DVD
Days of heaven.
In 1910, Bill, a Chicago steel worker accidentally kills his supervisor. He flees to the Texas panhandle with his lover Abby and little sister Linda, where they work harvesting wheat in the fields of a stoic farmer. When Bill learns that the farmer is ill and has less than a year to live, he encourages Abby to accept the man's attentions. The Farmer and Abby marry, and she and her "siblings" live in the big house, waiting for the Farmer to die, so Abby can inherit, and the three of them live happily ever after. But love seems to be a cure-all: the Farmer seems to be improving--and Abby is no longer seeing this as a marriage of convenience. From a landscape of panoramic vistas, vivid colors, and rich textures comes a timeless American idyll and a gritty evocation of turn-of-the-century labor.
Record details
- ISBN: 1934121932
- ISBN: 9781934121931
- Physical Description: 1 videodisc (94 min.) : sound, color ; 4 3/4 in. + 1 booklet (40 pages : illustrations ; 19 cm).
- Edition: Widescreen edition.
- Publisher: [Irvington, N.Y.] : Criterion Collection, ©2007.
Content descriptions
| General Note: | Originally produced as an American motion picture in 1978. Special features: Commentary with Jack Fisk, Billy Weber, Patricia Norris, and Dianne Crittenden [audio feature]; Interview with Richard Gere [audio feature] (22 min.); Interview with Sam Shepard (13 min.); Interview with John Bailey (21 min.); Interview with Haskell Wexler (12 min.). Booklet includes essays "On Earth as it is in heaven" by Adrian Martin and "Shooting 'Days of Heaven'" by Nestor Almendros. |
| Formatted Contents Note: | Going places -- Work -- Harvest -- Abby -- Prognosis -- Job ends -- Tired -- Staying on -- Future -- Marriage -- Rich -- Out for a walk -- "I don't know you" -- Flying circus -- Business -- Return -- Locusts -- "Nobody's perfect" -- Hunted -- New beginnings. |
| Creation/Production Credits Note: | Director of photography, Nestor Almendros, additional photography, Haskell Wexler ; edited by Billy Weber ; music composed and conducted by Ennio Morricone, additional music, Leo Kottke ; art director, Jack Fisk ; costumes designed by Patricia Norris. |
| Participant or Performer Note: | Richard Gere (Bill), Brooke Adams (Abby), Sam Shepard (the Farmer), Linda Manz (Linda), Robert Wilke (the farm Foreman). |
| Target Audience Note: | MPAA rating: Rated PG. |
| System Details Note: | DVD; Region 1, NTSC; Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround; widescreen, presentation aspect ratio 1.78:1; enhanced for 16:9 widescreen televisions. |
| Language Note: | In English with optional subtitles in English. |
| Awards Note: | Academy Award for Best Cinematography (Nestor Almendros); Cannes Film Festival Best Director (Terrence Malick) 1979. |
Search for related items by subject
| Subject: | Farmers > Drama. Triangles (Interpersonal relations) > Drama. |
| Genre: | Western films. |
Summary:
In 1910, Bill, a Chicago steel worker accidentally kills his supervisor. He flees to the Texas panhandle with his lover Abby and little sister Linda, where they work harvesting wheat in the fields of a stoic farmer. When Bill learns that the farmer is ill and has less than a year to live, he encourages Abby to accept the man's attentions. The Farmer and Abby marry, and she and her "siblings" live in the big house, waiting for the Farmer to die, so Abby can inherit, and the three of them live happily ever after. But love seems to be a cure-all: the Farmer seems to be improving--and Abby is no longer seeing this as a marriage of convenience. From a landscape of panoramic vistas, vivid colors, and rich textures comes a timeless American idyll and a gritty evocation of turn-of-the-century labor.