LYCOS RETRIEVER 
Terrence Malick: James Jones
built 140 days ago
In Badlands, his first feature-length film, Malick inaugurates what will be his lifelong portrait of the American frontier and the loneliness therein. The story follows the infamous true tale of Charlie Starkweather, who, in collusion with his 14-year-old girlfriend, went on a pointless killing spree in the upper Midwest, becoming an archetype of the futile murderer in American mythology. The character here — Kit Carruthers, played with deadpan gravity by Martin Sheen — is a self-deceiving loser who can’t come to terms with his own life in a small town in the dry Midwest. Kit’s lowly status as a garbage man in the middle of nowhere is totally at odds with his own self-image — he cultivates a vague resemblance to James Dean by slicking back his hair, squinting, leaning on cars, and putting cigarettes in his sleeve. The appearance seems genuine at first, but we’re provided with glimpses that indicate Kit is clumsy and clueless — a fairly pathetic simulacrum.
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This serious-minded but flawed effort at bringing James Jones's later World War II novel to the screen might have languished in film vaults had reclusive director Terence Malick not resurfaced with a newer version, the likely spur to this video release. This first attempt, lensed in 1964, offers glimpses of what may have attracted Malick to the project.
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Emmanuel Lubezki’s gorgeous cinematography is highly reminiscent of the work of cameramen on Malick’s previous films, as is the poetic use of sound effects and existing music. James Horner is officially credited with the score, but Malick leans heavily on Mozart and especially Wagner to create a mood.
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James Jones