Days of Heaven (1978)

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.

Director:

Terrence Malick

Writer:

Terrence Malick

Stars:

Richard Gere, Brooke Adams, Sam Shepard

Won 1 Oscar. Another 12 wins & 8 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
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

Storyline

Bill and Abby, a young couple who to the outside world pretend to be brother and sister are living and working in Chicago at the beginning of the century. They want to escape the poverty and hard labour of the city and travel south. Together with the girl Linda (who acts as the narrator in the movie) they find employment on a farm in the Panhandle, Texas. When the harvest is over the young, rich and handsome farmer invites them to stay because he has fallen in love with Abby. When Bill and Abby discover that the farmer is seriously ill and has only got a year left to live they decide that Abby will accept his wedding proposal in order to make some benefit out of the situation. When the expected death fails to come, jealousy and impatience are slowly setting in and accidents become eventually inevitable.

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Plot Keywords:

farm | love | farmer | wedding | dying | 

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Taglines:

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

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Genres:

Drama | Romance

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Italian

Release Date:

13 September 1978 (USA)

Also Known As:

Días de gloria

Filming Locations:

Raymond, Alberta, Canada

Box Office

Budget:

$3,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Paramount Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

94 min

Sound Mix:

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

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The visual motif of the far-off farmhouse surrounded by wheat fields is reminiscent of Andrew Wyeth's 1948 painting "Christina's World" as well as Edward Hopper's painting "House by the Railroad". It is also reminiscent of Reata, the ranch home of the Benedict Family in Giant.

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Goofs

The two WWI aircraft in the film had their first flights in December 1916 (the Sopwith) and July 1917 (the Fokker Triplane) so it's highly doubtful that either one was flying in Texas in 1916-17, when the story takes place.

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Quotes

Linda: There were people sufferin' in pain and hunger. Some people their tongues were hangin' out of their mouths.

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Connections

Featured in Ahate pasa (2010)

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Soundtracks

"Carnival of the Animals - The Aquarium"
by Camille Saint-Saëns
Performed by Wiener Philharmoniker (as the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra)
Used by permission of Polydor International GmbH Copyright 1975
Conducted by Karl Böhm (uncredited)

User Reviews

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.