seriously.
Forgive my typing.
Badlands was Malick’s masterpiece. An utterly memorable film with a terrific central performance by the young Sissy Spacek. Has she ever been better? Martin Sheen was also in fine form. It just sort of let the story unfold in a leisurely non-judgmental fashion. The poetry and love of nature and the overall landscape were there but they didn’t overwhelm the story of the two clueless fugitives.
And for the record, I think The New World gets too easily lumped in with The Thin Red Line when in reality, it is most similar to Badlands. And Aguirre, the Wrath of God. Just my opinion, though. It was written about the same time as both films.
I haven’t seen Days of Heaven, but Malick’s other 3 flicks are frakking masterpieces.
Anyway, this project sounds interesting.
“Cosmic epic…hymn to life…” Pitt as Penn’s father…Malick had better rise to the occasion of what sounds like THE FOUNTAIN RETURNS.
I thought immediately of ‘The Fountain’, as well when I first heard the title awhile back.
Wait, Grant Hill? Is that like, the former Magic/current Phoenix Sun Grant Hill?
This is the Grant Hill who produced Speed Racer.
The summary looks like a hippie dippy piece schmaltz.
BurmaShave:
I’m glad to see Pitt’s run of working with the best filmmakers continues. It’s going to make him a legend by the end.
MO: Thanks for the laugh. When I think of a film legend, Paul Newman springs to mind. Pitt couldn’t be a legend if he had another life to do so. Instead of being an acting great, he’ll have to settle for being inside Jolie, not exactly an exclusive club these days.
You’re a class act Mindless. I’m sure Newman is thrilled to be name-checked by a scumbag like you. Sure, Brad Pitt is a movie star first, and is in a lot of these projects because that’s how they get made, but that doesn’t change the fact that he’s worked with the creme of the current directors and continues to do so, and that he’s growing as an actor. Thanks for the wretch.
Badlands and Days of Heaven had every bit as much “straining at being poetical or emotionally profound” as Thin Red Line and The New World. You’re just looking at his old movies with rose colored glasses.
Me, I love all 4 of em.
oh, and lololol @ Brad Pitt bailing out on one tree of life movie only to star in another.
The Fountain could have been 10 times the movie it was if Pitt and Blanchett stayed on board, and what we ended up getting was still damn good.
Malick is one of the greatest filmmakers around right now. He is a true artist–just like Tarkovsky. HIs films will be remembered–especially Days of Heaven and The Thin Red Line. I definitely look forward to any of his films.
whoever wrote the copy should get a job working for one of the big pharmaceutical companies.
i hope it wasn’t malick himself.
i could see that bastard writing something like that while he sits on his front porch as the sun rises up a section of that enormous texas sky.
malick.
what a great last name.
terrence…not so good.
kind of gives him away.
i would like to think that malick is along the same continuum as peckinpah.
he is a great american director of great american themes.
i cant wait for tree of live.
its going to be fucking awesome.
I haven’t seen Days of Heaven, but Malick’s other 3 flicks are frakking masterpieces.
MindlessObamaton is right on target. ZING!
I think Brad Pitt is one of the great character actors of his generation. Seriously. Put him in a lead role and he tries too hard to be a movie star/pretty boy.
But put him in a supporting role, where he doesn’t have to try so hard and can kind of blend into the background, and let his natural sense of humor take over and his work is outstanding. Thelma & Louise, 12 Monkeys, True Romance, Fight Club, the Ocean’s films.
Hopefully the ensemble nature of Inglourious Basterds will bring out the best in him. When his pretty boy looks have finally faded, he’s going to do some incredible work.
This talk about Brad becoming a legend got me to thinking who among the current actors will be thought of like that in years to come. There are so many from the past. The list is long starting with Brando etc. but now in this time… who will stand the test of time? A few names came into my head but the deal is they have to keep making great movies and work with good people. Sean Penn, Jack Nicholson, Daniel Day Lewis, Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Robert Downey Jr, Leonardo DiCaprio… I think they would make the list but it is surprisingly short compared to years past. I don’t know about Brad making it. I would like to think that as he gets older he will do his best work.
Nicholson was enshrined long ago. He’s a different generation entirely, the 60s/70s greats. Penn has the best shot of the current crop. Hoffman is on his way to being a great character actor but it’s hard to see him as Hollywood royalty. I doubt Day-Lewis cares about his “legend.”
Although Pitt doesn’t deserve a nod for ‘Button’, I do think he’s in a very Josh Brolin-like groove right now. I watched ‘Jesse James’ again last night, and it’s a stunning accomplishment, and Pitt is solid, he just gets overshadowed by Deakins’ photography and that freakin’ score.
I am sorry, but to me The Thin Red Line is a very overrated film. I never felt connected to it.
The New World, however is a much better film.
But given Malick’s very slow postproduction work, is this a guarantee for 2009 release? It wouldn’t surprise me if it turned out to be 2010…or even 2011.
I don’t see much evidence of a long Malick post production? His last two movies he filmed from the summer to fall of the previous year, and then they were released in the late autumn for Oscar consideration I imagine. Maybe I’m just in denial because I so badly want to see this ASAP.
Future audiences will decide who are the current legends. Clarke Gable is a legend, and Matt Damon’s work to date, e.g., towers over his.
oh my god did i hate BADLANDS.
all because of that goddamn V.O. It was so fucking inane and infuriating. just talking about it has ruined my day.
maybe i should see it again.
For those who say Malick’s films do not have any story, you’re correct.
They do not have ANY story. They have THE story. From the bugs in the earth to the gods in the sky.
Reading that plot description gave me chills. I believe this is the film Malick, who has never made less than a masterpiece, was born to make.
And Ryansi51… you’re right. Badland’s VO is inane and monotone.
It should be… the film’s narrator is a psychopath.
Not in the Hannibal Lecter, horror movie sense but from an actual clinical sense.
In his seminal work on psychopaths WITHOUT CONSCIENCE, Dr. Robert Hare cites Spacek’s VO as an accurate representation of such.
Nicholson hasn’t given an original performance for at least 15 years. He came closest with About Schmidt for the first half of the film and then it veered off into “Jaaaaack!” territory. Everything these days is the usual collection of trademark Nicholson ticks and mugging. There just aren’t any directors who can reign him in or that he respects enough. Hell, he even mugged his way through a Scorsese picture.
Lubezeki is shooting Tree of Life and Jack Fisk is the production designer. Very sweet.
I can watch The New World over and over and over again. It’s a beautiful film.
Look forward to seeing this one. If Malick can’t pull a good performance out of you, you don’t even deserve to wish upon a star much less be one.
Where can I find this Malick kool-aid?
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The New World was beautiful to look at as was Thin Red Line and I thought some parts brilliant, but overall there was far too much straining at being poetical or emotionally profound. The films that truly succeed at these things never enter the realm of the pretentious but rather maintain the beauty and simplicity of understatement.
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