Twenty years after Days Of Heaven hit the big time, Malick finally made his return to moviemaking. He started considering it as early as 1992, when he wrote numerous drafts of The Thin Red Line, a war epic that focussed on the Guadalcanal conflict in World War II.

In a working process that would become the director’s trademark, Malick crafted his first film in two decades with slow care. An early draft of The Thin Red Line was read out to him by Kevin Costner and Ethan Hawke, just so Malick could hear what it sounded like.

Finally, by 1998, he had a movie. “Terry is just an elegant gentleman and a wonderful poet,” said star Sean Penn of his director. “I wish Terry would make more films.”

Opening to overwhelmingly positive reviews, Red Line went on to receive seven Oscar nominations, including one for Malick himself in the Best Director category. The shy auteur was well and truly back...