A Critical Companion to Terrence Malick

290 Pages·2020·29.913 MB·English

by  Joshua Sikora

A Critical Companion
to Terrence Malick
Critical Companions to
Contemporary Directors
Series Editors:
AdamBarkman andAntonio Sanna
CriticalCompanionstoContemporaryDirectorscoversmanydirectorswhohavenotbeen
studied previously in academic publications and whose works nonetheless are highly
renowned nowadays. The intent of the series is to offer interesting and illuminating
interpretationsofthevariousdirectors’filmsthatwillbeaccessibletobothscholarsofthe
academic community and critically minded fans of the directors’ works. Each volume
combinesdiscussionsofadirector’soeuvrefromabroadrangeofdisciplinesandmetho-
dologies, thus offering the reader a variegated and compelling picture of the directors’
works.Inthissense,thevolumeswillbeofinterest(andwillbeinstructive)forstudents
andscholarsengagedinsubjectsasdifferentasfilmstudies,literature,philosophy,popu-
larculturestudies,religionandothers.Wewelcomeproposalsforbothmonographsand
editedcollectionsthatofferinterdisciplinaryanalyses,focusingonthecompleteoeuvreof
onecontemporarydirectorpervolume.
TitlesintheSeries
ACriticalCompaniontoTerrenceMalick,editedbyJoshuaSikora
ACriticalCompaniontoStevenSpielberg,editedbyAdamBarkmanandAntonioSanna
A Critical Companion
to Terrence Malick
Edited by
Joshua Sikora
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BritishLibraryCataloguinginPublicationInformationAvailable
LibraryofCongressCataloging-in-PublicationData
Name:Sikora,Joshua,1984–,editor.
Title:AcriticalcompaniontoTerrenceMalick/editedbyJoshuaSikora.
Description:Lanham:Rowman&Littlefield,[2021]|Includesbibliographicalreferences
andindex.|Summary:“Thiscollectionpresentscomprehensive,uniquescholarly
analysesofTerrenceMalick’sfilmsthroughthelensesofphilosophy,poetry,cinema,
andtheology”—Providedbypublisher.
Identifiers:LCCN2020035840(print)|LCCN2020035841(ebook)|ISBN
9781793608628(cloth;alk.paper)|ISBN9781793608635(ebook)
Subjects:LCSH:Malick,Terrence,1943—Criticismandinterpretation.
Classification:LCCPN1998.3.M3388C752021(print)|LCCPN1998.3.M3388(ebook)
|DDC791.4302/33092—dc23
LCrecordavailableathttps://lccn.loc.gov/2020035840
LCebookrecordavailableathttps://lccn.loc.gov/2020035841
TMThepaperusedinthispublicationmeetstheminimumrequirementsofAmerican
NationalStandardforInformationSciencesPermanenceofPaperforPrintedLibrary
Materials,ANSI/NISOZ39.48-1992.
Tomyteachers,
JohnMark,Craig,Matt,Al,andPat,
whoclearedapathandshowedthewayforward

Contents
Introduction ix
PartOne:APathofPhilosophy
1 ThinkingofFilm:WhatIsCavellianaboutMalick’sMovies? 3
DavidLaRocca
2 HereandThere:Malick’sCinemaandMcGilchrist’s“Divided
Brain” 21
AdamDaniel
3 TheBeautifulLight:TheSupernaturalistArgumentofTheThin
RedLine 41
DavidJ.Gilbert
PartTwo:APathofPoetry
4 SaturatedMeaning,PoeticPortrayal:Phenomenologyinthe
FilmsofTerrenceMalick 61
KipRedick
5 HowCanaFilmBePoetic?:TheCaseofTheThinRedLine 81
TimothyE.G.Bartel
6 FractalReader-ResponseStructure:ANewNarrativeTheoryin
theWorkofTerrenceMalick 95
JoshuaRussell
PartThree:APathofCinema
7 AuteursandMovieBrats:PlacingMalick’sExtraordinary
CareerinContext 121
DeanYamada
vii
viii Contents
8 TheSearchforTime:TerrenceMalickandAndreiTarkovskyin
Dialogue 137
AnthonyParisi
9 TheJourneyHome:AUnityofMemoryandCosmologyin
Cinema 155
JoshuaSikora
PartFour:APathofFaith
10 DisputingHenrideLubac’sNatureandGraceandJob’sEnding:
TheTreeofLifeasTheologicalDiscourse 177
NaamanWood
11 TheGiftsofDeath:VisionsofSacrificeintheWorldsof
TerrenceMalick 199
VernonW.Cisney
12 AUniversalPriesthood:TheVocationofBeingHumaninDays
ofHeavenandTotheWonder 217
MatthewAughtry
PartFive:AWayForward
13 TheSmileofLife:RecollectionsonMalickandtheWorkof
Cinema 237
RenoLauro
Index 265
AbouttheContributors 269