Serving the entertainment industry for more than two decades is a big deal, and Christopher Nolan has been doing it flawlessly. But there are several filmmakers, who played a major role in Nolan’s success. One such inspiration is Terrence Malick, who has unknowingly influenced Nolan’s works to such an extent, that today the Tenet director has turned into one of the most celebrated filmmakers.
Although the visionary director, Terrence Malick has been overlooked by the Academy Awards for years, his works have reached out to people and fans like Christopher Nolan. Hailed for his truly epic, and humanitarian films like Badlands, The Thin Red Line, and The Tree of Life, Malick’s works have transcended boundaries.
Christopher Nolan is a Fan of Terrence Malick’s Work
Often taking inspiration from incredible movies that common people aren’t even aware of, Christopher Nolan has turned into the most celebrated director in Hollywood, in recent years. Starting his career in 1998, the filmmaker made his way into the mainstream entertainment industry after his riveting project Memento.
But while Christopher Nolan rose to fame through struggle, passion, and hard work, not every director who has been his inspiration found a similar level of fame. One such filmmaker who influenced Nolan’s works and yet got personally overlooked by the Oscars is Terrence Malick.
Through different interviews, Christopher Nolan has thus spoken up about Terrence Malick and his projects. Trying to offer the filmmaker his deserved spotlight and prominence in the entertainment industry, Nolan has expressed how much he adores the director’s work. Recalling two of his films – The Thin Red Line (1998) and The Tree Of Life (2011), Nolan shared his praise.
Terrence Malick’s Visionary Work Garnered Praise
Undoubtedly, Terrence Malick’s The Thin Red Line has been one of his greatest projects, that not just Nolan but even fans have held in high regard. The 1998 war adventure narrated the tale of a group of soldiers who fight through all odds to survive and yet hope to win the war. Based on James Jones’s 1962 novel, the movie garnered immense praise.
Further, Malick’s 2011 featurette The Tree Of Life, starring Brad Pitt and Jessica Chastain has been another one-of-a-kind sci-fi fantasy that got hailed as an epic experimental coming-of-age drama. Over his decades-long legendary career, Terrence Malick has turned his rapturous vision into incredible movies that ended up serving filmmakers like Nolan in their careers.
Apart from the two abovementioned movies, Malick has also offered the industry with several other critically acclaimed projects like Happy Times (2000), A Hidden Life (2019), Days of Heaven (1978) and more. The list of the iconoclastic, maverick director’s filmography goes long, as his career spanned over four decades.
Christopher Nolan Had the Highest Praise for Terrence Malick
Thus, recalling the incredible works of the hidden gem of a director, Terrence Malick, during several interviews, Christopher Nolan has expressed his appreciation for the filmmaker. Hailing his work through his words, Nolan has held the director in his highest regard. Being a true fan of Malick’s work, the Oppenheimer helmer has even noted how a few of Malick’s films have influenced him.
As per ComingSoon, Christopher Nolan let out the inner fanboy after watching Terrence Malick‘s 2011 featurette The Tree Of Life, which debuted on Apple. Appreciating the film, alongside David Fincher, Nolan noted that Malick’s projects have a particular aura that makes his works “immediately recognizable”.
“Terrence Malick, more than almost any other filmmaker I can name, his work is immediately recognizable. His films are all very, very connected with each other and they’re very recognizably his work, but it’s very tough to put your finger on why that is or what you’re seeing in that the technique is not immediately obvious.”
“When you think of a visual style, when you think of the visual language of a film, there tends to be a natural separation of the visual style and the narrative elements. But with the greats, whether it’s Stanley Kubrick or Terrence Malick or Hitchcock, what you’re seeing is an inseparable, a vital relationship between the image and the story it’s telling.”
Sharing his honest opinion on Terrence Malick’s The Tree Of Life, Christopher Nolan also hailed The Thin Red Line as an “extraordinary vision of war” via IndieWire. Therefore, often using Malick’s works as a source of inspiration, Nolan never held back from appreciating the director who got overlooked by the Oscars.
