Days of Heaven (1978)

User Rating:

8.0/10   

Director:

Terrence Malick

Writer:

Terrence Malick (written by)

Release Date:

13 September 1978 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Romance

Tagline:

Your eyes... Your ears... Your senses... will be overwhelmed.

Plot:

A hot-tempered farm laborer convinces the woman he loves to marry their rich but dying boss so that they can have a claim to his fortune.

Plot Keywords:

Farmer | Love | Farm | Harvest | Wedding

Awards:

Won Oscar. Another 10 wins & 8 nominations

Cast

Richard Gere	...	Bill
Brooke Adams	...	Abby
Sam Shepard	...	The Farmer
Linda Manz	...	Linda
Robert J. Wilke	...	The Farm Foreman (as Robert Wilke)
Jackie Shultis	...	Linda's Friend
Stuart Margolin	...	Mill Foreman
Timothy Scott	...	Harvest Hand (as Tim Scott)
Gene Bell	...	Dancer
Doug Kershaw	...	Fiddler
Richard Libertini	...	Vaudeville Leader
Frenchie Lemond	...	Vaudeville Wrestler
Sahbra Markus	...	Vaudeville Dancer
Bob Wilson	...	Accountant
Muriel Jolliffe	...	Headmistress

Runtime:

94 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Italian

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby (35 mm prints) | 70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints)

Certification:

Canada:PG (Ontario) | Iceland:12 | Netherlands:16 | Australia:PG | Brazil:12 | Sweden:15 | USA:PG (certificate #25199) | Argentina:13 | Finland:K-16 | Spain:18 | UK:PG | West Germany:12 | Portugal:M/12

Filming Locations:

Raymond, Alberta, Canada

Company:

Paramount Pictures

Trivia:

Comedian Redd Foxx received special mention in the closing credits, for the use of one of his jokes in this exchange between Bill (Richard Gere) and Linda (Linda Manz): "I saved your life today." "How?" "I killed a shit-eating dog."

Goofs:

Factual errors: Towards the end of the movie, Bill fires three shots from a double-barreled shotgun without reloading.

Quotes:

Linda: Nobody's perfect. There was never a perfect person around. You just have half-angel and half-devil in you.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Film Geek (2005)

Soundtrack:

Swamp Dance

One of the most haunting and beautiful films ever made

If any movie could be called filmed poetry, this would be it. From its first opening shot to its last frame, there is such lyricism and emotion and beauty that it almost leaves you speechless. I have not seen this movie in years, but it still affects me and I want to write about it. There is a pervading sadness to the movie, like a memory of something wonderful that could have been, that should have been, that almost was, and is all the more tragic because it was in your hands but slipped through your fingers. This is not a movie for everyone, but if you believe that film can be one of the highest forms of art, this is the film to see.