Days Of Heaven

Programme Notes

Terrence Malick has directed only three films - Badlands (1973), Days Of Heaven (1978) and The Thin Red Line (1998). Badlands was hailed by critics as one of the finest debut films ever made. Days Of Heaven drew even more praise and earned Malick the Best Director award at Cannes. Malick then seemed to withdraw from film altogether. His elusiveness and inactivity resulted in him becoming an almost legendary figure and he certainly became one of the most intriguing figures in recent film history. After a gap of nearly 20 years Malick returned to film. The release of The Thin Red Line heaped further adulation upon him but since then, nothing. Malick will become 60 on 30th November this year and it is to be hoped that he will again make an overdue and much welcome return.

What sets Days Of Heaven apart from most films is the brilliance of the cinematography. For almost the entire first hour every scene is set out-of-doors. Frames are filled with sky, fields, dawns and sunsets. This homage to nature is courtesy of Nestor Almendros. Almendros was a Spaniard, born in 1930. At 18 he moved to Cuba. Here he formed a cineclub and wrote film reviews. After the 1959 revolution he made a series of documentaries for the Castro regime. However, when two of his short films were banned be moved to Paris. There, he soon made an impact with Eric Rohmer and Francois Truffaut. His American debut, Days Of Heaven, earned him an Oscar. There is, however, some controversy over this matter.

Those keen filmgoers who study end credits will see a special mention for Haskell Wexler. Wexler is another superb cinematographer and has long claimed that he shot nearly half the scenes but studio politics gave all the credit to Almendros. Whatever the truth of the matter, these two men have given use one of the most beautiful films ever made. Almendros went on to make Kramer Vs Kramer, Blue Lagoon and Sophie's Choice, amongst many others, and also produced a number of highly critical documentaries about social injustice in Cuba. He died in 1992 of AIDS.

The film received an Academy Award Nomination for the sound. This is another quite astonishing aspect of the film. Listen to the noise of the machines (industrial and agricultural), the whisper of the wheat and the drone of the locusts that accompanies the final holocaust. Listen too to the fabulous soundtrack. Ennio Morricone provides one his best works and earned him an Academy Award Nomination. By contrast, the dialogue is sparse and at times is almost incidental to the other sounds, indeed almost insignificant.

The whole feel of the film is further enhanced by the costumes, Patricia Norris earning herself an Academy Award Nomination for her designs.

The story itself is quite simple. It is set in industrialised America in the early 1900's. A hot-tempered migrant labourer has to flee to the anonymity of the plains. In tow are his sister and soul mate. They are offered employment during harvest-time by a wealthy landowner. The landowner lives alone, suffering from some illness. The labourer hatches a scheme in which his soul mate gets married to the landowner in the belief that death cannot be far away thus allowing the labourer to take over the land and wealth. How it all works out is another matter.

The visual telling of the story is supplemented by a voice-over. However, this is not so much a narration but more a commentary by someone watching with us and giving us her memories of how things were. This is her story, her remembrances of the times of Days Of Heaven.

Cast list:

Richard Gere - Bill Brooke Adams - Abby
Sam Shepard - The Farmer Linda Manz - Linda
Robert J Wilke - Farm Foreman
Jackie Shultis - Linda's friend
Stuart Margolin - Mill Foreman
Tim Scott - Harvest Hand
Gene Bell - Dancer
Doug Kershaw - Fiddler
Richard Libertini - Vaudeville Leader
Frenchie Lemond - Vaudeville Wrestler
Sahbra Markus - Vaudeville Dancer
Bob Wilson III - Accountant
Muriel Jolliffe - Headmistress
John Wilkinson - Preacher
King Cole - Farm Worker

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