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Places in the Heart

  • 19841984
  • PGPG
  • 1h 51m
IMDb RATING
7.4/10
12K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
1,581
5,049
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
  • IMDbPro
Sally Field, Yankton Hatten, and Gennie James in Places in the Heart (1984)
Watch {VideoTitle}
Play trailer2:37
1 Video
85 Photos
  • Drama

In central Texas in the 1930s, a widow with two small children tries to save her small 40-acre farm with the help of a blind boarder and an itinerant black handyman.In central Texas in the 1930s, a widow with two small children tries to save her small 40-acre farm with the help of a blind boarder and an itinerant black handyman.In central Texas in the 1930s, a widow with two small children tries to save her small 40-acre farm with the help of a blind boarder and an itinerant black handyman.

IMDb RATING
7.4/10
12K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
1,581
5,049
  • Director
    • Robert Benton
  • Writer
    • Robert Benton
  • Stars
    • Sally Field
    • Lindsay Crouse
    • Ed Harris
Top credits
  • Director
    • Robert Benton
  • Writer
    • Robert Benton
  • Stars
    • Sally Field
    • Lindsay Crouse
    • Ed Harris
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 69User reviews
    • 33Critic reviews
    • 70Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Won 2 Oscars
      • 13 wins & 14 nominations total

    Videos1

    Trailer
    Trailer 2:37
    Trailer

    Photos85

    Sally Field, Yankton Hatten, and Gennie James in Places in the Heart (1984)
    Sally Field in Places in the Heart (1984)
    Sally Field, Danny Glover, Ed Harris, and John Malkovich in Places in the Heart (1984)
    Sally Field, Danny Glover, Ed Harris, and John Malkovich in Places in the Heart (1984)
    Sally Field, Danny Glover, and Yankton Hatten in Places in the Heart (1984)
    Amy Madigan in Places in the Heart (1984)
    Sally Field in Places in the Heart (1984)
    Lane Smith in Places in the Heart (1984)
    John Malkovich and Gennie James in Places in the Heart (1984)
    Danny Glover in Places in the Heart (1984)
    Sally Field and Gennie James in Places in the Heart (1984)
    John Malkovich in Places in the Heart (1984)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Sally Field
    Sally Field
    • Edna Spaldingas Edna Spalding
    Lindsay Crouse
    Lindsay Crouse
    • Margaret Lomaxas Margaret Lomax
    Ed Harris
    Ed Harris
    • Wayne Lomaxas Wayne Lomax
    Amy Madigan
    Amy Madigan
    • Viola Kelseyas Viola Kelsey
    John Malkovich
    John Malkovich
    • Mr. Willas Mr. Will
    Danny Glover
    Danny Glover
    • Mozeas Moze
    Yankton Hatten
    • Frankas Frank
    Gennie James
    Gennie James
    • Possumas Possum
    Lane Smith
    Lane Smith
    • Albert Denbyas Albert Denby
    Terry O'Quinn
    Terry O'Quinn
    • Buddy Kelseyas Buddy Kelsey
    Bert Remsen
    Bert Remsen
    • Tee Tot Hightoweras Tee Tot Hightower
    Ray Baker
    Ray Baker
    • Royce Spaldingas Royce Spalding
    Jay Patterson
    Jay Patterson
    • W.E. Simmonsas W.E. Simmons
    Toni Hudson
    Toni Hudson
    • Ermineas Ermine
    De'voreaux White
    De'voreaux White
    • Wylieas Wylie
    • (as DeVoreaux White)
    Jerry Haynes
    Jerry Haynes
    • Deputy Jack Driscollas Deputy Jack Driscoll
    Lou Hancock
    Lou Hancock
    • Dispossessed Ladyas Dispossessed Lady
    Shelby Brammer
    • Rubyas Ruby
    • Director
      • Robert Benton
    • Writer
      • Robert Benton
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
    • All cast & crew

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    Storyline

    Edit
    Edna Spalding finds herself alone and broke on a small farm in the midst of the Great Depression when her husband, the Sheriff, is killed in an accident. Moses, a wandering Black man,helps her plant cotton to try to keep her farm and family together. She also takes in a blind boarder, Mr. Will, who lost his sight in the Great War. She must endure storms and harsh labor to try to make her mortgage payment on time. —Susan Southall <stobchatay@aol.com>
    • mule and wagon
    • mule
    • n word
    • reference to santa claus
    • reference to the chicago cubs
    • 186 more
    • Plot summary
    • Plot synopsis
    • Taglines
      • The story of a woman fighting for her children, for her land, for the greatest dream there is...the future.
    • Genre
      • Drama
    • Certificate
      • PG
    • Parents guide

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Although they first met years earlier, actor Ed Harris and actress Amy Madigan got married after working together on this film.
    • Goofs
      The tornado winds upend cars and cause houses to explode, but Moze's hat stays on his head while he drags Frank into the storm cellar.
    • Quotes

      [first lines]

      Edna Spalding: [seeing her daughter's doll at the dinner table] Possum, put that up now.

      Royce Spalding: Our Heavenly Father, bless this meal and all those who are about to receive it. Make us thankful for Your generous bounty, and Your unceasing love. Please remind us, in these hard times, to be grateful for what we have been given, and not to ask for what we can not have. And make us mindful of those less fortunate among us, as we sit at this table with all of Thy bounty. Amen.

    • Alternate versions
      NBC edited 2 minutes from this film for its 1987 network television premiere.
    • Connections
      Featured in At the Movies: All of Me/Amadeus/Places in the Heart/Until September (1984)
    • Soundtracks
      In The Garden
      Words and Music by Austin Miles

    User reviews69

    Review
    Top review
    8/10
    Memorable Depression era tale of a rural Southern widow
    This was a wonderful film which unfortunately I haven't seen for some years, so forget many of the subtleties. Sally Field is superb in the role of the Depression era Texas widow, Emma Spalding, and deserved her second Oscar which showed that yes, we really do like her. I always love this actress, who is especially compelling in the dramatic Norma Rae and charming in the romantic comedy, Murphy's Romance.

    The film tells the tale of a good, kind, loving, and strong woman, the widow, Emma (who has been left with with two children to raise on her own) and the pair of disparate characters who help her to literally 'save the farm'...the black drifter, Moze, who plants her cotton, and the intriguing blind border, Mr. Will, that she is forced to take on to appease the nasty banker. Because of mortgage difficulties, Emma's farm and in fact, her life are always in the hands of the local bank manager. The unlikely bond between the trio (Emma, Moze, and Mr. Will) and their shared struggle is always the very heart of the film. There are, however, other local small town characters portrayed here, including a sub-plot revolving around a pair of married folk engaged in an adulterous affair.

    It's all so much more meaningful than yet another film about a widow's romance. I don't know that the local couple's affair contributes much to the movie, unless, Hollywood style, there just had to be some sexual implications of some sort or other somewhere. Many others seem to agree that this sub-plot is superfluous.

    The other major roles are well cast, with Danny Glover and John Malkovich sympathetically portraying respectively Moze and Mr. Wills. As for the man involved in the affair, Ed Harris (whom I actually kinda like) always does a brilliant job portraying any sort of somewhat sleazy character!

    Memorable moments...One moving scene has lingered in my mind all these years, when the newly widowed Emma helps prepare the body of her sheriff husband, Royce, for burial. This is of course so alien to us today, when compared with our modern detached funeral parlors. There is an amazing tornado scene, wonderfully photographed, that brilliantly conveys the terror of the characters seeking shelter. Plenty of high drama there! The movie also has anti-racism themes, with a dramatic scenario involving some local Ku Klux Klan members or equivalent, in which Mr. Will plays a pivotal role. And a fabulous, touching scene where Emma dances at a community shindig with her young son, Frank. I recalled it vividly a few years later during a 'first dance' with my own son.

    Certainly not an action flick, but a thoughtful, touching, heartwarming story with very sympathetic characters that will engage you and earn a place in YOUR heart. The movie has a quietly dramatic ending some have questioned, but I personally found it perfect. As another reviewer cleverly noted, it 'seals' the film.
    helpful•26
    2
    • roghache
    • Mar 15, 2006

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • October 5, 1984 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Official site
      • Sony Movie Channel (United States)
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Texas Project
    • Filming locations
      • Waxahachie, Texas, USA
    • Production companies
      • Delphi II Productions
      • TriStar Pictures
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $34,901,614
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $274,279
      • Sep 23, 1984
    • Gross worldwide
      • $34,901,614
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 51 minutes
    • Sound mix
      • Mono
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.85 : 1

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