Malick’s case is incredibly strong for a relatively modern auteur. He is certainly having a puzzling decade by first giving us perhaps his best career work- and then falling on his face with a weaker trilogy (though I must admit I’m very excited to revisit). When I did my top 500 I had Days of Heaven at #47 and The Thing Red Line at #43. They aren’t going anywhere. I like to have a 10 year moratorium on new films before I canonize them and add them to my top 500– but in this case with The Tree off Life– I can’t deny that after two viewings I think it’s his best film. This gives me 3 Malick films in the top 50. Like Lynch, he creates a world of his own and if you put a gun to my head and asked me which director in film history made the most beautiful (I grant the word itself leaves this up to many interpretations) films “Malick” might be the first name to emanate from my lips. I’m open for debating his case against others. Malick is still only ranked 48th on the TSPDT director top 250 but that’s silliness. If you break it down to see where his films rank vs. other films in their respective years- his films on TSPDT, rank as 1st (The Tree of Life, The Thin Red Line, Days of Heaven), 2nd (The New World) and, 5th (Badlands) best films. Amazing.
Best film: The Tree of Life. So, by transitive property (using my The Thin Red Line top 500 ranking) I actually have The Tree of Life ahead of anything by the Coen brothers, Spielberg, David Lynch, PT Anderson and all but 3 films from the 1990’s (Breaking the waves, Goodfellas, Pulp Fiction). Wow.
total archiveable films: 7
top 100 films: 2 (The Thin Red Line, Days of Heaven)
top 500 films: 4 (The Thin Red Line, Days of Heaven, The New World, Badlands)
top 100 films of the decade: 5 (Badlands, Days of Heaven, The Thin Red Line, The New World, The Tree of Life)
most overrated: Badlands. It is #132 of all-time on TSPDT and Malick’s #1 film. I’m below these two grades a little. It’s his easiest film – and a brilliant one- but clearly not his best. This will remedy itself on TSPDT over time.
most underrated: The New World is all the way down at #807 on TSPDT (I have it at #193) but because it’s more recent it’s not as bad as it looks. It’s actually the #5 film on TSPDT and I have it as #2 so we’re fairly close there actually.
gem I want to spotlight: The Thin Red Line has taken 20 years to be fully appreciated but it’s there now. The #1 film from 1998 on TSPDT. The photography is sublime but how about Hans Zimmer’s scales in the score?
stylistic innovations/traits: There’s really a lot Malick is known for now: voice-over narration, magic hour, stunning photograph usually involving nature. If the director is easily parodied then he/she’s probably an auteur (QT, Wes, Hitchcock, Bergman, Leone). He’s also known as a meticulous editor who takes forever to makes movies (or at least did) as he took a 20 year break between Days of Heaven and The Thin Red Line (and then another 7 year break and then another 6 year break). Though he didn’t start out this way with his relatively straightforward narrative style in Badlands– I think he has to be known now as an editor/montagists and a manipulator of the standard narrative. His most recent trio of films (To the Wonder, Knight of Cups, Song to Song) have not been as good—plain and simple. I’m eager to revisit but the knock on them that they are more like perfume advertisements is apt (though they are beautiful). He’s also a Christian and his works have to be studied and viewed as such for their spirituality and Christ allegories (Thin Red Line especially).
top 10
- The Tree of Life
- The Thin Red Line
- Days of Heaven
- The New World
- Badlands
- To the Wonder
- Knight of Cups
By year and grades
| 1973- Badlands | MP |
| 1978- Days of Heaven | MP |
| 1998- Thin Red Line | MP |
| 2005- The New World | MP |
| 2011- The Tree of Life | MP |
| 2012- To the Wonder | R |
| 2015- Knight of Cups | R |
*MP is Masterpiece- top 1-3 quality of the year film
MS is Must-see- top 5-6 quality of the year film
HR is Highly Recommend- top 10 quality of the year film
R is Recommend- outside the top 10 of the year quality film but still in the archives
Days of Heaven (1978)
Cast:
Richard Gere as Bill
Brooke Adams as Abby
Sam Shepard as The Farmer
Linda Manz as Linda
Robert Wilke as The Farm Foreman
Notes:
Opens with Ennio Morricone’s evocative score sets the tone in the opening montage of period photographs that carry a sense of nostalgia. Dan Perri’s title design is also magnificent
Opens in a Chicago coal factory where Richard Gere’s Bill gets in a fight and accidentally kills a man, orange and red lighting present in this scene creates a hellish atmosphere. Bill along with his sister Linda and his girlfriend Abby (played by Brooke Adams), make a run for it
4:52 a stunning shot of elevated train with blue sky and white clouds in background, this is a notable contrast with the hellish atmosphere, complete with orange and red color palette, during the opening scene inside a coal factory
5:06 deep focus shot of train filled to the brim
7:10 workers walk in line to wheat fields which are captured with a wide angle shot
8:04 Bill in middle of the frame is barely visible with all the negative space around him
8:24 camera tracks bird flying across the landscape, wide angle shot used effectively
10:00 stunning shot of silhouette scarecrow with red and dark blue sky
11:11 wide angle shot of the landscape during magic hour, set to wistful score
14:32 mansion in back of frame with wheat field taking up the rest
14:46 extreme low angle shot of Sam Shepard’s character known only as The Farmer. He is the owner of the land and thus the most powerful. So far, he is only character framed in a low angle shot
18:24 magic hour shot with incredible house in the frame along with Abby who is shot in silhouette
22:24 the Farmer’s accountant notes that he just had his most financially successful year yet followed by the Farmer looking through the telescope at Abby
27:39 POV shot of mansion as Bill walks across the field
32:16 stunning shot with workers as silhouette figures during magic hour
33:40 shot of clouds and thunder although no rain; foreshadowing via weather
34:00 incredible shot of dark clouds consuming 90 percent of the frame
35:48 dissolve to shot of Farmer speaking with Bill
35:48 pan from interior to the open door as Abby walks outside
39:17 close ups during wedding scene
44:44 dark blue silhouette
49:56 gruff looking Robert Wilke character, The Farm Foreman, confronts Bill and let’s Bill know that he is aware that Bill and Abby are essentially con artists
51:37 high angle shot of raindrops hitting the pond
57:27 Bill and Abby are increasingly careless as they are barely hiding their physical intimacy, and The Farmer is highly suspicious
1:02:43 beautiful silhouette shot
1:04:27 magic hour shot
1:06:48 Farmer’s heartbeat accelerating rapidly while looking on the verge of some kind of breakdown as his anger simmers inside, ends in dissolve edit, I think this is a great scene to counter the criticism that the film’s characters are too emotionless
1:09:28 close up on locusts who invade the wheat field
1:10:17 immaculate series of shots, some of the best single frames in cinematic history
1:12:24 terrifying scene with all the fire burning away the fields
1:13:20 silhouette shot of Bill and Abby in the field with camera tilting back and forth as a signifier of the chaos that ensures during this final stretch of the film
1:14:52 cinematic painting
1:15:32 camera tracks The Farmer’s whose anger finally manifests itself when he confronts Abby, these camera movements are a clear contrast with more static shots of The Farmer that are used throughout the film, thus the normally passive Farmer acts
1:18:34 the devastated Robert Wilke character is shown in a close-up low angle shot as he stands over The Farmer, whom he viewed like a son
1:19:20 the score played around 4:52 in the film is repeated matching the narrative as earlier this score is played as the trio ride the train fleeing from Chicago to the Texas Panhandle after Bill accidentally kills a factory worker. Now the trio flee on a boat through the river after Bill accidently kills the Farmer
At 1:20:00 the trio of Bill, Abby, and Linda are again on the run as they take boat down the river
1:22:38 Bill sees group of law enforcement across the river, similar to scene in Badlands (1973)
1:25:25 reaction shot of the face of a devastated Abby after Bill is shot dead in the river
A life goes on sort of ending, rather than ending it with Bill’s death
Thoughts:
Badlands (1973) is undoubtedly one of the greatest debuts of all time and really just one of the great films of all time. But Days of Heaven (1978) goes even beyond Badlands as it retains all the same core elements, only taken to an even greater degree. This is especially prevalent in regard to the film’s use of magic hour. While Badlands has a number of great magic hour shots, Days of Heaven has far more
This is on the short list for most beautiful film of all time. Barry Lyndon, In the Mood for Love, Lawrence of Arabia, and a few others would account for some of the best competitors not to mention some of Malick’s future films including The New World and The Tree of Life
One of Malick’s most important collaborators, Jack Fish, worked as head of production design. He created the film’s Victorian style mansion set in the wheat fields of Alberta Canada which are a stand in for the Texas Panhandle. The Mansion in the middle of this massive wheat field is an incredible sight to behold
Days of Heaven includes a couple of the single greatest cinematic frames that I have ever seen. In particular, there is a series of shots starting a little past the 70 min mark, that are legitimate contenders for single greatest frames in cinematic history
I wrote the following in 2021:
“Obviously there is no limit to how much that can be said regarding the impeccable beauty and magnificent images here. I love the score and use of natural sounds (crickets, gusts of wind for example) in the film but somewhat ironically, I feel that at the same time this could actually work as a silent film (I am glad it is not!). And I mean that as a compliment to Malick, that the images are not only beautiful but so powerful and effective in conveying the story that combined with the quality acting that this could have been a modern-day silent film.”
I would stand by all these points. Of course, silent films were not always silent, they just did not have spoken dialogue. Days of Heaven has very little dialogue and does function as a nearly silent film despite having a narrator. Apparently much of the dialogue was edited out in post-production. The dialogue that does exist is sparse and the characters speak quietly. Not only is dialogue used infrequently but the dialogue that does exist is very functional. In that sense it is essentially the polar opposite of a Quentin Tarantino film
Watching Days of Heaven is an incredibly immersive experience. Ennio Morricone’s evocative score sets the tone during the incredible opening credits which are set to a montage of period photographs from the early 20th century. The aforementioned use of natural sounds combined with Malick’s use of only natural light places the viewer into the world of the film. This is not to say that the film represents realism. On the contrary, the film evokes a dream like atmosphere much of the time
There is a great formal touch that occurs at 1:19:20 when the score played around 4:52 in the film is repeated matching the narrative as earlier this score is played as the trio ride the train fleeing from Chicago to the Texas Panhandle after Bill accidentally kills a factory worker. Now the trio flee on a boat through the river after Bill accidently kills the Farmer
Malick uses nature as a narrative tool. In particular he uses extreme weather conditions to foreshadow events in the story. Dark clouds, strong gusts of wind, and of course a raging fire to signify the end being near. Days of Heaven certainly carries strong religious undertones starting with the name of the film. The film opens in a Chicago coal factory during winter with strong orange and red hues giving off a hellish atmosphere. This is contrasted with the film’s Eden segment which occurs about halfway through and is signified with shots of the trio playing in the open wheat fields under a clear blue sky, no longer worried about money after Abby marries the Farmer. Locusts destroying the crops is another biblical reference, it signifies a level of divine judgement and the destructive fire followed by acts of violence the following morning
It would be tempting, even easy, to label Days of Heaven as a tragedy, but I am not so sure it is. I prefer to think of it as a slice of life. Malick captures a year or two in the life of its trio of characters, or quartet if you count the narrating, Linda Manz character. While I still am up in the air over the ending, I do find it interesting that Malick ends the film with the Linda Manz character forming a new friendship rather than ending it with Richard Gere’s Bill lying dead in the river with Brooke Adam’s Abby crying over him. I think one could interpret it as the continuation of the cycle of life. We do not ever learn the characters last names and for the Sam Shepard character we don’t even learn his first name. All of this is consistent with Malick’s emphasis on the never-ending flow of time
Verdict: MP
@James Trapp- What an amazing film- and your writeup does it justice
@Drake – thanks, curious about what you think of ending. I see you mention it on the page, I am still up in the air about it
@James Trapp- yeah I think I mention posed as a question- “I’m not entirely sure why Malick ends the film on the Jackie Shultis’ character- Linda’s friend”
The film has a loose aimlessness to it, and instead of forcing a conventional conclusion, Malick ended with a climax of aimlessness, a final wispy digression for a film full of little meanderings and interludes.
@K- well said- I like that
Badlands (1973)
Cast:
Martin Sheen as Kit
Sissy Spacek as Holly
Warren Oates as Father
Ramon Bieri as Cato
Notes:
Opens with narration from Sissy Spacek as Holly, a 15-year-old high school girl living with her father in South Dakota
2:05 Martin Sheen as Kit, a 25-year-old misfit working as a garbage man, Kit wears a white t-shirt, blue jeans, and resembles James Dean
3:21 playful score as Kit kicks crushed cans through narrow street
4:14 medium shot of Kit with a cigarette in his mouth, looking at Holly off screen
4:58 Kit talks with Holly as she twirls a baton in the front yard of her house
6:24 Holly’s father paints advertisements
8:20 Kit inside employment office after getting fired
9:42 tracking shot of Kit and Holly walking through town’s main street on sidewalk
10:50 Holly narrates with Kit at work at slaughterhouse
11:01 two-shot of Kit and Holly having picnic with the two in foreground on right side of frame
12:05 two-shot of Kit and Holly under high school bleachers during football practice although Kit and Holly are the only ones in the frame
13:04 “Kit never signed his name in case anyone would forge his signature” hilarious
13:48 low angle shot of Holly after implied that they had sex and both are very casual about it
13:41 Kit sets red balloon into the air, camera tracks balloon until out of view
16:57 Kit attempts to speak respectfully to Holly’s father who clearly wants nothing to do with him
18:50 picturesque shot of Holly’s father’s billboards with blue sky in background of the frame
20:01 Kit’s gun sticks out of his back pocket
20:21 two-shot with Kit in foreground and Holly’s father in background of the frame via mirror
22:07 close up on the face of Holly’s dying father after Kit shoots him
25:35 camera lingers on a two-shot of Kit and Holly, both are eerily calm after the murder
27:43 Kit in medium close up in a confined booth leaving a message for law enforcement about the murder, his nonchalant tone
29:29 house is set ablaze including close ups on several items including Holly’s childhood bed, dolls, and piano
31:26 playful score playing as prelude to section of film with Kit and Holly living in the woods
33:55 Phenomenal use of music with “Love in Strange” by Mickey & Sylvia, this plays during dance scene in the woods
41:55 wide angle shot of Kit and Cato in the foreground with dark clouds in background
43:43 Kit and Holly visit Kit’s friend Cato, seen earlier in the film
45:28 camera positioned close to ground with Cato in foreground with back turned to camera and Kit with his gun deep into the background as he shoots Cato
48:20 Holly is oddly unemotional while talking to the dying Cato
51:01 Kit and Holly run off after possibly shooting two of Cato’s friends
53:21 footage in black and white with a hint of brown/sepia which depicts task force created to hunt Kit
54:28 shot of multi-story house in suburban neighborhood
58:12 one of the best interior shots in the film, inside living room in dim lit rich man’s house
59:34 Terrence Malick himself although it was intended to be an actor, but he failed to show up
1:03:43 shot of telephone lines from foreground to deep background with brown/sepia frame, this is followed with montage of car driving toward Montana
1:05:53 amazing magic hour shot of Kit holding rifle over his head with moon in background of the frame
1:09:44 wide angle shot of landscape with sky taking up 2/3 of vertical frame
1:12:08 dancing with pitch black backdrop
1:13:10 match cut from pitch black to orange lit sky the following morning
1:13:33 horizon takes up most of frame
1:13:58 beautiful skyline shot
1:15:10 close up on Kit’s face upon seeing the helicopter in the sky
1:15:10 reaction shot of Kit’s stunned looking face upon realizing Holly is no longer interested in him and just wants to return home
1:16:24 low angel shot of Kit isolated in the frame with helicopter approaching off screen
1:19:33 rare POV shot of Kit driving recklessly from police vehicle
1:22:22 low angle shot of Kit being arrested and handcuffed, resembles Western showdown
1:23:54 medium close-up shots inside sheriff vehicle, Kit no longer is free
1:25:10 officers amused by Kit who is clearly loving the attention and notoriety
1:30:42 the film ends with POV from inside plane flying through sky as Kit is taken into custody
Thoughts:
The debut film of Terence Malick is as haunting as it is confounding. The basic setup uses the “lovers on the run” trope as the narrative vehicle. Martin Sheen’s Kit is a 25-year-old loner with limited economic opportunities in small town South Dakota while Sissy Spacek’s Holly is a 15-year-old naïve teenager who serves as the film’s narrator. Holly’s father understandingly thinks little of Kit, leading to a violent episode that sets the events of the film in motion. From there the young couple spend the rest of the film evading authorities. While the basic narrative set up sounds conventional, the way Malick tells the story is not
Malick’s debut contains a few stylistic choices that will come up repeatedly in his work, starting with the use of natural light, juxtaposing the beauty of the natural world with the brutal and ugly acts that humans are capable of, along with soft focus which gives the film a dream like atmosphere. There is also the use of voice over narration, although in some of his future works, he will have multiple characters using voice over narration rather than one character like in this film. Nature is more than a backdrop; it is a character itself
Malick’s use of magic hour would fit into the paragraph directly above this one, but this is worthy of its own paragraph. There are several cinematic paintings throughout the film but none greater than the gorgeous shot of Kit standing in an open field with the moon visible in the back of the frame. Magic hour really emphasizes the majestic beauty of the natural world
Malick frequently uses wide angle shots which show the character’s relationship to the natural world. These shots accentuate the relative smallness of human beings who are swallowed up by the vastness of nature. This relationship becomes progressively more extreme over the course of Malick’s filmography
Kit and Holly are depicted as isolated from civilized society. There are several teenage cliches in the early part of the film, Holly twirling her baton in the front yard, Kit and Holly making out underneath the bleachers. Even before they go on the run, Kit and Holly always seem to be apart from other people in the town. Even the few times when another character shares the frame, it is almost always on the periphery. The more times I watch the more frightening I find Sissy Spacek’s character, there is something hauntingly empty and detached about the way she responds to Kit’s murders that are almost more frightening than Kit
Malick uses a great low angle shot of Kit about to be handcuffed with a composition resembles a Sergio Leonne Western showdown with great blocking of the two police officers facing Kit. Shortly after there is a cut to one of the officers arresting Kit with camera at eye level; Kit’s mystique is shattered or at the very least significantly tempered. The younger officer even notes “Hell, he ain’t no bigger than I am.”
I do wonder if Holly is an unreliable narrator. As stated above, she shows little to no emotion throughout Kit’s murder spree. But what is equally confounding is that all the characters they interact with seem almost equally detached from the very serious situations they find themselves in. For example, when a young couple arrive looking for Cato, Kit orders them into a cellar at gunpoint before shooting into it. Yet, they calmy follow Kit’s instructions while barely looking frightened, albeit a little confused
I do wonder if these characters are so emotionally detached because Holly herself is so emotionally detached and the story is told from her perspective. Of course, the actual murders themselves really happen, but I wonder if the way or manner in which they occurred is not entirely accurate. The film’s score reflects this as it is often playful and whimsical despite the violence that Kit perpetrates and which Holly is a witness to
They are headed to the “Badlands” of Montana but clearly, they are both searching for something in their empty lives and are unable to satisfy it, there are moments like the dancing scene when they appear quite content, but it is almost always followed by scenes where they are both staring blankly looking bored until the next adventure
This is truly one of the greatest directorial debuts of all time as it is not only an all-time great film, but it shows that Malick knew what he wanted to do as a filmmaker. As noted above, this debut shares almost all the key visual and thematic elements that he would become known for
Verdict: MP
@James Trapp- Great work here- I’m with you on the “Love in Strange” scene- love that short scene. I haven’t read up on it- did you come across anything about Malick using 3 cinematographers here?
@Drake – thanks, yeah I read that a large percentage of his crew quit due to his constant alterations. Malick sounds like the inverse of Kubrick; where Kubrick had such as specific way he needed every scene to be, Malick constantly changed his mind so after the crew set up in a particular location, Malick decided he wanted to make a change last minute resulting in a highly stressful environment
Yet he sounds quite different from someone like Kubrick in that Malick was open to collaborating with his crew including the actors and actresses. Jessica Chastain described Malick in a similar way to Sissy Spacek as they both said that Malick is a fascinating person to speak with and that he can talk about any subject in an interesting way
@James – funny seeing this comment earlier on the page from August 2021 “Drake, I am planning on starting a Malick study once I finish up with Coppola.” – took you damn time haha
@Harry – ha good catch, yeah some of my early studies were mainly just watching the director’s films and grading them and maybe including some thoughts by not going in depth. So I am redoing some of my early Studies to give the full treatment that these legendary Auteurs deserve. Will probably redo Jean Pierre Melville, Roman Polanski, Orson Welles, and perhaps a few others
Train Dreams came out on Netflix and I think it fills the void that Malick’s absence has left in cinema. I’ve got 15 screenshots to share that will hopefully convince everyone here to check it out if they are craving cinema in Malick’s style.
https://imgur.com/gallery/beauty-of-train-dreams-oLm5PR2
@Harry- love this- I’ve heard very good things. Thanks for sharing
@Harry – thank you for posting, adding to my to watch list
@Harry- Caught “Train Dreams” and it is brilliant- certainly the strongest thing I’ve seen this year.
@Drake – I’m so glad to hear that! I’m not sure it would be my top pick right now but probably the strongest blocking and natural photography. I might take a look at his 2021 film Jockey as well, the direction was unknown to me until this.
My ranking of Malick’s films that I’ve seen:
1. The Tree of Life MP
2. Days of Heaven MP
3. The Thin Red Line MP
4. The New World MP
5. Badlands MP
6. A Hidden Life MS
7. Knight of Cups R
15 Best Performances
1. Kilcher- The New World 5
2. Spacek- Badlands 5
3. Sheen- Badlands 5
4. Koteas- The Thin Red Line 5
5. Pitt- The Tree of Life 5
6. Nolte- The Thin Red Line 5
7. Penn- The Thin Red Line 5
8. Caviezel- The Thin Red Line 5
9. Gere- Days of Heaven 5
10. Manz- Days of Heaven 5
11. Chastain- The Tree of Life 5
12. Diehl- A Hidden Life 4.5
13. Farrell- The New World 4.5
14. Shepard- Days of Heaven 4
15. McCracken- The Tree of Life 3.5
Not sure if above comment posted or not
@LeBronSmith
I think @Drake might gave posted this article in the past but check out the link below for a phenomenal film review/essay
https://www.slantmagazine.com/dvd/days-of-heaven-4k-uhd-blu-ray-review-terrence-malick/
@Harry “I used to think there were four or five different answers to the question of Malick’s best but now I just think it’s between Tree of Life and Days of Heaven”
I am basically with you, I used to think his 5 best films, all MPs for me, were in the discussion. I think the New World belongs in the discussion, it is ridiculously beautiful even for Malick. Currently I do consider Days of Heaven to be his finest film but its by the thinnest of margins, there is no wrong answer here. I have The New World as his 3rd best but again the thinnest of margins.
@James – His top five especially are all shot at such a high level that I think someone’s pick for best Malick film might also come from personal preference: what part of nature do they find most attractive.
I’m curious if A Hidden Life can go up to MP level with further viewings, I’ve only seen it once so far. His first five films are all in roughly my top 110 favourites.
@Harry – for sure, I would not put forward much of an argument against someone putting The Thin Red Line or Badlands as Malick’s best. I am just saying for me its a 3 film race.
I have also seen A Hidden Life just once but yes I would not rule out it as a MP. Need more viewings, but it was very impressive. It was the first of his films to really examine political issues, although you could argue this falls under the umbrella of philosophy. There is much philosophizing in his best work though that is not what makes it great. It was great seeing Malick back to what made him great after that strange detour of 3 films that looked like home movies in comparison to his best work. Malick spends much of his time scouting locations and shooting absurd amounts of footage, most of which is not used by the final cut. All this to say, he requires a lot of time making his films which is probably one of the reasons those 3 films in a short timespan did not work.
If it takes Malick five more years to edit The Way of the Wind, I’m totally fine with that. It’s almost certainly going to be his last film so there’s no sense rushing it. I wouldn’t put it past him to release a masterpiece on par with The Tree of Life and it would be fitting if he could accomplish the very difficult feat of making a worthy film about Christ. I hope he does.
@Leighton – that would be par for the course for Malick, he spends more time in the editing phase than just about anyone
Is it crazy to say that Days of Heaven might be Malick’s best film? For years I’ve thought it was The Tree of Life, but recent viewings of 6 of his films has me thinking Days of Heaven has a great case as his best even though I’m not sure if I’m ready to move it above The Tree of Life.
@LeBron – I used to think there were four or five different answers to the question of Malick’s best but now I just think it’s between Tree of Life and Days of Heaven.
and this just happens to sway me in the direction of Tree of Life:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7paYVXjA3-Y&t=1035s
@LeBronSmith
Not one bit, here is my final rankings from my Malick Study:
1. Days of Heaven – MP
2. The Tree of Life – MP
3. The New World – MP
4. Badlands – MP
5. The Thin Red Line – MP
6. A Hidden Life – MS
7. Knights of Cup- R
8. To the Wonder – R
@Drake – I rewatched The Tree of Life yesterday and was completely and utterly blown away. I think it is one of the 10 best films ever made, perhaps not on the basis of formal perfection (although it is practically perfect in that regard as well) but rather as a sensory experience, which I value highly. I told a friend that it felt like watching something as ground-breaking and radical as Breathless with the scale of 2001. Anyways, I just wanted to know if you have an idea of where the film will land on your updated top 1000 once you begin working on it. Top 30? Top 20? Maybe even higher?
Also, I hope you are doing well. It has been awhile since I’ve commented, will try to fix that in the future.
Chase, did you delete your Letterboxd account? I know this isn’t really the place to ask but there isn’t really any other way for me to contact you. Was looking for an old review of yours the other day and could for the life of me not find your account. I’m under the name “Dorin” there
@Matthew – Yes I did, was part of a larger attempt to spend less time on social media. I made a new account though, I’ll follow you and all the other guys from this site.
@Chase- Good to hear from you, thanks for the comment. I have not given it much thought yet on Tree of Life and where it will sit on the all-time top 1000 – look forward to getting to that project here shortly
Badlands MS
Days of Heaven MP
Thin Red Line MP
The New World MS
The Tree of Life MP
To the Wonder HR
Knight of Cups R
Song to Song R
A Hidden Life MS
@AP
As far as top 3 goes Welles is up there
1. Citizen Kane
2. Touch of Evil
3. The Magnificent Ambersons
Scorsese
1. Raging Bull
2. Goodfellas
3. Taxi Driver
Coppola
1. GF1
2. GF2
3. Apocalypse Now
Is the Top 4 still the same after your study? His Top 3 (The Tree of Life, Days of Heaven, The Thin Red Line) is arguably the strongest for any director. Perhaps only Coppola and Scorsese have it better.
@AP- I am not so sure- All four at the top are breathtaking- but I may not have had Days of Heaven high enough
Finished up on my Malick study, an honor watching his work. I did not watch Song to Song (2017) given a combination of weak reviews and the consensus on this site. To the Wonder and Knights of Cup had their moments but overall were quite difficult to get through at times. They made me think the Malick style had reached its limit but A Hidden Life (2019) was terrific and a return to form that gives me hope that Malick has at least one more Masterpiece in him even at 77 years old.
Malick films and his style certainly are not for everyone but it is impossible to deny that he makes some of the most beautiful if not THE most beautiful films of all time. I think Malick’s patience in scouting shooting locations are paramount to his ability to make such beautiful films and also partially explains why his films between The Tree of Life and A Hidden Life did not really work. I also think there is a degree of mystique to his films that does not translate as well to a modern setting but is so well suited to period pieces.
I consider his first 5 films to all be Masterpieces, I had seen each of them at least twice prior to the study except for The New World (2005) which I had not seen before. The New World was a revelation for me and frankly I do not think there too much separating it from my top 2. The New World was not really anything new, more of the same, but so incredibly effective and in my opinion just as beautiful as The Tree of Life even if I think TTOL is a little better.
My final rankings:
1. Days of Heaven
2. The Tree of Life
3. The New World
4. Badlands
5. The Thin Red Line
6. A Hidden Life
7. Knights of Cup
8. To the Wonder
As stated above I consider #1-5 to be Masterpieces and A Hidden Life (2019) to be a near Masterpiece. Maybe he’s got one more in him.
Song to Song is almost unwatchable to me but I didn’t really find the other 2012-2015 films that bad, TTW is even a HR for me and I think much less of Knight of Cups. I think none of his skillset applies to shooting modern cities so of course shooting A Hidden Life in the mountains makes it an easy return to form. The next film will not be in a modern setting and is based on the life of Jesus so I think we can safely expect another MS-MP level film.
@Harry – let’s hope so. The Hidden Life (2019) has some Kubrickesque images painterly images that reminded me of Barry Lyndon at times. It is stunning even if the pacing of the narrative feels challenging at times.
It’s interesting going through Malick that for an auteur whose films are probably far less dependent upon high quality actors he has had such insanely great casts throughout his career. From Martin Sheen and Sissy Spacek (admittingly they were relatively unknown at the time of Badlands) to Richard Gere, the entire cast of TTRL to Christian Bale, Colin Farrell, Christopher Plummer, Ben Mendelsohn to Jessica Chastain, Brad Pitt, Sean Penn, and on and on; I mean just incredible.
Days of Heaven (1978)
– Introduction sets tone with Dan Perri’s title design and magnificent Morricone score
– Amazing shot of elevated train from 4:37 to 4:43
– Around 6:50 is first time the house comes into view
– The mansion planted in this massive field is truly an amazing set piece, what a spectacle
– 27:05 beautiful magic hour shot
– 33:40 shot of clouds and thunder although no rain; foreshadowing via weather
– 1 hour 7 min – Farmer’s heartbeat accelerating rapidly while looking on the verge of some kind of breakdown as his anger simmers inside, ends in dissolve edit, I think this is a great scene to counter the criticism that the film’s characters are too emotionless
– Malick’s editing is what really stuck out to me with this most recent viewing as he seems to favor a style that is more montage based rather than continuity, I knew he favored this style in his later films but was surprised how much he used it here
– I love the fact that Sam Shepard’s character is just referred to as “the farmer”
– Despite all the anger and betrayal the farmer is unable to take the life of a human, he hesitates both with Abby and then later with Bill. This is contrasted with Bill who we see has the ability to take another person’s life when he feels threatened, it’s instinctual with him.
– I agree with Drake regarding the film ending with Linda’s friend, it’s my only critique and its incredibly minor, this film has skyrocketed up my list, it’s an all timer.
@James Trapp – I’ll answer this even though you didn’t ask me- To the Wonder and Knight of the Cups are definitely worth watching, while Song to Song is terrible in my opinion and I don’t recommend it.
And I definitely consider those two more experimental cinema.
@RK – no worries, I appreciate input from everyone. Song to Song has rough ratings from most people so I think I’m leaning toward skipping. I know some people like to watch every single film just for completion purposes but I don’t mind skipping films. For my Wong Kar Wai study I didn’t bother with Blueberry Nights based on reviews and its general reputation, just didn’t feel necessary.
Drake, I am planning on starting a Malick study once I finish up with Coppola.
Do you think his films in between The Tree of Life (2011) and A Hidden Life (2019) are worth watching? My general approach for these studies is to watch the best 15 or so films for directors with extensive filmographies (20 or more films). Since Malick has far fewer I could do all of them but wanted to get your opinion. For To the Wonder, Knight of Cups and Song to Song; would you consider these more experimental cinema (a la Godard later career works)?
@James Trapp- I’m hardly ever going to tell someone that a film from a major auteur like Malick isn’t worth watching… even if it is a failure. But I certainly wouldn’t prioritize this period of his work. I’ll have pages soon for To the Wonder and Knight of Cups… but Song to Song is unarchiveable after two visits.
Hi, Drake. I hope you’re doing very well.
I recently did a Malick study (rewatched a couple along the way) and… well, the guy is really the real deal. His films feel like a different form of cinema, and I couldn’t ask for more. My favorite of this actually ended up being Days of Heaven, which is unlike anything I’ve ever seen and the voiceover ranks, to me, as one of the best ever – although I do think The Tree of Life (my personal #2) is the more visually arresting and better film. I had more trouble with The Thin Red Line, which felt cold and even silly (at times) upon first viewing, but I’m excited to revist.
Nonetheless, I’ve had a lot of fun with his work and I believe A Hidden Life is a big return to form (considering To the Wonder, Knight of Cups and Song to Song are my bottom 3); excited for his next one.
@Pedro- I’m excited for his next one as well. I’m in the middle of a Malick study myself so check back soon and I will have pages for Days of Heaven and the rest.
caught a viewing of The Tree of Life last night, my 3rd viewing, 2nd in the last year and by far my favorite viewing so far (usually goes that way with great films). I had trouble the first 2 times with the back and forth between the birth of the universe and the O’Brien Family. I respected the idea of juxtaposing the story of the entire Universe with something as infinitesimal as one random family in Texas and found in brilliant from the 1st viewing. But it was not until this most recent viewing where I found myself completely engaged in every aspect of the film and it was magnificent. As far as ambition goes, it seems on par with 2001 and as far as spectacular images goes, on par with 2001, Apocalypse Now, and Lawrence of Arabia. It’s lingered in my mind all day, will probably catch another viewing soon.
@James Trapp- Fantastic share- thank you. I saw it a week ago and have had it lingering in my mind, too– well said
Which cut of The New World are you going to watch?
@Zane- It’ll be the 172-minute director’s cut.