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ArtemBalakin
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The New World (2005)
"Did you find your Indies, John? You shall". "I may have sailed past them".
Once again, Malick experiments with storytelling methods and this film is no exception; in order to convey to the viewer the experience of the pioneer John Smith, who is trying to find a common language with the Indian tribes and Princess Pocahontas, it was very important to demonstrate the process of non-verbal communication between the characters.
Cinematographer Emanuel Lubezki, composer James Horner and the cast of Q'orianka Kilcher, Colin Farrell and Christian Bale create harmony on screen. Insanely beautiful landscapes of the virgin lands of America, a pleasant, sometimes barely noticeable soundtrack and, of course, convincing and lively acting.
Every scene of this film is measured and silence is paramount here, even the heroes here prefer to communicate in a whisper, and, if possible, even switch to body language.
As a result, the work turned out to be very touching and exciting. An emotional ending, a sentimental story of the relationship between two people who are not destined to be together and a gorgeous musical accompaniment - all this creates its own special confessional atmosphere.
The Thin Red Line (1998)
"There's no other world. Just this one. Your sacrifice won't mean anything. Nobody's does".
After filming Days of the Harvest, reclusive director Terrence Malick disappeared from the film industry for 20 years. During this time, producers invite the creator to take on writing a new story for his next project. As a result, from the pen of Terrence comes the script for an epic anti-war film based on the novel of the same name by American writer James Jones, "The Thin Red Line," and already in 1998, the director's brainchild was able to see the light of day, and also take home three awards at the Berlin Film Festival.
In my opinion, this is one of the best war films I have ever seen. The combination of many factors allows me to call this creation a sublime category of aesthetics. Well, in order not to be unfounded in this review, I will try to explain my point of view, noting the main elements that influenced my verdict in separate points.
1. Film narration. Malick is known for his exceptional narrative, and this work of the author takes it to a whole new level, because it is narrated from the perspective of several characters, all of whom share their experiences and stream of thoughts with the viewer, confessing to him. This technique, of course, benefits the film, because it makes the viewer a direct participant in the story, a part of it.
2. Soundtrack. Now about the composer, I believe that Hans Zimmer needs no introduction, because there is no doubt about his composing skills. For this film, he composed an incredible collection of soundtracks that make certain scenes give you goosebumps and take your breath away.
3. Image. The landscapes are amazing, the framing is excellent, the battle scenes look super realistic and terrifying, and the immersive camera that follows the characters through thorny paths deserves applause.
4. Main role. It is impossible not to mention the expressive acting of all the actors, but in particular the role of the key figure of the work in the person of James Caviezel. Because it is he who conducts a dialogue with death itself throughout the entire film, and not necessarily verbal, because one of his glances or a barely noticeable movement of facial expressions is already enough to understand everything that is happening in the scene. His off-screen philosophical reasoning and rhetorical questions really impress me, and the ambiguity of the words he uttered at the very beginning of the film will make me think more than once towards the end of the film:
"I wondered how it'd be like when I died, what it'd be like to know this breath now was the last one you was ever gonna draw. I just hope I can meet it the same way she did, with the same... calm. 'Cause that's where it's hidden - the immortality I hadn't seen."
I believe that all this together brings the director's author's style to a new level of his creativity.
And as a result, it should be noted that this movie perfectly demonstrates all the horrors of war. Here even a tough lieutenant colonel can shed tears, a sergeant can make a stupid mistake, and privates can go crazy right on the battlefield. Through the screen, the viewer sees how fragile human life is, how much pain, suffering, physical and psychological harm war brings, what impact it has on nature and how many lives it ultimately destroys. Bravo Malik, bravo to the entire film crew!
"One man looks at a dying bird and thinks there's nothing but unanswered pain. But death's got the final word. It's laughing at him. Another man sees that same bird, feels the glory. Feels something smiling through him".
Days of Heaven (1978)
"You're only on this earth once. And to my opinion as long as you around you should have it nice".
So, before us is the second film by the talented director Terrence Malick, which managed to win an Oscar for cinematography, and also once again received recognition among many critics around the world. Soon, thanks to this film, the author's subsequent works will begin to acquire that same "Malick's style" with frequent use of a hand-held camera and many scenes filmed in the "golden hour", and of course, a sea of improvisation from the actors.
Before discussing why this film can be called absolutely excellent, it should be noted that the director was clearly inspired by the work of the famous American painter Andrew Wyeth "Christina's World", I think this can be seen with the naked eye.
Well, now to the film itself, and here I want to say: Malick once again tried hard, because despite the fact that the main part of the plot tells us about the events on the same lonely farm as Wyeth portrayed it in his film, what happens at viewing does not seem boring and, on the contrary, this creation looks extremely cheerful, for which we should thank the excellent work of the cameraman, costume designers, as well as the work with the crowd, by the way, it perfectly decorates the frame and, I would even say, gives liveliness to the work.
Along with the gorgeous video sequence, there is an ideal musical accompaniment from the Italian composer Ennio Morricone, and the Aquarium of Camille Saint-Saëns here generally sounds fabulously incredible, this melody seems to say that all the heroes' plans for the rich farm owner are nothing more than dreams.
I think that in the end the movie turned out to be very balanced and, for sure, memorable. All I can do is once again praise Terry for such a high-quality work.
Badlands (1973)
"When the leaves rustled overhead, it was like the spirits were whispering about all the little things that bothered 'em".
The first feature-length debut of director Terrence Malick today has a rating of over 90 points from film critics, and this work can often be seen in the lists of "best films" or "films that everyone should see," etc.
What actually makes people make such conclusions? And the answer actually lies on the surface, and all because Malick is the undisputed genius of existential cinema, who managed to competently fit his work into such a short running time, without sacrificing either aesthetic shots or accelerating the development of the plot, and therefore he managed to create a sense of continuity narratives. By the way, not without the help of the soundtrack, it, by the way, sounds great and stands out thanks to the talented work in collaboration of two German expressionist composers - Carl Orff and Gunild Keetman.
In addition, this is due to the competent selection of actors for the role of the main characters in the person of the charismatic Martin Sheen, who is so similar to James Dean, and the charming Sissy Spacek, and of course, Malick's exceptional ability to capture and demonstrate to the viewer the very Dasein that Martin Heidegger wrote about .
Perhaps, due to the combination of these factors, as well as thanks to the director's narrative skill, such a value judgment comes, because this work is looked at in one go, and also leaves behind a pleasant aftertaste.
This film is a good introduction to Terrence Malick and I highly recommend watching it, you won't be disappointed.