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Will Terrence Malick ever really finishThe Tree of Life?
The fascinating history behind the new Criterion edition of his masterpiece suggests he might not.
This longer edit, however, is not a directors cut, although Malick himself prepared it.
Thered be so many permutations of it you wouldnt get the same story over and over.
This jibes with some of the unorthodox methods Malick used to edit the film in the first place.
Hes very open to looking at anything that you try.
Kids dont censor themselves their brains are in a different place.
So we had students give it a shot.
And wed have interns come in at night and cut scenes.
And some of those people stayed on the movie the whole time!
The project was for many years referred to asQ, reflecting one of several names it had during development.
He researched mysterious sound patterns, and experimented with different formal and narrative strategies.
At one point, he contemplated a second-half love story set thousands of years ago.
At another point, he toyed with having the film end on humanitys arrival.
But by that point, the director had walked away from the project, and seemingly from cinema itself.
He turned the camera on himself, figuratively speaking.
We also get a clearer idea of Mr. OBriens sense of failure.
But it also signaled a fascinating shift for him, as it resulted in a period of bewildering productivity.
He had made four films in the 35 years leading up to it.
He has made six since, with his latest, the historical dramaRadegund, now wrapping up post-production.
Its almost as if the decision to go personal freed him to be more self-reflective in his stories.
Asked why Malick might have been going in this more autobiographical direction, Fisk said he didnt really know.
You start thinking about what got you to where you are.
(Knowing the way Malick works, editing everything at once, they very well might be.)
Why are you silent?
… To you, all things flow back.)
(Dont listen to them; its magnificent.)
And there may be yet another version ofVoyage of Time.
I like the idea of making it your own experience.
But I sincerely doubt that either of them will be the final chapter of this project.
Terrence Malick isnt done with the world yet, and the world isnt done with him.
