View source for Terrence Malick

{{Short description|American filmmaker (born 1943)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=November 2013}}
{{Infobox person
| image              = Terrence Malick, 1993.jpg
| name               = Terrence Malick
| caption            = Malick in 1993
| birth_name         = Terrence Frederick Malick
| birth_date         = {{Birth date and age|1943|11|30}}
| birth_place        = [[Ottawa, Illinois]], U.S.
| death_date         = 
| death_place        = 
| occupation         = {{hlist|Film director|screenwriter|producer}}
| years_active       = 1969–present
| spouse             = {{plainlist|
* {{marriage|Jill Jakes<br> |1970|1976|end=divorced}}
* {{marriage|Michèle Morette<br>|1985|1998|end=divorced}}
* {{marriage|Alexandra Wallace<br>|1998}}
}}
| awards             = [[List of awards and nominations received by Terrence Malick|Full list]]
| education          = [[Harvard University]] ([[Bachelor of Arts|BA]])<br />[[Magdalen College, Oxford]]<br />[[AFI Conservatory]] ([[Master of Fine Arts|MFA]])
}}
'''Terrence Frederick Malick''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|m|æ|l|ɪ|k}}; born November 30, 1943) is an American filmmaker.<ref name="rovi">{{cite news|url=https://movies.nytimes.com/person/100893/Terrence-Malick/biography|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080616043728/http://movies.nytimes.com/person/100893/Terrence-Malick/biography|url-status=dead|archive-date=June 16, 2008|first=Jason|last=Ankeny|access-date=May 25, 2010|department=Movies & TV Dept.|work=[[The New York Times]]|date=2008|title=Terrence Malick – Biography – Movies & TV}}</ref> Malick began his career as part of the [[New Hollywood]] generation of filmmakers and received awards at the [[Cannes Film Festival]], [[Berlin International Film Festival]], and [[Venice International Film Festival]], and nominations for three [[Academy Awards]], a [[Golden Globe Award]], a [[Cesar Award]], and a [[Directors Guild of America Award]].

Malick made his feature film debut with the crime drama ''[[Badlands (film)|Badlands]]'' (1973), followed by the romantic period drama ''[[Days of Heaven]]'' (1978), which earned him a nomination for the [[Golden Globe Award for Best Director]].<ref>{{cite book|last=Hill|first=Derek|year=2008|chapter=The Movie Brats: Hollywood Regeneration|title=Charlie Kaufman and Hollywood's Merry Band of Pranksters, Fabulists and Dreamers: An Excursion Into the American New Wave|publisher=Oldcastle Books|isbn=978-1842433928}}</ref> He then directed the [[World War II]] epic ''[[The Thin Red Line (1998 film)|The Thin Red Line]]'' (1998), for which he was nominated for the [[Academy Award for Best Director]], the historical romantic drama ''[[The New World (2005 film)|The New World]]'' (2005), and the experimental [[coming-of-age]] drama ''[[The Tree of Life (film)|The Tree of Life]]'' (2011), for which he was again nominated for the [[Academy Award for Best Director]] and won the [[Cannes Film Festival]]'s [[Palme d'Or]].

Malick's directorial output became more consistent and experimental with ''[[To the Wonder]]'' (2013), ''[[Knight of Cups (film)|Knight of Cups]]'' (2015), ''[[Song to Song]]'' (2017), and ''[[A Hidden Life (2019 film)|A Hidden Life]]'' (2019). During this time he also directed the documentary film ''[[Voyage of Time]]'' (2016) about the birth and death of the universe. Malick has frequently collaborated with [[Emmanuel Lubezki]], who served as the [[Director of Photography|director of photography]] on seven of his films.

Malick's films explore themes such as [[Transcendence (philosophy)|transcendence]] and conflicts between reason and instinct as well as nature versus nurture. They typically have broad philosophical and spiritual overtones and employ meditative [[voice-over]]s by their characters. Malick's style has polarized scholars and audiences; many praise his films for their lavish cinematography and aesthetics, but others fault them for lacking plot and character development. His work has nonetheless ranked highly in retrospective decade-end and all-time polls.

==Early life and education==
[[File:Heidegger 2 (1960).jpg|thumb|140px|[[Martin Heidegger]]'s ''Vom Wesen des Grundes'' (The Essence of Reasons) was translated into English by Malick and published in 1969.]]
Malick was born in [[Ottawa, Illinois]].<ref>{{cite news|last1=Solomons|first1=Jason|authorlink=Jason Solomons|title=Terrence Malick: The return of cinema's invisible man|url=https://www.theguardian.com/theobserver/2011/jul/03/observer-profile-terrence-malick|access-date=6 July 2014|work=The Guardian|date=2 July 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last1=Walsh|first1=David|title=A horrible state of war|url=https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/1999/01/thin-j23.html|website=www.wsws.org|date=January 23, 1999 |publisher=[[World Socialist Web Site]]|access-date=6 July 2014}}</ref> He is the son of Irene (née Thompson; 1912–2011)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.examiner-enterprise.com/sections/news/local-news/bartlesville-resident-irene-malick-mother-filmmaker-dead-99-services-today|title=Bartlesville resident Irene Malick, mother of filmmaker, dead at 99; services today|work=Examiner Enterprise|location=Bartlesville|date=December 21, 2011|access-date=February 27, 2012}}</ref> and Emil A. Malick (1917–2013),<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/examiner-enterprise/name/emil-malick-obituary?id=22993775|title=Emil A. Malick Obituary: View Emil Malick's Obituary by Examiner-Enterprise|publisher=Legacy.com|access-date=2014-05-22}}</ref> a geologist.<ref name="Lloyd">{{cite book|last1=Michaels|first1=Lloyd|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jSNCB6yCJPoC&pg=PA14&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q&f=false|title=Terrence Malick|publisher=University of Illinois Press|year=2009|isbn=978-0-252-07575-9|edition=revised|page=14}}</ref> His paternal grandparents were of [[Assyrian Americans|Assyrian]] descent from [[Urmia]],<ref name="Lloyd" /><ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nEa_33WQkDkC&pg=PT1965&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q&f=false|title=Terrence Malick: Film and Philosophy|publisher=Bloomsbury|year=2011|isbn=978-1-4411-4895-7|editor-last1=Tucker|editor-first1=Thomas Deane|editor-last2=Kendall|editor-first2=Stuart}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JMVeCAAAQBAJ&pg=PT68|title=One Big Soul: An Oral History of Terrence Malick|last= Maher|first=Paul Jr. |date=2015-02-07|publisher=Lulu Press, Inc|isbn=978-1-312-88744-2}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|author=Eric Benson|url=https://www.texasmonthly.com/arts-entertainment/the-not-so-secret-life-of-terrence-malick/|title=The Not-So-Secret Life of Terrence Malick|work=Texas Monthly|date=March 10, 2017 |access-date=March 15, 2017}}</ref> while his mother was an [[Irish Catholic]].<ref>{{cite web |first=Peter |last=Biskind |date=April 23, 2010 |url=https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2010/04/runaway-genius-199812 |title=The Runaway Genius |work=[[Vanity Fair (magazine)|Vanity Fair]] |access-date=August 6, 2023}}</ref> Malick attended [[St. Stephen's Episcopal School (Austin, Texas)|St. Stephen's Episcopal School]] in [[Austin, Texas]], while his family lived in [[Bartlesville, Oklahoma]].<ref name="Solomons">{{cite news|last=Solomons|first=Jason|title=Terrence Malick: The return of cinema's invisible man|url=https://www.theguardian.com/theobserver/2011/jul/03/observer-profile-terrence-malick|access-date=July 3, 2011|newspaper=[[The Observer]]|date=July 3, 2011}}</ref>

Malick had two younger brothers, Chris and Larry. Larry Malick was a guitarist who went to study in Spain with [[Andrés Segovia]] in the late 1960s. In 1968, Larry intentionally broke his own hands due to pressure over his musical studies.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/features/the-secret-life-of-terrence-malick-2288183.html|title=The secret life of Terrence Malick|date=2011-05-24|website=The Independent|language=en|access-date=2019-03-22}}</ref> Their father Emil went to Spain to help Larry, but his son died shortly after, possibly by suicide.<ref>Biskind, Peter. ''Easy Riders, Raging Bulls'', Simon and Schuster, 1998. pp.248–249.</ref> The early death of Malick's younger brother has been explored and referenced in his films ''[[The Tree of Life (film)|The Tree of Life]]'' (2011) and ''[[Knight of Cups (film)|Knight of Cups]]'' (2015).<ref name=":4">{{Cite news|title=Terrence Malick's Personal Period|url=https://slate.com/culture/2013/04/terrence-malicks-personal-period-to-the-wonder-and-tree-of-life-are-remarkably-autobiographical.html |newspaper=Slate|date=2013-04-13|access-date=2016-02-10|issn=1091-2339|language=en-US|first=Forrest|last=Wickman}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Berlinale 2015. Dialogues: Terrence Malick's "Knight of Cups" on Notebook {{!}} MUBI|url=https://mubi.com/notebook/posts/berlinale-2015-dialogues-terrence-malicks-knight-of-cups|website=mubi.com|date=February 10, 2015 |access-date=2016-02-10}}</ref>

Malick graduated from [[Harvard College]] in 1965 with a [[Bachelor of Arts]], ''[[Latin honors#United States|summa cum laude]]'', and was elected to [[Phi Beta Kappa]]. He received a [[Rhodes Scholarship]], which he used to study philosophy at [[University of Oxford|Oxford University]]'s [[Magdalen College, Oxford|Magdalen College]]. After a disagreement with his advisor, [[Gilbert Ryle]], over Malick's thesis on the concept of world in [[Søren Kierkegaard|Kierkegaard]], [[Martin Heidegger|Heidegger]], and [[Ludwig Wittgenstein|Wittgenstein]], Malick left Oxford without a degree.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7oQEgW8u4kcC&pg=PA80|title=Terrence Malick: Film and Philosophy|editor-last1=Tucker|editor-first1=Thomas Deane|editor-last2=Kendall|editor-first2=Stuart|publisher=Bloomsbury|year=2011|isbn=978-1-4411-4895-7 }}</ref> In 1969, [[Northwestern University Press]] published Malick's translation of Heidegger's ''Vom Wesen des Grundes'' as ''The Essence of Reasons''.

After returning to the United States, Malick taught philosophy at the [[Massachusetts Institute of Technology]] while freelancing as a journalist. He wrote articles for ''[[Newsweek]]'', ''[[The New Yorker]]'', and ''[[Life (magazine)|Life]]''.<ref name="The Terrence Malick file">{{cite news|url=https://www.usatoday.com/life/movies/news/2005-12-15-malick_x.htm|work=USA Today|title=The Terrence Malick file|first1=Scott|last1=Bowles|date=December 16, 2005|access-date=May 25, 2010}}</ref>

==Film career==
=== 1969–1978: Film debut and acclaim ===
[[File:Terrence Malick, Days of Heaven.png|thumb|left|190px|Malick filming ''[[Days of Heaven]]'' (1978)]]
Malick started his film career after earning an [[Master of Fine Arts|MFA]] from the brand-new [[AFI Conservatory]] in 1969, directing the short film ''[[Lanton Mills]]''. At the AFI, he established contacts with people such as actor [[Jack Nicholson]], longtime collaborator [[Jack Fisk]], and agent [[Mike Medavoy]], who procured for Malick freelance work [[script doctor|revising scripts]]. He wrote early uncredited drafts of ''[[Dirty Harry]]'' (1971) and ''[[Drive, He Said]]'' (1971), and is credited with the screenplay for ''[[Pocket Money]]'' (1972).<ref>{{cite web|author=Scott B.|url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2002/02/19/featured-filmmaker-terrence-malick|title=Featured Filmmaker: Terrence Malick|publisher=IGN|date=February 19, 2002|access-date=November 15, 2021}}</ref> Malick also co-wrote ''[[The Gravy Train]]'' (1974) under the pseudonym David Whitney.

Malick's first feature-length work as a director was ''[[Badlands (film)|Badlands]]'', an [[independent film]] starring [[Martin Sheen]] and [[Sissy Spacek]] as a young couple on a crime spree in the 1950s Midwest. It was influenced by the crimes of convicted teenage spree killer [[Charles Starkweather]].<ref>{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.newyorker.com/culture/richard-brody/dvd-of-the-week-badlands|title=DVD of the Week: Badlands|first=Richard|last=Brody|magazine=[[The New Yorker]]|authorlink=Richard Brody|date=August 30, 2011|via=www.newyorker.com}}</ref> Malick raised half the budget by approaching people outside of the industry, including doctors and dentists, and by contributing $25,000 from his personal savings. The rest was raised by executive producer [[Edward R. Pressman]].<ref>{{cite web|last=Gilbey|first=Ryan|url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2008/aug/22/drama|title=The start of something beautiful|work=The Guardian|date=22 August 2008}}</ref><ref>{{citation|last=Walker|first=Beverly|url=https://www.eskimo.com/~toates/malick/art6.html|title=Malick on Badlands|work=[[Sight and Sound]]|series=44|issue=2|pages=82–83|date=Spring 1975|via=Eskimo North}}</ref> After a troubled production that included many crew members leaving halfway through, ''Badlands'' drew raves upon its premiere at the [[New York Film Festival]]. As a result, [[Warner Bros.]] bought distribution rights for three times its budget.<ref name="Stafford">{{cite news|author-link=Jeff Stafford|first=Jeff|last=Stafford|title=Badlands|url=https://www.tcm.com/this-month/article/87364|work=Turner Classic Movies|year=2008|access-date=October 19, 2010}}</ref>

[[File:Malick, Days of Heaven.jpg|thumb|Malick during production of the 1978 film ''[[Days of Heaven]]'']]
Malick's second film was the [[Paramount Pictures|Paramount]]-produced ''[[Days of Heaven]]'', about a love triangle that develops in the farm country of the [[Texas Panhandle]] in the early 20th century. Production began in the fall of 1976 in [[Alberta|Alberta, Canada]]. The film was mostly shot during the [[Golden hour (photography)|golden hour]], with primarily natural light. Much like Malick's first feature, ''Days of Heaven'' had a lengthy and troubled production, with several members of the production crew quitting before shooting was finished, mainly due to disagreements with Malick's idiosyncratic directorial style.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://surprisinglycompetentmedia.co.uk/2015/02/26/only-in-the-70s-days-of-heaven-1978/|title=Only in the 70s: Days of Heaven (1978)|date=February 26, 2015|access-date=March 25, 2017}}{{Dead link|date=August 2025 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> The film likewise had a troubled post-production phase. [[Billy Weber]] and Malick spent two years editing it, during which they experimented with unconventional editing and voice-over techniques once they realized the picture they had set out to make would not fully work.<ref>Biskind, Peter. ''Easy Riders, Raging Bulls'', Bloomsbury, 1998. pp.296–297.</ref>

''Days of Heaven'' was finally released in 1978 to mostly positive responses from critics.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.moma.org/explore/inside_out/2014/08/05/terrence-malicks-days-of-heaven/|title=Terrence Malick's ''Days of Heaven''|publisher=Museum of Modern Art|access-date=December 16, 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nEa_33WQkDkC&pg=PT115|title=Terrence Malick: Film and Philosophy|editor-last1=Tucker|editor-first1=Thomas Deane|editor-last2=Kendall|editor-first2=Stuart|publisher=Bloomsbury|year=2011|isbn=9781441148957 }}</ref> Its cinematography was widely praised, although some found its story lackluster.<ref>{{cite news|last=Eng|first=Monica|title=''Days of Heaven''|work=[[Chicago Tribune]]|date=October 9, 1978|url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/1999/01/17/days-of-heaven-2/|access-date=December 16, 2016 }} "Some critics have complained that the ''Days of Heaven'' story is too slight."</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/great-movie-days-of-heaven-1978|title=Days of Heaven Movie Review & Film Summary (1978)|last=Ebert|first=Roger|date=December 7, 1997}}</ref> In ''The New York Times'', Harold C. Schonberg wrote that it "is full of elegant and striking photography; and it is an intolerably artsy, artificial film."<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=EE05E7DF173EE767BC4C52DFBF668383669EDE|title=Movie Review – Days of Heaven|last=Schonberg|first=Harold C.|newspaper=The Washington Post|date=September 14, 1978}}</ref> It won the [[Academy Award for Best Cinematography]] and the prize for Best Director at the [[1979 Cannes Film Festival]]. Its reputation has since improved,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://moviemezzanine.com/the-terrence-malick-retrospective-days-of-heaven/|title=The Terrence Malick Retrospective: Days of Heaven|last=Runyon|first=Christopher|publisher=Movie Mezzanine|date=March 28, 2013|access-date=December 16, 2016}} "you simply can't take up a list of 'rediscovered classics' without mentioning Terrence Malick's follow-up to ''Badlands''"</ref> having been voted one of the 50 greatest American films ever made in a 2015 critics' poll published by the [[BBC]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bbc.com/culture/story/20150720-the-100-greatest-american-films|title=The 100 greatest American films|publisher=BBC|date=July 20, 2015|access-date=October 19, 2016}}</ref>

Following the release of ''Days of Heaven'', Malick began developing a project for Paramount, titled ''Q'', that explored the origins of life on earth. During pre-production, he suddenly moved to Paris and disappeared from public view for years.<ref name="Biskind">{{cite magazine|last=Biskind|first=Peter|title=The Runaway Genius|magazine=Vanity Fair|date=August 1999|url=https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/classic/features/runaway-genius-199812|access-date=October 20, 2010 }}</ref> During this time, he wrote a number of screenplays, including ''The English Speaker'', about [[Josef Breuer]]'s analysis of [[Anna O.]]; adaptations of [[Walker Percy]]'s novel ''[[The Moviegoer]]'' and [[Larry McMurtry]]'s ''The Desert Rose'';<ref name="Biskind"/> a script about [[Jerry Lee Lewis]]; and a stage adaptation of the Japanese film ''[[Sansho the Bailiff]]'' that was to be directed by Polish filmmaker [[Andrzej Wajda]], in addition to continuing work on the ''Q'' script.<ref>{{cite news|last=Gillis|first=Joe|title=Waiting for Godot|work=[[Los Angeles (magazine)|Los Angeles]]|date=December 1995}}</ref> Although ''Q'' has never been made, Malick's work on the project provided material for his film ''[[The Tree of Life (film)|The Tree of Life]]''<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.timeout.com/us/film/the-tree-of-life|title=The Tree of Life|work=[[Time Out New York]]|date=May 24, 2011|access-date=May 27, 2011}}</ref> and eventually became the basis for ''[[Voyage of Time (film)|Voyage of Time]]''. Jack Fisk, a longtime production designer on Malick's films, has said Malick was shooting film during this time as well.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://nymag.com/movies/features/terrence-malick-2011-5/|last=Ebiri|first=Blige|title=Thirty-Three Years of Principal Filming|magazine=New York magazine|date=May 23, 2011|pages=84–85}}</ref>

=== 1997–2011: Return to cinema ===
Malick returned to directing in 1997 with ''[[The Thin Red Line (1998 film)|The Thin Red Line]]'', released two decades after his previous film. A loose adaptation of [[James Jones (author)|James Jones]]'s World War II [[The Thin Red Line (novel)|novel of the same name]], it features a large [[ensemble cast]], including [[Sean Penn]], [[Adrien Brody]], [[Jim Caviezel]], [[Nick Nolte]], [[Ben Chaplin]], [[Elias Koteas]], [[Woody Harrelson]], [[George Clooney]], and [[John Travolta]]. Filming took place predominantly in the [[Daintree Rainforest]] in [[Queensland, Australia]] and in the [[Solomon Islands]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.theasc.com/magazine/feb99/war/index.htm|title=The War Within|access-date=March 25, 2017}}</ref>

The film received critical acclaim,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1084146-thin_red_line/|title=The Thin Red Line|website=Rotten Tomatoes|date=December 25, 1998 |access-date=May 29, 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.metacritic.com/movie/the-thin-red-line|title=The Thin Red Line Reviews|website=Metacritic|access-date=October 22, 2016}}</ref> was nominated for seven [[Academy Awards]], and won the [[Golden Bear]] at the [[49th Berlin International Film Festival]].<ref name="Berlinale1999">{{cite web|url=http://www.berlinale.de/en/archiv/jahresarchive/1999/03_preistr_ger_1999/03_Preistraeger_1999.html|title=Berlinale: 1999 Prize Winners|access-date=February 4, 2012|work=berlinale.de}}</ref> ''The Thin Red Line'' has since been ranked among the best films of the 1990s in ''[[Complex (magazine)|Complex]]'',<ref>{{cite magazine|url=http://www.complex.com/pop-culture/2013/06/the-50-best-movies-of-the-90s/the-thin-red-line|title=The 50 Best Movies of the '90s|magazine=Complex|date=June 22, 2013|access-date=June 28, 2017|archive-date=June 20, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170620122230/http://www.complex.com/pop-culture/2013/06/the-50-best-movies-of-the-90s/the-thin-red-line|url-status=dead}}</ref> ''[[The A.V. Club]]'',<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.avclub.com/article/the-50-best-films-of-the-90s-2-of-3-86361|title=The 50 best films of the '90s (2 of 3)|website=The A.V. Club|date=October 9, 2012|access-date=June 28, 2017}}</ref> ''[[Slant Magazine|Slant]]'',<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.slantmagazine.com/features/article/the-100-best-films-of-the-1990s/P20|title=The 100 Best Films of the 1990s|magazine=Slant|date=November 5, 2012|access-date=June 28, 2017}}</ref> ''[[Paste (magazine)|Paste]]'',<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.pastemagazine.com/blogs/lists/2012/07/the-90-best-movies-of-the-1990s.html?p=7|title=The 90 Best Movies of the 1990s|last=Dunaway|first=Michael|magazine=Paste|date=July 10, 2012|access-date=June 28, 2017}}</ref> and ''[[Film Comment]]''.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.filmcomment.com/article/film-comments-best-of-the-90s-poll-part-two/|title=Film Comment's Best of the Nineties Poll: Part Two|magazine=Film Comment|date=2000|access-date=June 28, 2017}}</ref>

After learning of Malick's work on an article about [[Che Guevara]] during the 1960s, [[Steven Soderbergh]] offered Malick the chance to write and direct a film about Guevara he had been developing with [[Benicio del Toro]]. Malick accepted and produced a screenplay focused on Guevara's failed revolution in [[Bolivia]].<ref>{{cite news|last=Taubin|first=Amy|title=Guerrilla Filmmaking on an Epic Scale|work=[[Film Comment]]|date=September–October 2008|url=http://filmlinccom.siteprotect.net/fcm/so08/che.htm|access-date=May 17, 2011 }}</ref> After a year and a half, the financing had not come together entirely, and Malick was given the opportunity to direct ''[[The New World (2005 film)|The New World]]'',<ref name="malick's">{{cite news|first=Nancy|last=Tartaglione|url=http://www.screendaily.com/malicks-che-decision-deals-morale-denting-blow-to-indie-sector/4017728.article|title=Malick's Che decision deals morale-denting blow to indie sector|work=[[Screen Daily]]|date=March 10, 2004|access-date=October 20, 2010 }}</ref> a script he had begun developing in the 1970s.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.fipresci.org/undercurrent/issue_0206/sterritt_malick.htm|title=Film, Philosophy and Terrence Malick|author-link=David Sterritt|first=David|last=Sterritt|date=July 2006|work=Undercurrents|publisher=[[International Federation of Film Critics|FIPRESCI]]|access-date=October 20, 2010|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101029173810/http://fipresci.org/undercurrent/issue_0206/sterritt_malick.htm|archive-date=October 29, 2010|df=mdy-all}}</ref> He left the Guevara project in March 2004,<ref name="malick's"/> and Soderbergh took over as director, leading to the film ''[[Che (2008 film)|Che]]'' (2008). ''The New World'', based on the story of [[John Smith (explorer)|John Smith]] and [[Pocahontas]] in the Virginia Colony, was released in 2005. Over one million feet of film were shot, and three different cuts of varying length were released.

While the film was nominated for the [[Academy Award for Best Cinematography]], critical reception was divided throughout its theatrical run; many praised its visuals and acting while finding its narrative unfocused.<ref name=":0">{{cite web|url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1152954-new_world/|title=The New World Movie Reviews, Pictures|website=Rotten Tomatoes|date=January 20, 2005 |access-date=January 2, 2011}}</ref> Five critics later named ''The New World'' one of the best films of its decade,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.metacritic.com/feature/film-critics-pick-the-best-movies-of-the-decade|title=Film Critics Pick the Best Movies of the Decade|website=Metacritic|date=January 3, 2010|access-date=October 22, 2016|archive-date=April 28, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170428073436/http://www.metacritic.com/feature/film-critics-pick-the-best-movies-of-the-decade|url-status=dead}}</ref> and it ranked 39th in a 2016 [[BBC]] poll of the greatest films since 2000.<ref name="BBC2016">{{cite web|url=http://www.bbc.com/culture/story/20160819-the-21st-centurys-100-greatest-films|title=The 21st century's 100 greatest films|publisher=BBC|date=August 23, 2016|access-date=October 9, 2016}}</ref>

[[File:Terrence Malick, tree of life premier.jpg|thumb|Malick at the [[Cannes Film Festival]] premiere of ''[[The Tree of Life (film)|The Tree of Life]]'']]
Malick's fifth feature, ''[[The Tree of Life (film)|The Tree of Life]]'', was filmed in [[Smithville, Texas]], and elsewhere during 2008. Starring [[Brad Pitt]], [[Jessica Chastain]], and [[Sean Penn]], it is a family drama spanning multiple time periods; it focuses on an individual's struggle to reconcile love, mercy and beauty with the existence of illness, suffering and death. It premiered at the [[2011 Cannes Film Festival]],<ref name="Cannes">{{cite web|url=http://www.festival-cannes.com/en/article/58041.html|title=Festival de Cannes: Official Selection|access-date=April 14, 2011|work=Cannes}}</ref> where it won the [[Palme d'Or]]. It later won the [[International Federation of Film Critics|FIPRESCI Award]] for the Best Film of the Year. At the [[84th Academy Awards]], it was nominated for three awards, including the [[Academy Award for Best Picture]],<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wKNNoEPaiGw|title=The Artist Wins Best Picture: 2012 Oscars|date=February 26, 2012 |via=www.youtube.com}}</ref> [[Academy Award for Best Director|Best Director]] for Malick, and [[Academy Award for Best Cinematography|Best Cinematography]] for [[Emmanuel Lubezki]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VTV8mJ25wJ0|title=Hugo Wins Cinematography: 2012 Oscars|date=March 2012 |via=www.youtube.com}}</ref> A limited theatrical release in the United States began on May 27, 2011.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://ew.com/article/2010/10/26/tree-of-life-release-date/|title=Excess Hollywood: 'Tree of Life' nabs release date|first1=Kate Ward Updated|last1=October 26|first2=2010 at 08:52 PM|last2=EDT|website=EW.com|access-date=August 19, 2019|archive-date=October 2, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231002155115/https://ew.com/article/2010/10/26/tree-of-life-release-date/|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Malick scholars Christopher B. Barnett and Clark J. Elliston wrote that it became "arguably [Malick's] most acclaimed work".<ref name="Barnett"/> It was voted the 79th greatest American film of all time in a 2015 [[BBC|BBC Culture]] poll of 62 international film critics.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.bbc.com/culture/story/20150720-the-100-greatest-american-films|title=The 100 greatest American films|publisher=BBC|date=July 20, 2015}}</ref> The work was also ranked the seventh-greatest film since 2000 in a worldwide critics' poll by BBC.<ref name="BBC2016"/>

=== 2012–2017: Career fluctuations ===
Malick's sixth feature, ''[[To the Wonder]]'',<ref name="filmratings">{{cite web|url=http://filmratings.com/search.html?filmTitle=to+the+wonder&x=49&y=5|title=To The Wonder rating|publisher=Filmratings.com|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170303201646/http://filmratings.com/search.html?filmTitle=to+the+wonder&x=49&y=5|archive-date=March 3, 2017|df=mdy-all}}</ref> was shot predominantly in [[Bartlesville, Oklahoma]]; a few scenes were filmed in [[Pawhuska, Oklahoma]], and at the Tulsa Port of Catoosa.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://hollywood-elsewhere.com/2012/08/wonder_based_on.php|title=Wonder Based on Malick's Romantic Past|first=Jeffrey|last=Wells|date=August 19, 2012|publisher=hollywood-elsewhere.com|access-date=September 30, 2012|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120922163640/http://hollywood-elsewhere.com/2012/08/wonder_based_on.php|archive-date=September 22, 2012|df=mdy-all}}</ref> The film stars [[Ben Affleck]], [[Rachel McAdams]], [[Olga Kurylenko]], and [[Javier Bardem]].<ref name="tulsaworld">{{cite web|url=http://www.tulsaworld.com/scene/article.aspx?subjectid=268&articleid=20101005_268_0_BARTLE615180|title='Untitled' Malick film is official, shooting in Bartlesville|first=Laura|last=Summers|date=October 5, 2010|publisher=Tulsaworld.com|access-date=January 2, 2011}}</ref> ''To the Wonder'' had its world premiere at the [[69th Venice International Film Festival]] on September 2, 2012, and opened theatrically in the U.S. on April 12, 2013. Critical response to the film was markedly divided, and it has been called "arguably [Malick's] most derided".<ref name="Barnett">{{cite book|editor1-last=Barnett|editor1-first=Christopher B.|editor2-last=Elliston|editor2-first=Clark J.|title=Theology and the Films of Terrence Malick|year=2016|publisher=[[Routledge]]|isbn=978-1317588276|chapter=Preface|quote=''The New World'' encountered a split reception upon its release in 2005. And yet, as will be mentioned later, the film has grown in stature with time ... Malick followed ''The Tree of Life'', arguably his most acclaimed film, with ''To the Wonder'', arguably his most derided one ... It is too early, then, to analyze the reception of ''Knights of Cups'', though early indications are that, like ''To the Wonder'', critical response will be wildly inconsistent.|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=TlXUDAAAQBAJ&pg=PT18|access-date=January 30, 2017}}</ref>

On November 1, 2011, Filmnation Entertainment announced international sales for Malick's next two projects: ''Lawless'' (later released as ''[[Song to Song]]'') and ''[[Knight of Cups (film)|Knight of Cups]]''. Both films have large ensemble casts, with many actors appearing in both. The films were shot back-to-back in 2012, ''Song to Song'' primarily in [[Austin, Texas]], and ''Knight of Cups'' in Los Angeles and [[Las Vegas]].<ref>{{cite web|work=FilmNation Entertainment|title=FilmNation continues relationship with Terrence Malick on two new films|url=http://www.wearefilmnation.com/news/2011/11/1/filmnation-continues-relationship-with-terrence-malick-on-tw.html|date=November 1, 2011|access-date=November 3, 2011|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111103105823/http://www.wearefilmnation.com/news/2011/11/1/filmnation-continues-relationship-with-terrence-malick-on-tw.html|archive-date=November 3, 2011|df=mdy-all }}</ref> During the weekend of September 16, 2011, Malick and a small crew were seen filming Christian Bale and Haley Bennett at the [[Austin City Limits Music Festival]] as part of preliminary shooting for ''Song to Song''.<ref name="lawless">{{cite web|work=[[IndieWire]]|access-date=November 10, 2011|date=November 4, 2011|url=http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/set_pics_of_ryan_gosling_rooney_mara_shooting_terrence_malicks_lawless|title=Set Pics of Ryan Gosling & Rooney Mara Shooting Terrence Malick's 'Lawless'|first=Kevin|last=Jagernauth}}</ref> Malick was also seen directing Ryan Gosling and [[Rooney Mara]] at the [[Fun Fun Fun Fest]] on November 4, 2011.<ref name="lawless"/><ref>{{cite web|author=Griffin, T. S.|url=https://www.brooklynvegan.com/new-terrence-ma/|work=Brooklyn Vegan|access-date=November 10, 2011|date=November 5, 2011|title=New Terrence Malick movie being filmed at Fun Fun Fun Fest (Ryan Gosling included)}}</ref> ''Knight of Cups'' had its world premiere at the [[Berlin International Film Festival]] in February 2015, and was met with mixed reactions.<ref>{{Cite web|title="Awful!" vs. Applause: Terrence Malick's Knight of Cups {{!}} Filmmaker Magazine|first=Andrew|last=Grant|url=http://filmmakermagazine.com/93036-awful-vs-applause-terrence-malicks-knight-of-cups/|work=[[Filmmaker (magazine)|Filmmaker]]|date=February 9, 2016|access-date=February 10, 2016}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Knight of Cups: Look, But Don't Touch|url=http://filminquiry.com/knight-of-cups-2015-review/|work=Film Inquiry|first=Alex|last=Lines|date=November 19, 2015|access-date=February 10, 2016}}{{Dead link|date=August 2025 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.berlinale.de/en/presse/pressemitteilungen/alle/Alle-Detail_25493.html|title=Berlinale 2015: Malick, Dresen, Greenaway and German in ''Competition''|publisher=www.berlinale.de|date=December 15, 2014|access-date=January 30, 2017}}</ref> It was released in the U.S. on March 4, 2016, by [[Broad Green Pictures]].<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://ew.com/article/2015/07/23/knight-cups-sets-2016-release-date/|title=Terrence Malick's Knight of Cups sets 2016 release date|magazine=[[Entertainment Weekly]]|first=Andrea|last=Towers|date=July 23, 2015|access-date=January 30, 2017}}</ref>

''Song to Song'' had its world premiere at [[South by Southwest]] on March 10, 2017, before being released theatrically in the U.S. on March 17 by Broad Green Pictures, and was met with mixed reactions.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://deadline.com/2017/01/malicks-song-to-song-to-open-sxsw-2017-as-initial-slate-announced-1201878875/|title=Terrence Malick's 'Song To Song' To Open SXSW 2017|website=[[Deadline Hollywood]]|first=Ross|last=A. Lincoln|date=January 5, 2017|access-date=January 30, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.indiewire.com/2017/01/song-to-song-photo-terrence-malick-release-date-1201760632/|title='Song to Song' First Look: Terrence Malick's Austin-Set Romantic Drama Lands New Title and Official Premise (Exclusive)|work=IndieWire|first=Michael|last=Nordine|date=January 3, 2017|access-date=January 30, 2017}}</ref> Concurrent with these two features, Malick continued work on an [[Imax]] documentary, ''[[Voyage of Time]]'', that examines the birth and death of the known universe. ''[[The Hollywood Reporter]]'' called it "a celebration of the Earth, displaying the whole of time, from the birth of the universe to its final collapse." The film is the culmination of a project Malick had been working on for over 40 years, and has been described by Malick as "one of my greatest dreams".<ref>{{Cite web|title=Terrence Malick's 'Voyage Of Time' Will Push The Boundaries Of Documentary Form {{!}} Tribeca|url=https://tribecafilm.com/stories/terrence-malick-voyage-of-time-documentary|website=Tribeca|access-date=2016-02-10}}</ref> It features footage Malick and collaborators shot over the years, and expands on the footage that special effects luminaries [[Douglas Trumbull]] ([[2001: A Space Odyssey (film)|''2001'']]) and Dan Glass (''[[The Matrix]]'') created for ''The Tree of Life''. It was released in two versions: a 40-minute IMAX version (''Voyage of Time: The IMAX Experience'') with narration by [[Brad Pitt]], and a 90-minute feature-length version (''Voyage of Time: Life's Journey'') with narration by [[Cate Blanchett]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2015/feb/04/terrence-malick-voyage-of-time-imax-brad-pitt-cate-blanchett|title=Terrence Malick finally embarks on Voyage of Time –&nbsp;twice|first=Ben|last=Child|date=February 4, 2015|access-date=March 25, 2017|newspaper=The Guardian}}</ref> The feature-length version had its world premiere on September 7, 2016, at the [[73rd Venice International Film Festival]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://deadline.com/2016/07/venice-film-festival-2016-lineup-full-list-1201794095/|title=Venice Film Festival: Lido To Launch Pics From Ford, Gibson, Malick & More As Awards Season Starts To Buzz – Full List|first=Nancy|last=Tartaglione|date=July 28, 2016|access-date=March 25, 2017}}</ref> The IMAX version was released on October 7, 2016, by [[IMAX Corporation]] and Broad Green Pictures.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.imax.com/content/imax-corporation-reports-first-quarter-2016-financial-results-highlights|title=IMAX Corporation Reports First-Quarter 2016 Financial Results Highlights|date=April 21, 2016 |access-date=March 25, 2017}}</ref>

=== 2019–present ===
Malick's next film, ''[[A Hidden Life (2019 film)|A Hidden Life]]'', depicts the life of Austria's [[Franz Jägerstätter]], a [[conscientious objector]] during World War II who was put to death at age 36 for undermining military actions and was later declared a martyr and [[beatified]] by the [[Catholic Church]]. [[August Diehl]] stars as Jägerstätter, with [[Valerie Pachner]] as his wife, Franziska.<ref name="filmstage">{{cite web|url=https://thefilmstage.com/news/terrence-malick-announces-next-film-radegund-based-on-the-life-of-franz-jagerstatter/|title=Terrence Malick Announces Next Film 'Radegund,' Based on the Life of Franz Jägerstätter|work=The Film Stage|date=June 22, 2016 |access-date=June 23, 2016}}</ref> The film was shot in [[Studio Babelsberg]] in [[Potsdam]], Germany, in the summer of 2016, and in parts of northern Italy, such as [[Brixen]], [[South Tyrol]], and the small mountain village of [[Sappada]].<ref name="filmstage"/><ref>{{cite web|url=https://thefilmstage.com/trailer/trailer-for-the-thin-red-line-restoration-arrives-as-terrence-malick-commences-radegund-shoot/|title=Trailer For 'The Thin Red Line' Restoration Arrives as Terrence Malick Commences 'Radegund' Shoot|date=August 11, 2016|work=The Film Stage|access-date=March 25, 2017}}</ref> It was released in 2019. Malick has said that, compared to his more recent films, with ''A Hidden Life'' he had "repented and gone back to working with a much tighter script".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://lwlies.com/articles/terrence-malick-live-appearance-digital-filmmaking/|title=Terrence Malick talks filmmaking at a rare public speaking event|last=Bruno|first=Christopher|work=[[Little White Lies (magazine)|Little White Lies]]|date=October 27, 2016|access-date=December 5, 2016}}</ref>

In August<ref>Archived at [https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/ilhz7EImPVc Ghostarchive]{{cbignore}} and the [https://web.archive.org/web/20181228193436/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ilhz7EImPVc&gl=US&hl=en Wayback Machine]{{cbignore}}: {{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ilhz7EImPVc|title=Mon Guerlain Angelina Jolie in 'Notes of a Woman' Long Version Guerlain|last=Vienna Sound Vienna Light - Gerhard Gutscher GmbH|date=March 6, 2017|via=YouTube}}{{cbignore}}</ref> and September 2016, Malick directed a commercial, "Notes of a Woman", released on February 26, 2017,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A0O6g4LZaQI| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170228194123/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A0O6g4LZaQI&gl=US&hl=en| archive-date=2017-02-28 | url-status=dead|title=Mon Guerlain - Angelina Jolie in 'Notes of a Woman' - Long Version - Guerlain|last=Guerlain|date=February 26, 2017|via=YouTube}}</ref> for [[Guerlain|Mon Guerlain]] perfume.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.indiewire.com/2017/02/terrence-malick-perfume-commercial-angelina-jolie-guerlain-1201787344/|title=Terrence Malick Directed a Perfume Ad Starring Angelina Jolie, Because of Course He Did — Watch|last=Nordine|first=Michael|work=IndieWire|date=February 26, 2017|access-date=March 8, 2018}}</ref> Starring [[Angelina Jolie]], it was shot at her and [[Brad Pitt]]'s [[Château Miraval, Correns-Var|Château Miraval]] estate in [[Correns]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/ceciliarodriguez/2017/08/21/brad-pitt-angelina-jolie-lose-court-case-over-their-french-miraval-castle/|title=Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie Lose Court Case Over Their French Miraval Castle|last=Rodriguez|first=Cecilia|work=[[Forbes]]|date=August 21, 2017|access-date=March 8, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.liberation.fr/france/2017/08/16/brad-pitt-a-coule-ma-boite-et-s-est-approprie-mon-travail_1590305|title=Brad Pitt a coulé ma boîte et s'est approprié mon travail|last=Fansten|first=Emmanuel|work=[[Libération]]|date=August 16, 2017|access-date=March 8, 2018}}</ref> and photographed by Austrian cinematographer [[Christian Berger]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.alexbrambilla.com/commercials/mon-guerlain/|title=Spot: Mon Guerlain - Alex Brambilla - Camera Operator|date=January 1, 2018}}</ref>

==== Upcoming projects ====
On June 7, 2019, Malick reportedly started shooting his next film, code-named ''The Last Planet'', near [[Rome]], Italy.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Raup |first1=Jordan |title=Terrence Malick Begins Shooting New Film 'The Last Planet' |url=https://thefilmstage.com/news/terrence-malick-begins-shooting-new-film-the-last-planet/ |website=The Film Stage |date=June 7, 2019 |access-date=9 September 2019}}</ref> The film will tell the story of [[Jesus]]'s life through a series of parables. On September 8, the cast was revealed to include [[Géza Röhrig]] as Jesus, [[Matthias Schoenaerts]] as [[Saint Peter]], and [[Mark Rylance]] as four versions of [[Satan]].<ref>{{cite news |last1=Shoard |first1=Catherine |title=Mark Rylance to play four versions of Satan for Terrence Malick |url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2019/sep/09/mark-rylance-satan-terrence-malick-geza-rohrig-matthias-schoenaerts-the-last-planet |website=The Guardian |date=September 9, 2019 |access-date=9 September 2019}}</ref> On November 20, 2020, it was announced that the film's name would be ''[[The Way of the Wind]].''<ref>{{Cite web|last=Newman|first=Nick|date=2020-11-20|title=Terrence Malick's The Last Planet Gets New Title|url=https://thefilmstage.com/terrence-malicks-the-last-planet-gets-new-title/|access-date=2020-11-20|website=The Film Stage|language=en-US}}</ref> As of 2024, Malick was still editing the film.<ref name="Brody">{{cite web|url=https://www.newyorker.com/culture/the-front-row/the-enigmatic-artistry-of-terrence-malick|title=The Enigmatic Artistry of Terrence Malick|last=Brody|first=Richard|publisher=The New Yorker|date=13 January 2025|access-date=20 March 2025|language=en}}</ref>

==Themes and style==
Critics have noted the philosophical themes of Malick's films.<ref name="Rybin"/> According to film scholar Lloyd Michaels, Malick's main themes include "the isolated individual's desire for transcendence amidst established social institutions, the grandeur and untouched beauty of nature, the competing claims of instinct and reason, and the lure of the open road".<ref name="Rybin">{{cite book|last=Rybin|first=Steven|page=xiv|chapter=Introduction|title=Terrence Malick and the Thought of Film|year=2012|publisher=[[Rowman & Littlefield]]|isbn=978-0739166758}}</ref> He named ''Days of Heaven'' as one in a group of acclaimed films from the 1970s that were intended to revolutionize the American [[epic film|film epic]]. Like [[The Godfather (film series)|''The Godfather'' films]] (1972, 1974), ''[[Nashville (film)|Nashville]]'' (1975), and ''[[The Deer Hunter]]'' (1978), Michaels argued that the movie delves into "certain national myths" as an idiosyncratic type of Western, "particularly the migration westward, the dream of personal success, and the clash of agrarian and industrial economies".<ref name="Michaels4041"/> [[Roger Ebert]] considered Malick's body of work to have a unifying common theme: "Human lives diminish beneath the overarching majesty of the world."<ref>{{cite web|last1=Ebert|first1=Roger|title=Badlands Movie Review & Film Summary (1973)|url=https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/great-movie-badlands-1973|website=RogerEbert.com|publisher=Ebert Digital LLC|access-date=11 July 2016|date=24 June 2011}}</ref> In Ebert's opinion, Malick was among the few remaining directors who yearned "to make no less than a masterpiece".<ref name=Ebert2011TOL>{{cite web|last1=Ebert|first1=Roger|title=The Tree of Life Movie Review (2011)|url=https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-tree-of-life-2011|website=RogerEbert.com|publisher=Ebert Digital LLC|access-date=11 July 2016|date=2 June 2011}}</ref> While reviewing ''The Tree of Life'', ''[[The New York Times]]'' critic [[A. O. Scott]] compared Malick to innovative "homegrown romantics" such as the writers [[Walt Whitman]], [[Hart Crane]], [[James Agee]], and [[Herman Melville]], in the sense that their "definitive writings" also "did not sit comfortably or find universal favor in their own time" but nonetheless "leaned perpetually into the future, pushing their readers forward toward a new horizon of understanding".<ref>Scott, A. O. {{cite news|url=https://movies.nytimes.com/2011/05/27/movies/the-tree-of-life-from-terrence-malick-review.html?ref=movies&pagewanted=2|title=The Tree of Life (2011)|work=The New York Times|date=May 26, 2011 |access-date=25 September 2013 |last1=Scott |first1=A. O. }}</ref>

Malick's body of work has inspired polarized opinions. According to Michaels, "few American directors have inspired such adulation and rejection with each successive film" as Malick. Michaels said that in all of American cinema, Malick is the filmmaker most frequently "granted genius status after creating such a discontinuous and limited body of work".<ref name="Michaels4041">{{cite book|last=Michaels|first=Lloyd|pages=[https://books.google.com/books?id=jSNCB6yCJPoC&pg=PA1&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q&f=false 1], [https://books.google.com/books?id=jSNCB6yCJPoC&pg=PA40&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q&f=false 40–41]|title=Terrence Malick|publisher=University of Illinois Press|year=2009|isbn=978-0252075759}}</ref> Malick makes use of broad philosophical and spiritual overtones, such as in the form of meditative [[voice-over]]s from individual characters. Some critics feel these elements made the films engaging and unique, while others find them pretentious and gratuitous, particularly in his post-hiatus work.<ref name="LaRocca">{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UbaVBQAAQBAJ&pg=PA391|last=LaRocca|first=David|page=391|title=The Philosophy of War Films|publisher=[[The University Press of Kentucky]]|year=2014|isbn=978-0813145129}}</ref> Michaels believed the opinions ''Days of Heaven'' continues to elicit among scholars and film enthusiasts exemplify this: "The debate continues to revolve around what to make of 'its extremities of beauty', whether the exquisite lighting, painterly compositions, dreamy dissolves, and fluid camera movements, combined with the epic grandeur and elegiac tone, sufficiently compensate for the thinness of the tale, the two-dimensionality of the characters, and the resulting emotional detachment of the audience."<ref name="Michaels4041"/> ''Reverse Shot'' journalist Chris Wisniewski regarded both ''Days of Heaven'' and ''The New World'' not as "literary nor theatrical" but "principally cinematic" in their aesthetic, intimating narrative, emotional, and conceptual themes through the use of "image and sound" instead of "foregrounding dialogue, events or characters". He highlighted Malick's use of "rambling philosophical voiceovers; the placid images of nature, offering quiet contrast to the evil deeds of men; the stunning cinematography, often achieved with natural light; the striking use of music".<ref>{{cite web|last=Wisniewski|first=Chris|url=http://www.reverseshot.com/article/terrence_malick|title=Terrence Malick's Days of Heaven and The New World|work=Reverse Shot|date=26 April 2008|access-date=19 April 2011}}</ref>

==Personal life==

While the perception of Malick as a [[recluse]] is inaccurate,<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/ann-hornaday-on-terrence-malick-tree-of-life-and-the-perils-of-auteur-worship/2011/06/02/AGvQDYHH_story.html|title=Ann Hornaday on Terrence Malick, 'Tree of Life' and the perils of auteur worship|last=Hornaday|first=Ann|newspaper=The Washington Post|date=June 2, 2011|access-date=October 23, 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://lareviewofbooks.org/article/hollywood-bigfoot-terrence-malick-and-the-20-year-hiatus-that-wasnt/#!|title=Hollywood Bigfoot: Terrence Malick and the 20-Year Hiatus That Wasn't|last=Nordine|first=Michael|magazine=Los Angeles Review of Books|date=May 12, 2013|access-date=October 23, 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2011/sep/01/days-of-heaven-beautiful-film|title=Is Days of Heaven the most beautiful film ever made?|last=Thomson|first=David|newspaper=The Guardian|date=September 1, 2011|access-date=December 6, 2016}} "It was said in the press that he had disappeared, that he was a recluse who declined to become a public personality. I met him in the 90s and it turned out that there was nothing reclusive about him."</ref> he is nevertheless famously protective of his private life.<ref name="Skyarts" >{{cite web|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101007123112/http://www.skyarts.co.uk/film-docs/article/rosy-fingered-dawn-terrence-malick/|url=http://www.skyarts.co.uk/film-docs/article/rosy-fingered-dawn-terrence-malick|title=Rosy-Fingered Dawn – Terrence Malick|work=Sky Arts|date=January 10, 2010|publisher=Skyarts.co.uk|archive-date=October 7, 2010|access-date=March 21, 2012}}</ref> His contracts stipulate that his likeness may not be used for promotional purposes, and he routinely declines requests for interviews.<ref name="Biskind" /><ref name="Harvard Crimson">{{cite news|last=Davenport|first=Hayes|url=https://www.thecrimson.com/article.aspx?ref=510654|title=Alumni Watch: Terence Malick '65|work=[[The Harvard Crimson]]|date=December 15, 2005|access-date=May 3, 2007|archive-date=June 5, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110605011128/http://www.thecrimson.com/article/2005/12/15/alumni-watch-terrence-malick-65-by/|url-status=live}}</ref>

From 1970 to 1976, Malick was married to Jill Jakes.<ref name=tcm-bio>{{cite web|url=https://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/person/120355%7C0/Terrence-Malick/|title=Terrence Malick|publisher=[[Turner Classic Movies]]|access-date=June 24, 2011}}</ref> His companion in the late 1970s was director and screenwriter Michie Gleason.<ref name=tcm-bio /> In 1985 in France, he married<ref name=tcm-bio /> Michèle Marie Morette,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mocavo.com/Terrence-Malick-Michele-Morette-Williamson-County-Texas-Marriage-Record-Index-1848-2012/12445901348961676697|title=Terrence Malick Michele Morette Williamson County Texas Marriage Record|work=[[Mocavo.com]]|access-date=June 22, 2014|archive-date=February 15, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160215214549/http://www.mocavo.com/Terrence-Malick-Michele-Morette-Williamson-County-Texas-Marriage-Record-Index-1848-2012/12445901348961676697|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name=theindependent>{{cite news|title=The secret life of Terrence Malick|first=Luke|last=Blackall|date=May 24, 2011|work=[[The Independent]]|location=UK|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/features/the-secret-life-of-terrence-malick-2288183.html|access-date=May 12, 2013|archive-date=June 15, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120615034355/http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/features/the-secret-life-of-terrence-malick-2288183.html|url-status=live|quote=Michele Morette, his late ex-wife of 13 years, revealed that while they were together she wasn't allowed into his office, and that he would rather buy her a copy of a book than lend her his own.}}</ref> whom he met in Paris in 1980; in 1996, Malick asked for a divorce, which was granted.<ref name=tcm-bio /><ref name=theindependent /> Afterward he married Alexandra "Ecky" Wallace, his high-school sweetheart.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.gq.com/entertainment/movies-and-tv/201105/badlands-oral-history?printable=true|title=Badlands: An Oral History|date=May 1, 2011|first=Nathaniel|last=Penn|work=[[GQ]]|access-date=May 23, 2014|archive-date=May 23, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140523230046/http://www.gq.com/entertainment/movies-and-tv/201105/badlands-oral-history?printable=true|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Malick's semi-autobiographical film ''[[To the Wonder]]'' was inspired by his relationships with Morette and Wallace.<ref name=":4" /><ref>{{Cite news|title=Terrence Malick's To the Wonder: A Gush of Cosmic Rapture|url=https://entertainment.time.com/2013/04/11/terrence-malicks-to-the-wonder-a-gush-of-cosmic-rapture/|newspaper=[[Time (magazine)|Time]]|access-date=2016-02-10|first=R. N.|last=Corliss|authorlink=Richard Corliss}}</ref>

{{As of|2011|alt=Since at least 2011}}, Malick has lived in [[Austin, Texas]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2011/11/terrence-malick/308683/|title=Brave Thinkers 2011: Terrence Malick|author-link=Graeme C.A. Wood|first=Graeme|last=Wood|date=October 3, 2011|work=[[The Atlantic]]|access-date=February 21, 2012|archive-date=August 19, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120819040830/http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2011/11/terrence-malick/308683/|url-status=live}}</ref>

==Filmography==
{{main|Terrence Malick filmography}}

{|class="wikitable"
|-
! Year
! Title
! Distributor
|-
| 1973
| ''[[Badlands (film)|Badlands]]''
| [[Warner Bros.]]
|-
| 1978
| ''[[Days of Heaven]]''
| [[Paramount Pictures]]
|-
| 1998
| ''[[The Thin Red Line (1998 film)|The Thin Red Line]]'' 
| [[20th Century Fox]]
|-
| 2005
| ''[[The New World (2005 film)|The New World]]''
| [[New Line Cinema]]
|-
| 2011
| ''[[The Tree of Life (film)|The Tree of Life]]'' 
| [[Searchlight Pictures|Fox Searchlight Pictures]]
|-
| 2012
| ''[[To the Wonder]]'' 
| [[Magnolia Pictures]]
|-
| 2015
| ''[[Knight of Cups (film)|Knight of Cups]]'' 
| [[Broad Green Pictures]]
|-
| 2016
| ''[[Voyage of Time]]'' 
| Broad Green Pictures / [[IMAX Corporation]]
|-
| 2017
| ''[[Song to Song]]''
| Broad Green Pictures
|-
| 2019
| ''[[A Hidden Life (2019 film)|A Hidden Life]]'' 
| Fox Searchlight Pictures
|-
| TBA
| ''[[The Way of the Wind]]'' 
| 
|}

== Awards and nominations ==
{{Main list|List of awards and nominations received by Terrence Malick}}

Malick has received three [[Academy Awards|Academy Award]] nominations;<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/2012|title=2012 &#124; Oscars.org &#124; Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences|website=www.oscars.org|date=October 7, 2014 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1999|title=1999 &#124; Oscars.org &#124; Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences|website=www.oscars.org|date=November 18, 2016 }}</ref> two for [[Academy Award for Best Director|Best Director]], for ''The Thin Red Line''<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hgrbuYT9V4s|title=Steven Spielberg Wins Best Directing: 1999 Oscars|date=March 14, 2008 |via=www.youtube.com}}</ref> and ''The Tree of Life'',<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nc-UxXy_uzI|title=Michel Hazanavicius Wins Best Director: 2012 Oscars|date=February 29, 2012 |via=www.youtube.com}}</ref> and a nomination for [[Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay|Best Adapted Screenplay]] for the former film.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VbYmUl16d7E|title=Gods and Monsters and Shakespeare in Love Win Writing Awards: 1999 Oscars|date=August 26, 2013 |via=www.youtube.com}}</ref> He was awarded the [[Golden Bear]] at the [[49th Berlin International Film Festival]] for ''The Thin Red Line'', and the [[Palme d'Or]] at the [[64th Cannes Film Festival]] for ''The Tree of Life''.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2011/05/21/cannes-film-festival-winners-and-losers-plus-photos|title=Tree of Life Wins Palme D'Or at Cannes Film Festival|first=Richard|last=Porton|newspaper=The Daily Beast |date=May 21, 2011|via=www.thedailybeast.com}}</ref>

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== Sources ==
{{refbegin|30em}}
* [[Peter Biskind|Biskind, Peter]]. ''Easy Riders, Raging Bulls'', London: Bloomsbury, 1998.
* Biskind, Peter. {{Cite web |url=http://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/classic/features/runaway-genius-199812 |title='The Runaway Genius' |website=[[Vanity Fair (magazine)|Vanity Fair]] |date=April 23, 2010 |access-date=October 20, 2010 |archive-date=January 15, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110115065947/http://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/classic/features/runaway-genius-199812 |url-status=bot: unknown }}, ''Vanity Fair'', 460, December 1998, 116–125.
* [[Stanley Cavell|Cavell, Stanley]]. ''The World Viewed: Reflections on the Ontology of Film'', Enlarged Edition, Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press, 1979.
* [[Michel Chion|Chion, Michel]]. ''The Voice in Cinema'', translated by Claudia Gorbman, New York & Chichester: Columbia University Press, 1999.
* Ciment, Michel. 'Entretien avec Terrence Malick', ''Positif'', 170, June 1975, 30–34.
* Cook, G. Richardson. 'The Filming of ''Badlands'': An Interview with Terry Malick', ''Filmmakers Newsletter'', 7:8, June 1974, 30–32.
* Crofts, Charlotte. 'From the "Hegemony of the Eye" to the "Hierarchy of Perception": The Reconfiguration of Sound and Image in Terrence Malick's ''Days of Heaven''', ''Journal of Media Practice'', 2:1, 2001, 19–29.
* {{citation|last=Denson|first=G. Roger|author-link=G. Roger Denson|url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/g-roger-denson/terrence-malicks-tree-of-_b_868895.html|title=Terrence Malick's The Tree of Life Plays Garden of Eden to the Family of Man|work=[[The Huffington Post]]|date=June 6, 2011}}
* Docherty, Cameron. 'Maverick Back from the Badlands', ''The Sunday Times'', Culture, June 7, 1998, 4.
* Donougho, Martin. 'West of Eden: Terrence Malick's Days of Heaven', Postscript: Essays in Film and the Humanities, 5:1, Fall 1985, 17–30.
* {{citation|last=Ebert|first=Roger|author-link=Roger Ebert|url=http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=%2F19971207%2FREVIEWS08%2F401010327%2F1023|title=Review of ''Days of Heaven''|work=Chicago Sun-Times Inc.}}
* Fox, Terry Curtis. 'The Last Ray of Light', ''Film Comment'', 14:5, September/October 1978, 27–28.
* Fuller, Graham. 'Exile on Main Street', ''The Observer'', December 13, 1998, 5.
* Hartl, John. 'Badlands Director Ending his Long Absence', ''The Seattle Times'', March 8, 1998.
* Henderson, Brian. 'Exploring ''Badlands'''. ''Wide Angle: A Quarterly Journal of Film Theory'', Criticism and Practice, 5:4, 1983, 38–51.
* Keyser, Les. ''Hollywood in the Seventies'', London: Tantivy Press, 1981.
* Maher Jr., Paul (2014). One Big Soul: An Oral History of Terrence Malick. Upstart Crow Publishing. {{ISBN|978-1-304-59527-0}}.
* [[James Monaco|Monaco, James]]. "Badlands", ''Take One'', 4:1, September/October 1972, 32.
* Malick interview, ''American Film Institute Report'', 4:4, Winter 1973, 48.
* Newman, Kim. "Whatever Happened to Whatsisname?", ''Empire'', February 1994, 88–89.
* Riley, Brooks. "Interview with [[Nestor Almendros]]", ''Film Comment'', 14:5, September/October 1978, 28–31.
* Stivers, Clint and Kirsten F. Benson. "'What's Your Name, Kid?': The Acousmatic Voiceovers of Private Edward P. Train in ''The Thin Red Line''", ''Postscript: Essays in Film and the Humanities'', 34:2/3, 2015, 36-52.
* Telotte, J. P. "''Badlands'' and the Souvenir Drive", ''Western Humanities Review'', 40:2, Summer 1986, 101–14.
* {{citation|last=Walker|first=Beverly|url=http://www.eskimo.com/~toates/malick/art6.html|title=Malick on Badlands|work=Sight and Sound|series=44|issue=2|pages=82–83|date=Spring 1975|via=Eskimo North}}
* Wondra, Janet. "A Gaze Unbecoming: Schooling the Child for Femininity in ''Days of Heaven''", ''Wide Angle'', 16:4, October 1994, 5–22.
{{refend}}

==Further reading==
{{main|Terrence Malick bibliography}}

==External links==
{{commons category}}
* {{IMDb name|517}}
* {{YouTube|Nf74qellkok|The Films of Terrence Malick}}, movie clip compilation, 3 min.
* {{citation|url=http://www.lafuriaumana.it/index.php/archive/59-la-furia-umana-nd-10-autumn-2011|title=Dossier about Terrence Malick|work=La furia umana|type=n°10 texts: English, Spanish, French, Italian|last1=McElhaney|first1=Joe|last2=Bergala|first2=Alain|last3=Losilla|first3=Carlos|last4=Ferrari|first4=Jean-Cristophe|last5=Cappabianca|first5=Alessandro|last6=others|name-list-style=amp|editor-first=Toni|editor-last=D'Angela|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120831084307/http://www.lafuriaumana.it/index.php/archive/59-la-furia-umana-nd-10-autumn-2011|archive-date=2012-08-31|url-status=dead}}

{{Terrence Malick}}
{{Navboxes
|title = [[List of awards and nominations received by Terrence Malick|Awards for Terrence Malick]]
|list =
{{Cannes Film Festival Best Director Award}}
{{Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Best Director}}
{{Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award for Best Director}}
{{National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Director}}
{{New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Director}}
{{Online Film Critics Society Award for Best Director}}
{{San Francisco Bay Area Film Critics Circle Award for Best Director}}
{{Satellite Award Best Director}}
{{Satellite Award Best Original Screenplay}}
{{TFCA Award for Best Director}}
{{Vancouver Film Critics Circle Award for Best Director}}
}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Malick, Terrence}}
[[Category:1943 births]]
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