Desert Hearts (1985)

A woman on the precipice of divorce becomes drawn to a ranchowner's daughter.

Director:

Donna Deitch

Writers:

Jane Rule (novel), Natalie Cooper

Stars:

Helen Shaver, Patricia Charbonneau, Audra Lindley

2 wins & 2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Helen Shaver	...	Vivian Bell
Patricia Charbonneau	...	Cay Rivvers
Audra Lindley	...	Frances Parker
Andra Akers	...	Silver
Gwen Welles	...	Gwen
Dean Butler	...	Darrell
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:

title directed by woman | female frontal nudity | train | bathtub | lgbt | 

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Taglines:

In 1959, Vivian Bell came to Reno, Nevada for a quickie divorce. Of all the people she met there, the one who surprised her the most was herself.

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Genres:

Drama | Romance

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Certificate:

R

Details

Official Sites:

Criterion Collection 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)

Opening Weekend USA:

$22,862, 6 April 1986, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$2,492,088

Company Credits

Production Co:

Desert Hearts Productions, Samuel Goldwyn Company, The

Technical Specs

Runtime:

96 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Patricia Charbonneau filmed the entire movie while pregnant.

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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: Take your hands out of your pockets and come here.

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Connections

Featured in The Rotten Tomatoes Show: Despicable Me/The Kids Are All Right (2010)

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Soundtracks

TREASURE OF LOVE
Written by Jim Shapiro and Lou Stallman
Performed by Clyde McPhatter
Courtesy of Atlantic Recording Corp.
By Arrangement with Warner Special Projects

User Reviews

a thoroughly entertaining and wonderful movie

I've seen this movie at least a dozen times and it never fails to make me cry. It's a simple love story, but the fact that it's two women in love in Nevada in the 1950's gives it special significance. Unlike a lot of lesbian movies that were made in the 1980's, this one isn't all doom and gloom. It's actually a movie that will make you remember being young, impulsive and in love. It leaves the

viewer feeling hopeful about the future. Vivian Bell is a professor who comes to Nevada in the 1950's for a quickie divorce from her husband. While there she

meets Cay Rivers and Cay opens up a whole new world to her and makes

Vivian realize there's more to life than her stuffy, professional existence in New York. In addition, this movie has the most touching, intimate, erotic, and soulful love scene that I have EVER seen between 2 women in a movie.