The Tree Of Life – Extended Version (2011) ****
Terrence Malick's non-traditional narrative style has perhaps never been put to better use than in The Tree Of Life (2011), which is truly a visual poem, a cinematic dance. A poem with so much to behold—Jessica Chastain's impossibly angelic beauty and motherly grace, Brad Pitt's tumultuous jealousy and fatherly anger, the three boys' individual quirks, the naturalistic performances, the sumptuous combination of existing classical pieces with Alexandre Desplat's subtle score, just to name a few things.
The "creation of the universe" sequence is striking to behold, evoking 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) (even utilizing special effects wizard Douglass Trumbull), but I've never been a fan of the CGI dinosaurs (they already look dated IMO)—they take me out of the moment. Fortunately, once that scene is over it's easy to soon be engulfed by the movie once again. I also can't help thinking that those "macrocosm" scenes, as gorgeous as they are to behold, could just as easily be part of their own film (much like what Ron Fricke does).
The "microcosm" of The Tree Of Life, that of a family in the 1950s, is the heart of the story. When the film deviates from that, I just find it distracting. The exception might be the "adult Jack" scenes with Sean Penn. While he does tend to just meander about in his scenes, the "afterlife" beach sequence is one of the film's best. In this particular viewing, I found myself reflecting on my own childhood—those moments that are either forever engrained in your mind or that are brought back to mind when a scene, a look, an action, an object or an emotion reminds you of something you forgot.
This was my third time watching The Tree Of Life and my first time watching the extended version. I've always had nitpicks with this film, but I think this viewing made me appreciate the theatrical version even more. That's not to say that I disliked this 3 hour and 9 minute version by any means—any occasion to see almost an additional hour of Emmanuel Lubezki's cinematography is always welcome. And I certainly recognized new scenes. But I feel like the next time I watch the theatrical version, my opinion of it will be elevated.
Despite all I've said, I do love this film and I have a tremendous appreciation for the craft that went into making it. There really is nothing quite like it.
You can find my Terrence Malick Feature Films Ranked list here.
The "creation of the universe" sequence is striking to behold, evoking 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) (even utilizing special effects wizard Douglass Trumbull), but I've never been a fan of the CGI dinosaurs (they already look dated IMO)—they take me out of the moment. Fortunately, once that scene is over it's easy to soon be engulfed by the movie once again. I also can't help thinking that those "macrocosm" scenes, as gorgeous as they are to behold, could just as easily be part of their own film (much like what Ron Fricke does).
The "microcosm" of The Tree Of Life, that of a family in the 1950s, is the heart of the story. When the film deviates from that, I just find it distracting. The exception might be the "adult Jack" scenes with Sean Penn. While he does tend to just meander about in his scenes, the "afterlife" beach sequence is one of the film's best. In this particular viewing, I found myself reflecting on my own childhood—those moments that are either forever engrained in your mind or that are brought back to mind when a scene, a look, an action, an object or an emotion reminds you of something you forgot.
This was my third time watching The Tree Of Life and my first time watching the extended version. I've always had nitpicks with this film, but I think this viewing made me appreciate the theatrical version even more. That's not to say that I disliked this 3 hour and 9 minute version by any means—any occasion to see almost an additional hour of Emmanuel Lubezki's cinematography is always welcome. And I certainly recognized new scenes. But I feel like the next time I watch the theatrical version, my opinion of it will be elevated.
Despite all I've said, I do love this film and I have a tremendous appreciation for the craft that went into making it. There really is nothing quite like it.
You can find my Terrence Malick Feature Films Ranked list here.
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