By Scott Nye, Movie Channel Editor

I should make one thing perfectly clear – I love Terrence Malick. Never met the man, but he is a rare case of an artist who has had such a profound impact on the way I view cinema and even the way I view the world that I love him for it. If that sounds silly, well, then so be it, but if a film or director or some form of art hasn’t had that level of impact on you…be open to it. For those who know what I mean…you know what I mean.

As it stands, the 135-minute version of The New World is an incredible experience, something, to crib another critic’s words, that goes beyond cinema. I don’t expect thirty-seven more minutes to make it a better film, but certainly something worth watching.

But let’s just take a second here, because I am of two minds about this. The first was complete and utter glee at the thought of seeing Malick’s reported first cut. The second came later, when a number of people reacting to this pointed out that this is being called an Extended Cut and not a Director’s Cut. Someone pointed out that Ridley Scott’s Gladiator has a Director’s Cut and an Extended Cut, which is really just the Director’s Cut with deleted scenes inserted into the film. In other words, as we all know, longer isn’t always better, or at the very least isn’t always a director’s vision (though I usually agree with Roger Ebert’s assertion that no good movie is too long and no bad movie too short). Add to this that the trivia section on IMDb (not a grade-A source, I realize, but generally solid) states: “There are rumours that the extended cut, whilst not favoured by Malick, could appear on DVD at some point in the future.”

The conclusion that I came to is that I just don’t care. First, it’d be impossible for some guy at WHV to just insert whatever Malick cut. Malick films increasingly don’t resemble his scripts, and there’s no traditional structure to the final product. It isn’t a matter of putting a scene in between two other scenes…it’s mixing those three scenes together and all around the rest of the picture. Most of the cuts he made from the 150-minute version to the 135-minute version were, according to Matt Zoller Seitz, quite small – some things were remixed, shots were shortened – and no major set pieces were entirely removed, though the remix (for lack of a better term) did FEEL different from the original.

So what I’m saying is that the forthcoming release has to be a cut Malick made at some point. It might not be his preferred cut, but it will represent his work and I will never turn down an opportunity to see Malick’s work. It just has to. We’d know the difference. We could spot someone else’s hands in it. Couldn’t we?

Press Release follows some more New World beauty.

Burbank, Calif, June 23, 2008 - The New World, Academy Award® nominated director Terrence Malick’s (The Thin Red Line, Days of Heaven) adventure-filled journey of discovery, will be released October 14 on DVD in a new amped-up Extended Cut. This edition of the critically-acclaimed, Oscar®-nominated epic recreating the turbulent first days of the new America now features 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 – Making the New World – which captures the unique creative challenges filmmakers faced. The New World Extended Cut will sell for $19.97 SRP.

Synopsis
Powhatan tribal people stare in wonder as three ships approach shore. It’s a story every schoolchild knows; the story of Capt. John Smith (Colin Farrell) and Pocahontas (Q’orianka Kilcher). Now, as told by filmmaker Terrence Malick (Badlands, Days of Heaven, The Thin Red Line) in this extended version with more than 30 minutes of footage unseen in theaters — it’s a story you never imagined. Working in part from first-hand histories and adding his extraordinary sense of image and human drama, Malick crafts a visceral, spellbinding tale of the Jamestown settlement, of cultures connecting and of deadly consequences when connections fray. Christian Bale and Christopher Plummer also star.

Special Features
· A comprehensive, ten-part documentary Making the New World capturing the unique challenges of creating this historic epic.

The New World Extended Cut

$19.97 SRP
Feature Running Time: 172 minutes – Unrated
2:35 Letterbox
English 5.1 Surround & English 2.0
English CC, Spanish Subtitles

Scott can be reached at Snye@megazinemedia.com