Days of Heaven (1978)

Director: Terrence Malick
Writer: Terrence Malick

Bill (Richard Gere) is a short-tempered Chicago factory worker who, in a fit of rage, kills his boss. With his girlfriend Abby (Brooke Adams) posing as his sister and his real sister Linda (Linda Manz), the three hop a train to Texas to harvest wheat for a land-owning farmer (Sam Shepard). A love triangle develops between the ailing farmer, Abby, and Bill; resulting in Abby and the farmer's marriage, Bill's departure and return, and a final confrontation.

Like I said in my Superstar entry, there are some movies I could've gone my whole life without sitting through. Days of Heaven is one of them. I decided with a long weekend ahead of me, I'd pick up a few movies before heading to work from school. This movie's plot reminds me of Marty (1955): a lot of time spent on very little action. I came away from both films feeling cheated. At the same time, I wasn't expecting non-stop, heart-pounding action either. Days of Heaven's story creeps along, slowly unfolding a tale of turn-of-century class struggles. Some films benefit from slow pacing but Malick's film borders on the mind numbing. When executed well, there is a feeling that the previous time and images have a cumulative effect that is really only felt at the end of film. Robert Bresson's Pickpocket (1959) and many of the films by John Cassavetes especially Shadows (1959), Faces (1968), and A Woman Under the Influence (1974) have this kind of dramatic/emotional culmination. Days of Heaven however falls short of these films due mainly to Linda Manz's voiceover narration. There is an artificiality to her Chicago accent that rings too loudly to me, continually taking me out of the story.

You maybe wonder about the film's saving graces. There are two. First, is Néstor Almendros' beautiful cinematography. Second, is Ennio Morricone's score. Almendros' compositions, lighting, and use of color are reminiscent of a David Lean epic, the vast wheat fields and the landscape become as much a character as Bill, Abby, Linda, or the farmer. The countryside dominates the frames and characters, imposing its presence and the unforgiving power of nature. Morricone's score punctuates the restrained performances and complements the visuals. The music lends a feeling that this period of change, both socio-economically and personally for the characters, is lost and unrecoverable. For me though, this was not enough to salvage the experience.