Filmmaker Terrence Malick is renowned for quirky brilliance, but the director of "Thin Red Line" and "The Tree of Life" is also notorious for his steadfast refusal to have anything to do with the press. Not even online statements or a 10-second Skype session. He just doesn't do them.
But even Malick still needs to promote his work now and then, so for "Voyage of Time," producer Sophokles Tasioulis was in Tokyo last month to promote the film in his stead.
"Voyage of Time" is a tight 90-minute documentary about the Earth's past and the possible future of the human race, and according to producer Tasioulis, Malick had been hankering to make it for the past four decades. Crammed with gorgeous, inspiring images from nature, which unfold to Cate Blanchett's dreamy voiced narration (Brad Pitt takes over the job in the IMAX version), the film is "something the Japanese audience can get behind and appreciate," said Tasioulis, whose promotional tour in Japan for "Deep Blue" (2004) ended with the ocean documentary breaking box-office records.
"The Japanese love and are very respectful of nature-themed movies," said Tasioulis. "The market here can be described as the most challenging in Asia because it's so difficult to read, but one thing is for sure: The Japanese love nature documentaries."
It remains to be seen whether Tasioulis can work the same magic for "Voyage of Time," but as a nature doc, it is well worth a look.
"Voyage of Time" opens March 10.