One Big Soul: An Oral History of Terrence Malick

by Paul Maher Jr.

Having won the Palme D'or at the 2011 Cannes Film Festival for his fifth film feature, The Tree of Life, film writer and Terrence Malick has become one of the most intriguing of cinema personalities. ONE BIG SOUL: AN ORAL HISTORY OF TERRENCE MALICK is the first ever full-length biography of the mysterious director of such films as Badlands, Days of Heaven, The Thin Red Line, the New World, The Tree of Life and To the Wonder. The cinematic world of Terrence Malick is explored by those that have known, worked with or experienced Terrence Malick's private universe. Using previously published interviews and articles, as well as brand-new material researched by the author, ONE BIG SOUL: AN ORAL HISTORY OF TERRENCE MALICK promises to be an instantly readable and informative account of one of the world's most reclusive and enigmatic filmmakers.

Genres: Film, Biography

247 pages, Paperback

First published August 1, 2012

About the author

Maher was born in Amarillo, Texas, where his father was stationed in the Air Force. Shortly afterwards the family moved to Lowell, Massachusetts, where Maher remained through childhood. Upon graduating from Dracut High School, he joined the United States Navy where he served in the Persian Gulf aboard the USS Ramsey. Upon discharge, Maher returned to Lowell. He attended Middlesex Community College and the University of Massachusetts Lowell, where he obtained an undergraduate degree in American studies. He later completed a master's degree in Education with a concentration in English.

From 2004 through the present, Maher authored and edited seven books for publication. He has been translated and published in five countries.

Reviews

[Todd · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fans of Terrence Malick who are hungry for information about him will love this book, which consists of comments and parts of interviews from various people (his friends, former professors, and film-making colleagues) who have known or worked with Malick. The comments and interviews are structured historically to reveal thoughts about him during various phases of his life, including chapters dedicated to each of his major films through The Tree of Life. The author/editor of the book, Paul Maher, Jr., intersperses his own comments in an attempt to fill in conceptual or historical gaps in the comments/interviews, but Maher's commentary is sketchy and often obscure; and, the book is significantly marred by numerous typographical errors (indeed, it contains by far the most typographical and rhetorical errors I have ever seen in a book). Nevertheless, it reveals a lot about how Malick and his work have affected those who have worked with him, and more importantly, it reveals many details about how the finest artist working in film goes about his business. Although I cannot begin to understand how the author would send the book to print in the shape it is in, I enthusiastically recommend this book to all Malick fans: if you are crazy in love with Terrence Malick, I guarantee that you will like this book.

[Jordan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I adore Terrence Malick — especially Tree of Life and To the Wonder. 3 stars mostly because the writing and “editing” of this book were so distracting and irritating. Too many typos to count. That being said, I loved reading about Malick, his crew, background, and philosophy for filmmaking. So inspiring! I only wish there was as much information on his newer films as there was for Badlands and Days of Heaven.

[Hendrik Thiele · Rating 5 out of 5]

Paul Maher Jr´s release truly is a must-read for everyone interested in the work and person of Hollywoods most elusive filmmaker Terrence Malick. Maher manages to put together a complex puzzle of "eyewitness-accounts" (people that worked with Malick: actors, producers, friends, etc.) that allows for a close-up personal picture about Malick, his way of working, his films as well as personal stories about him that really succeed in making Malick more a real-life person than a mystery. One can tell that "One Big Soul" hard piece of work to be produced and it was worth every page.

[Colby Allen · Rating 4 out of 5]

A completely fascinating read but marred by numerous grammatical and formatting errors. It sometimes felt like reading a first draft than a finished product. Still, an amazing undertaking by the author that I can't recommend enough for Malick fans.

[Adil Sylqa · Rating 4 out of 5]

The whole book is basically interviews of people who knew the man and the author did a good job structuring them. I wish there would be more details about the 20 years he was away but unless an autobiography is coming out that will remain wishful thinking.