Terrence Malicks Tree of Life Gets Longer Criterion Version
Terrence Malick has secretly been working on an extended version of The Tree of Life, which will be included by the Criterion Collection as a supplement to an enhanced special-edition Blu-ray and DVD release later this year.
The film, which won the Palme dOr at the 2011 Cannes Film Festival, has grown 50 minutes of new branches although roots might be a better metaphor, since the additional material focuses primarily on the lives of the OBrien family (characters played by Brad Pitt and Jessica Chastain) and the backstory of Jack (Sean Penn), whose search for meaning in the wake of his brothers death drives a transcendental quest unlike any previously depicted on film.
Terry doesnt see this as a directors cut, says Criterion president Peter Becker, who insists that the 139-minute theatrical version is the official directors cut and remains the centerpiece of the Blu-Ray edition. Its a fresh view of the film that has a different rhythm and a different balance.
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As cinephiles imaginations race, its important to note: The expanded 188-minute cut doesnt contain more effects shots, and the epic creation sequence remains untouched. But it restores material that Malick was exploring for the version that was shown in Cannes, including specific events and characters that were referenced only elliptically in the original film. Audiences will get specific insights into Mr. OBriens painful upbringing, meet members of Mrs. OBriens extended family, and witness a major natural catastrophe that serves as a kind of centerpiece for what Becker has been calling the new version.
At this stage, no theatrical release is planned. Criterion holds only home-video rights, but Fox has been very supportive, Becker says, and well see what the audiences demand.
http://variety.com/2018/film/news/terrence-malick-tree-of-life-longer-criterion-version-1202807034/
