Days of Heaven

Days of Heaven
Theatrical release poster
Directed byTerrence Malick
Written byTerrence Malick
Produced by
Starring
Narrated byLinda Manz
CinematographyNéstor Almendros
Edited byBilly Weber
Music by
Distributed byParamount Pictures
Release date
  • September 13, 1978 (1978-09-13)[2]
Running time
94 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$3 million
Box office$3.4 million[3]

Days of Heaven is a 1978 American romantic period drama film written and directed by Terrence Malick, and starring Richard Gere, Brooke Adams, Sam Shepard and Linda Manz.[4] Set in 1916, it tells the story of Bill and Abby, lovers who travel to the Texas Panhandle for work harvesting crops for a wealthy grain farmer. Bill persuades Abby to claim the fortune of the dying farmer by tricking him into a sham marriage.[5] The scheme soon devolves into an Old Testament parable that threatens to destroy the lives of everyone involved.

Days of Heaven was Malick's second feature film, after Badlands (1973), and was produced on a budget of $3 million. Production was particularly troublesome, with a tight shooting schedule in Canada in 1976 and significant budget constraints. Film editing took Malick a lengthy two years, due to difficulty with achieving a general flow and assembly of the scenes. This was eventually solved by incorporating improvised narration from teen Linda Manz.[6][7] The film was scored by Ennio Morricone and photographed by Néstor Almendros and Haskell Wexler.

Days of Heaven received positive reviews on its original theatrical release. Its natural-light photography was widely praised, although a small number of critics considered only this aspect to be worthy of high praise.[8] It was not a significant commercial success, but did win an Academy Award for Best Cinematography[9] along with three nominations for the score, costume design[10] and sound.[11] Malick also won the Best Director Award at the Cannes Film Festival.

Days of Heaven has since become one of the most acclaimed films of the decade,[12] particularly for its cinematography.[5] It appeared at #49 on a BBC 2015 poll of the greatest American films.[13] 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".[14][15]

  1. ^ "Days of Heaven - Original Soundtrack". Allmusic.com. Retrieved August 11, 2013.
  2. ^ "Film Society Donors Get To See 'Heaven'". Variety. September 6, 1978. p. 34.
  3. ^ "Days of Heaven, Box Office Information". The Numbers. Retrieved March 12, 2012.
  4. ^ "Days of Heaven". Turner Classic Movies.
  5. ^ a b Bradshaw, Peter (1 February 2024). "Days of Heaven review – Malick's early masterwork heralds a rarefied visionary". The Guardian. Retrieved 7 August 2024.
  6. ^ Profile of Linda Manz, villagevoice.com, June 1, 2011; accessed August 10, 2014.
  7. ^ Bengal, Rebecca. "Subvert Normality: The Streetwise Voice of Linda Manz". The Criterion Collection.
  8. ^ Thomson, David (September 1, 2011). "Is Days of Heaven the most beautiful film ever made?". The Guardian. Retrieved December 6, 2016.
  9. ^ "Néstor Almendros winning the Oscar® for Cinematography for "Days of Heaven"". 5 September 2013 – via www.youtube.com.
  10. ^ "Death on the Nile Wins Costume Design: 1979 Oscars". 13 September 2013 – via www.youtube.com.
  11. ^ "Steve Martin and "Superman" at the Oscars". 11 October 2013 – via www.youtube.com.
  12. ^ "A New Digital Restoration of Days of Heaven" (PDF). British Film Institute. Retrieved February 20, 2017. [Days of Heaven is] widely acclaimed as a landmark of 1970s cinema as well as one of the most gorgeously photographed films ever made
  13. ^ "The 100 greatest American films". BBC. July 20, 2015. Retrieved July 5, 2016.
  14. ^ "Librarian of Congress Announces National Film Registry Selections for 2007". Library of Congress. Retrieved 2020-09-25.
  15. ^ "Complete National Film Registry Listing". Library of Congress. Retrieved 2020-09-25.