The Milagro Beanfield War (1988)

In the tiny town of Milagro, New Mexico, where the local water is a premium resource, shady developer Ladd Devine has conceived a glitzy resort that will ultimately siphon off all the water... See full summary »

Director:

Robert Redford

Writers:

John Nichols (novel), John Nichols (screenplay)

Stars:

Rubén Blades, Richard Bradford, Sônia Braga

Won 1 Oscar. Another 1 win & 2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Rubén Blades	...	Sheriff Bernabe Montoya
Richard Bradford	...	Ladd Devine
Sônia Braga	...	Ruby Archuleta (as Sonia Braga)
Julie Carmen	...	Nancy Mondragon
James Gammon	...	Horsethief Shorty
Melanie Griffith	...	Flossie Devine
John Heard	...	Charlie Bloom
Carlos Riquelme	...	Amarante Cordova
Daniel Stern	...	Herbie Platt
Chick Vennera	...	Joe Mondragon
Christopher Walken	...	Kyril Montana
Freddy Fender	...	Mayor Sammy Cantu
Tony Genaro	...	Nick Rael
Jerry Hardin	...	Emerson Capps
Ronald G. Joseph	...	Jerry G

Storyline

In the tiny town of Milagro, New Mexico, where the local water is a premium resource, shady developer Ladd Devine has conceived a glitzy resort that will ultimately siphon off all the water from the neighboring crop-fields. When handyman and farmer Joe Mondragon accidentally breaks a water valve reserved for major companies, he inadvertently sets off a small-scale water-rights war between the farmers and the developers.

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Plot Keywords:

water | governor | small town | police officer | politics | 

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Taglines:

Milagro, New Mexico. Population 426. Nothing had changed here for 300 years. But there's something about this day...

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Fantasy

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Spanish

Release Date:

18 March 1988 (USA)

Also Known As:

Milagro

Filming Locations:

Espanola, New Mexico, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$22,000,000 (estimated)

Gross USA:

$13,825,794

Company Credits

Production Co:

Esparza, Universal Pictures, Wildwood Enterprises

Technical Specs

Runtime:

117 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

A soundtrack for the movie has never been released despite the fact that the film won the Academy Award for Best Music Score. Instead though, tracks from the film's score have been included on composer Dave Grusin's 1989 album entitled "Migration".

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Goofs

When Ladd Devine and his wife lie on their bed and he talks about the situation getting out of hand, Flossie is lying with her back to the pillows for two shots, then suddenly turned towards him in the next shot (and the remaining two of the scene).

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Quotes

Ruby Archuleta: What good is a hometown if everyone you know is gone?

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Connections

Referenced in Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Thing That Couldn't Die (1997)

User Reviews

Así es Nuevo México (New Mexico is like that)

The movie is grand, reasonably true to the very complex (and very good) book and accurately captures the politics of New Mexico.

If you have ever lived in northern New Mexico, then you instantly recognize and understand what is going on. This work of fiction is more true than many will ever know.

General Lew Wallace, who wrote 'Ben Hur' while serving as the Territorial Governor of New Mexico (1878-1881) and trying to negotiate an end to the Lincoln County War of which Billy the Kid was the most well known participant, succintly described the situation: "All experience gained elsewhere, fails in New Mexico." That is still true today and is a core theme of the film.

Read the book, see the movie.