Movie Discussion: Days of Heaven (1978) by Terrence Malick

Terrence Malick, American cinema’s great philosopher-poet, confirmed his place in the pantheon with this ravishing masterwork, his follow-up to debut Badlands (1973). Set in the 1910s, it stars Richard Gere as Bill, a Chicago steelworker who accidentally kills his foreman then goes on the lam with his sweetheart Abby (Brooke Adams) and teenage sister (Linda Manz), the film’s narrator. Finding refuge in the Elysian wheat fields of the Texas Panhandle, they are hired as seasonal harvesters by an ailing farmer (Sam Shepard), who falls in love with Abby, believing her to be Bill’s sister. Malick motifs abound: hushed, dreamy voiceover; endless magic hour; the indivisibility of man, nature, and God. Néstor Almendros’s impressionistic, Oscar-winning cinematography remains a benchmark of the art form. Malick’s visionary prowess won him Best Director at Cannes.

"One of the most mesmerisingly beautiful evocations of the past ever laid on celluloid." (The Guardian)

"The closest to poetry in motion that I have ever seen." (Salon)

"This is the towering, unconventional power of a true artist." (Empire)

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Let's discuss the 1978 movie Days of Heaven written and directed by the American filmmaker Terrence Malick, recently voted the 152nd greatest movie of all time in Sight & Sound's international survey of film critics and scholars. The movie won for Best Director at Cannes and Best Cinematography at the Oscars. In 2007, the film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant"

Please watch the movie in advance (95 minutes) and bring your thoughts, reactions, and queries to share with us at the meeting.

You can stream it for free here (check the player settings to adjust quality) or rent it on Criterion or other streaming platforms for best quality.

A trailer.

Check out other movie discussions in the group every Friday and occasionally other days.