The New World by Robert Koehler

Robert Koehler's article, The New World, is an examination of not only the 2005 film but an analysis of Terrence Mallick's habits and trademarks as a filmmaker. In the article Koehler assuems the position of an analyst rather than a critic, exploring Mallick's consistencies as a writer/director and how he uses The New World as a vehicle for examining the natural world. Regarding Mallick's tendency toward nature, Koehler states, "Watch his camera, and it will invariably wander away, drawn by a bird, a flick of grass, a disturbance in the water" (Koehler). This reinforces the idea of Terrence Mallick's career-long interest in the natural world, obviously seen in previous works of his such as The Thin Red Line. Mallick's film, The New World, however, is unlike anything he has done since. Having shot miles of film and using nothing but natural light throughout the shoot, Mallick pulls out all the stops to make the film as authentic as possible. I feel that he succeeded tremendously of creating an atmosphere that felt real and plausible, which he achieved through ideas that were nearly thirty years in development.