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IMDbPro

Desert Hearts

  • 19851985
  • RR
  • 1h 31m
IMDb RATING
7.1/10
6.6K
YOUR RATING
Desert Hearts (1985)
A woman leaves behind her life in New York to find herself in Reno in this trailer
Play trailer2:03
1 Video
56 Photos
DramaRomance
While waiting for her divorce papers, a repressed professor of literature is unexpectedly seduced by a carefree, spirited young lesbian.While waiting for her divorce papers, a repressed professor of literature is unexpectedly seduced by a carefree, spirited young lesbian.While waiting for her divorce papers, a repressed professor of literature is unexpectedly seduced by a carefree, spirited young lesbian.
IMDb RATING
7.1/10
6.6K
YOUR RATING
    • Donna Deitch
    • Jane Rule(based on the novel "Desert of the Heart" by)
    • Natalie Cooper(screenplay by)
  • Stars
    • Helen Shaver
    • Patricia Charbonneau
    • Audra Lindley
    • Donna Deitch
    • Jane Rule(based on the novel "Desert of the Heart" by)
    • Natalie Cooper(screenplay by)
  • Stars
    • Helen Shaver
    • Patricia Charbonneau
    • Audra Lindley
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 59User reviews
    • 24Critic reviews
    • 67Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Awards

    Videos1

    Desert Hearts
    Trailer 2:03
    Watch Desert Hearts

    Photos56

    Desert Hearts (1985)
    Helen Shaver, Patricia Charbonneau, Dean Butler, and Gwen Welles in Desert Hearts (1985)
    Helen Shaver and Patricia Charbonneau in Desert Hearts (1985)
    Desert Hearts (1985)
    Desert Hearts (1985)
    Helen Shaver and Patricia Charbonneau in Desert Hearts (1985)
    Desert Hearts (1985)
    Desert Hearts (1985)
    Helen Shaver in Desert Hearts (1985)
    Desert Hearts (1985)
    Desert Hearts (1985)
    Desert Hearts (1985)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Helen Shaver
    Helen Shaver
    • Vivian Bell
    Patricia Charbonneau
    Patricia Charbonneau
    • Cay Rivvers
    Audra Lindley
    Audra Lindley
    • Frances Parker
    Andra Akers
    • Silver
    Gwen Welles
    Gwen Welles
    • Gwen
    Dean Butler
    Dean Butler
    • Darrell
    James Staley
    James Staley
    • Art Warner
    Katie La Bourdette
    • Lucille
    • (as Katie LaBourdette)
    Alex McArthur
    • Walter
    Tyler Tyhurst
    • Buck
    Denise Crosby
    Denise Crosby
    • Pat
    Antony Ponzini
    Antony Ponzini
    • Joe
    Brenda Beck
    • Joyce
    Sam Minsky
    • Best Man
    Patricia Frazier
    • Change Girl
    Sheila Balter
    • Roadside Waitress
    Tom Martin
    • Red Cap
    Joan Mankin
    • Casino Waitress
      • Donna Deitch
      • Jane Rule(based on the novel "Desert of the Heart" by)
      • Natalie Cooper(screenplay by)
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Patricia Charbonneau filmed the entire movie while pregnant.
    • Goofs
      Toward the end of the movie, when Vivian and her divorce lawyer are walking down the steps of the courthouse, you can see an older woman with a straw hat walk up the stairs by them. When Vivian & the lawyer reach the door to walk outside, you can see the same woman walking in.
    • Quotes

      Vivian: I wouldn't know what to do.

      Cay: You can start by putting the 'Do Not Disturb' sign on the door.

    • Alternate versions
      The US DVD release is 5 minutes shorter than the theatrical version (91 as opposed to 96 minutes). The most noticeable cut is in the sex scene which is slightly briefer than the original.
    • Connections
      Featured in At the Movies: Desert Hearts/Mona Lisa/Letter to Brezhnev (1986)
    • Soundtracks
      Leavin' on Your Mind
      Written by Wayne Walker and Webb Pierce

      Performed by Patsy Cline

      Courtesy of MCA Records

    User reviews59

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    6/10
    refreshingly candid coming-out romance
    While awaiting her divorce on a dude ranch outside Reno, a stiff and humorless New York City professor learns to appreciate life from the usual assortment of Silver State oddballs, finally letting her hair down for a young, uninhibited employee of one of the local casinos. It might have been just another routine romantic comedy but for the fact that the two lovers are both women, and the novelty value alone is enough to lift the film out of the ordinary. There's enough charm and offhand humor to match any mainstream, hetero romance, but make no mistake: this movie doesn't regard its lesbianism lightly, and there's an explicit bedroom interlude to prove it. The scene stops the film dead in its tracks, but director Donna Deitch (making her feature debut) has to be commended for approaching the subject with such candor and optimism (some of it a bit forced, to be sure), leaning only slightly on the awkward self-awareness usually found in a Hollywood coming-out story.
    helpful•6
    1
    • mjneu59
    • Nov 13, 2010

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • March 7, 1986 (United States)
      • United States
    • Official sites
      • Criterion Collection
      • HBOMAX (United States)
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Reno, Nevada, USA
    • Production companies
      • Desert Hearts Productions
      • The Samuel Goldwyn Company
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • 1 hour 31 minutes
      • Color
      • Mono

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