Christian Bale’s failed screenwriter experiences the throes of an existential crisis with today’s new clips for Knight of Cups, Terrence Malick’s latest creative effort that is now finally nearing a release early next month.
In fact, Malick’s spiritual parable has been completed for so long that the esteemed director has already wrapped up production for new drama Weightless – also starring Christian Bale – while his long-gestating documentary Voyage of Time is still motoring on in development.
For Knight of Cups, though, Malick will be tackling weighty and universal’s themes through the lens of Bale’s screenwriter, Rick. A slave to the Hollywood system, Rick sleepwalks through life indulging in rip-roaring parties and excess – both of which you can glimpse in the snippets below – leading him to strike up relationships with a stripper (Teresa Palmer), a model (Freida Pinto) and a married woman (Natalie Portman).
Rounding out the cast for Malick’s latest are Cate Blanchett, Brian Dennehy, Antonio Banderas, Wes Bentley, Isabel Lucas, Teresa Palmer, Cherry Jones, Armin Mueller-Stahl, and Imogen Poots.
Knight of Cups is slated to finally make its bow on the big screen on March 4. Today’s new clips – entitled Della and Sensation – give you an idea of the existential whirlwind that Bale’s failed screenwriter is about to get caught up in.
Rick is a slave to the Hollywood system. He is addicted to success but simultaneously despairs at the emptiness of his life. He is at home in a world of illusions but seeks real life. Like the tarot card of the title, Rick is easily bored and needs outside stimulation. But the Knight of Cups is also an artist, a romantic and an adventurer. In Terrence Malick’s seventh film a gliding camera once again accompanies a tormented hero on his search for meaning. Once again a voiceover is laid over images which also seek their own authenticity.
And once again Malick seems to put the world out of joint. His symphonic flow of images contrasts cold, functional architecture with the ageless beauty of nature. Rick’s internal monologue coalesces with the voices of the women who cross his path, women who represent different principles in life: while one lives in the real world, the other embodies beauty and sensuality. Which path will Rick choose? In the city of angels and the desert that surrounds it, will he find his own way?
