_The Tree of Life_: extended version on Criterion DVD
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All on Thu Feb 7 23:00:07 2019
The Criterion, extended version of _The Tree of Life_ gave me a chance
to revisit the film I just revoted the greatest of the decade. It is
perhaps 40 minutes longer. I saw the original 7 times in theater, and
would hate for its rhythm and amazing editing to be disrupted. Fortunately
the new scenes are perfectly, strategically inserted.
There are more footages of Sean Penn among glass-and-steel highrises,
so that first 20 minutes feel more like a kin to _Knight of Cups_. There
is an entire segment about Mrs. O'Brien's (Jessica Chastain's) brother,
who plays well with her children but is openly criticized by the husband
(Brad Pitt) for sponging off them instead of holding down jobs. There
is more explication about the eldest child's trajectory in the languid
second half of the film; he is perceived to be a trouble maker, and
even her mother has consented to him being sent to a boarding school.
There is a booklet by Kent Jones (who wrote a review in "Film Comment").
Jones grew up in middle-class circumstances similar to the children
in the film, and adores every minute of it. I did not, and would have preferred the childhood ennui sequences be as meticulously edited and
sharply cut as the rest of the feature. But tastes differ. One thing
I certainly disagree with Jones is his overly broad description of
Malick ("purely spiritual"). That is only true from _The Tree of Life_ onwards, roughly speaking Malick's third phase where "nature versus
grace," explicitly enunciated in _Tree_, is running theme. In the
first phase, in _Badlands_ and _Days of Heaven_, the dichotomy is
between Nature and Consciousness -- aligned with the existential
philosophy Malick has studied.
I have often credited _Knight of Cups_ to be a surrealist departure
from the post-impressionist _Tree_ and _To the Wonder_. I must have
overlooked the brilliant fantasy sequences of Chastain in the coffin,
dancing in midair, and swimming out of a water-filled room while giving
birth -- breath-takingly outrageous and absolutely spot-on a split
second after you get to reflect on it! Pure visual poetry. After all,
the film is partly told from the perspectives of children, who have
fertile imagination.
There is an extended interview with Chastain, along with casting
session clips. She described the almost 30 sessions of voiceover she
recorded in studios around the world while _Tree_ was being edited.
Little of the rumored 20 hours is used in the film, but what remains
is rivetting -- especially during the creation/destruction of Earth
scenes, scored to Zbignew Priesner's music. I saw Malick's _Voyage
of Time_ not long ago; the documentary would have been immensely
improved if Chastain (rather than a bored Cate Blanchett) was the
narrator.
I always thought some amazing trick (like spraying hormones on
Chastain's hand) was used to film the scene where a wild butterfly
landed on her palm. Turns out it was completely unscripted! This
miracle was all part and parcel of Malick's improvised way of filming,
of course. Chastain in fact described the intuitive, improv-like
atmostphere on the film set as something like a dance company.
Many actresses can speak eloquently of the psychological make-up of
their characters. So can Chastain if she wants to -- her Julliard
School training always prompts her to do extensive research, create
character background, and so forth. But she seldom talks about those
in interviews. Instead, she has the most amazing insights about
the emotional environment during a shoot, as if that is more immediate
and visible than the physical/factual universe. "Temperature" and
"energy" are among her favorites. Some math prodigies are said to
see numbers in different colors. Chastain is a total genius in her
own way, apparently able to see emotions physically! She is capable
of articulating (in gestures, facial expressions, even in words) a
language of the soul no one else is privy to. It is such an honor
and privileged to have witnessed her extraordinary work in my lifetime.
(for A.)
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