Desert Hearts (1985)

It is 1950s Nevada, and Professor Vivian Bell arrives to get a divorce. She's unsatisfied with her marriage, and feels out of place at the ranch she stays on, she finds herself increasingly... See full summary »

Director:

Donna Deitch

Writers:

Jane Rule (novel), Natalie Cooper

Stars:

Helen Shaver, Patricia Charbonneau, Audra Lindley

3 wins & 2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Helen Shaver	...	Vivian Bell
Patricia Charbonneau	...	Cay Rivvers
Audra Lindley	...	Frances Parker
Andra Akers	...	Silver
Dean Butler	...	Darrell
Gwen Welles	...	Gwen
James Staley	...	Art Warner
Katie La Bourdette	...	Lucille
Alex McArthur	...	Walter
Tyler Tyhurst	...	Buck
Denise Crosby	...	Pat
Antony Ponzini	...	Joe
Brenda Beck	...	Joyce
Sam Minsky	...	Best Man
Patricia Frazier	...	Change Girl

Storyline

It is 1950s Nevada, and Professor Vivian Bell arrives to get a divorce. She's unsatisfied with her marriage, and feels out of place at the ranch she stays on, she finds herself increasingly drawn to Cay Rivers, an open and self-assured lesbian, and the ranchowner's daughter. The emotions released by their developing intimacy, and Vivian's insecurities about her feelings towards Cay, are played out against a backdrop of rocky landscapes and country and western songs.

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Plot Keywords:

nevada | lesbian | divorce | lesbianism | dude ranch | 

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Genres:

Drama | Romance

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Certificate:

R

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

7 March 1986 (USA)

Also Known As:

Media hora más contigo

Filming Locations:

Reno, Nevada, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$1,250,000 (estimated)

Gross:

$2,492,088 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Desert Hearts Productions, Samuel Goldwyn Company, The

Technical Specs

Runtime:

96 min

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The $350,000 budget for the film was raised independently with limited partnerships.

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Goofs

Though the movie is set in 1959 the markings on the center line of the highway are yellow. Such lines were white until 1971 when the Manual of Uniform Traffic Control Devices mandated a switch to yellow.

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Quotes

Cay: Come on. I'm used to this.
Vivian: Well, I'm not!
Cay: Listen, you're just visiting the way I live. I guess it would suit you find to hide in that hotel room until your train leaves.
Vivian: Oh, then let's hire a float. You are so insistent on making everyone think the way you do!
Cay: Oh, yeah. You're making real headway in that department!
Vivian: No fear, no confusion, so self-assured.
Cay: I don't act that way to change the world. I act that way so that the goddamn world won't change me!

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Connections

Referenced in It's in the Water (1997)

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Soundtracks

"WHEN MY BLUE MOON TURNS TO GOLD"
Performed by Elvis Presley
Courtesy of RCA Records

User Reviews

A good movie and a breakthrough classic

I'm a straight male and I feel the movie was done very tastefully (not a pun) and had a nice story. It wasn't supposed to be an action flick, but it does have a good story though I would have preferred to see it go a little deeper emotionally, but you have to understand that this was a "period" film and given the era the movie was set in, the emotions of the characters make perfect sense. In the 50's and especially in the rural areas, people were very conservative and though a character like Cay would've wanted to be open about her lifestyle, she certainly would've felt restrained to do so, even as free-spirited as she was. And Vivian would certainly have initially felt like a leper as the tug of societal demands and the mores of the era weighed on her. I think it was filmed and written in exactly the same light as it needed to be, no more, no less. A very realistic portrait of the era and a great job, no doubt about it, and highly recommended for viewing, but I would rate it "R" for about 5-10 minutes of sex scenes, maybe "PG-13" for content.

As for the sex scenes, I can't imagine anyone not enjoying it, whatever your orientation. I did, and I'm straight as an arrow (no pun intended there either!)

See how much this out-of-print video sells for on the Net and you'll see the demand this movie still creates, which is more of a barometer of its success than anything else. I can't believe that it ever went out-of-print given the demand for it. You don't see that with just any video, and as a minor collector of rare videos I can say that for a fact.