Terrence Malick's The New World is one of the (if not the) best American epic films of the past 10 years. It is rare to have this kind of auteurist art-blockbuster fusion (Ang Lee's Hulk, Darren Aronofsky's The Fountain). Businesswire gives details of a new version of the film due out on DVD on October 14 of this year:
more than 30 minutes of never-before-seen footage, heightening the viewing experience with more battles, more intensity and more visual splendor. Also included is a comprehensive, ten-part documentary which captures the unique creative challenges...
It remains unclear if this is the December 2005 'Limited Release cut' that was shown before the wide commercial release of the film in January 2006 or whether this is a brand new cut (I'm hoping it is the latter) although the 30 minutes of footage (and Businesswire's headline of 'never before seen footage' strongly suggests that this is a new version (Limited Release cut = 150 minutes, Wide Release=135 minutes) . The version available now is pretty much perfect as it is, yet I am curious see what a 25% longer version of the film would look like. It would be nice to get lost in this longer version in the theatre (fingers crossed for a limited theatrical run along the lines of the Dark City treatment - both are films made by the now defunct New Line Cinema). Either way, I'm sure the Blu-Ray version is going to look pretty awesome. Maybe even a reason (along with Paprika and Zodiac) to upgrade myself.
i'm a HUGE Malick fan, and i absolutely HATED this film. i thought it was the most self-indulgent thing i'd ever seen. it's definitely his most "empty." it repeats a lot of the motifs in his other films, especially The Thin Red Line, which to me is one of the greatest films ever made. all the time i was watching New World, it felt like Malick had completely run out of ideas.
i'm of course, talking about the theatrical cut. but i don't know if i can make myself sit through it again, even though it's a different cut. here's hoping it improves on the theatrical cut, but i seriously doubt it can. will wait for reviews before subjecting myself to the torture again.
Really? I loved THE THIN RED LINE, yet I thought THE NEW WORLD was a step up. A continuation of the themes. A friend of mine [Mike Rot who wrote the linked review contributed to Twitch] often says that Malick gets better with each film and I'm inclined to agree with him. I love the 135 minute version of this film.
Cool.I dig all of Malick's films but I love DAYS OF HEAVEN to death.Its one of the few films that makes me feel like I'm transported to a dream world.
I'd like to see that rumored longer cut of THE THIN RED LINE get released someday.
this is great news; The New World was one of the few recent films that I wished was longer -- I think most stuff these days is in need of a good editor.
I too enjoyed this more than Thin Red Line. I worked with a few guys who served in the Korean War and they felt that TRL was a much more accurate depiction of combat than Saving Private Ryan (yes, yes, I know they are about WW2 but the point still stands).
I actually hope it's the 150 min original cut, or at least closely resembles it. I was lucky enough to catch it (being a HUGE Thin Red Line fan), and then when I saw the 135 min cut, I was disappointed. Both films are excellent, and the tone is similar throughout.
But a big difference for me between the two, and the reason I FAR prefer the 150 min, is the first 45 minutes of the film. This section of the 135 min cut seemed disjointed, and sloppily assembled, and indeed this is where most of the changes/omission were. The music didn't quite flow, scenes didn't flow into each other (for example- one minute he's talking to Chris Plummer, the next he's on the river looking for the Indian tribe- in the 135 min it just sort of jumps, but there's at least 5 min of setup, and well done setup, in the 150 min version).
Really, it felt like what it was- 15 minutes removed in what was likely the space of about 2-3 weeks. It was hastily done, and feels that way. I think that press release reeks of marketing speak, and "more battles" is just an attempt to get people excited. I have faith that the coming version is Malick's true vision for the film, something we haven't seen just yet but I feel is made far clearer in the longer limited release version. I'm in!
And I'd give my left arm for that five hour Thin Red Line cut.
God forbid, no! Thin Red Line is already of perfect length.
the only people allowed to make obscenely long films are Lav Diaz and Bela Tarr. period.
Best news of the month. I adore ALL Malick movies, can't wait to see this new version.