Days of Heaven: A Review

DAYS OF HEAVEN

Days of Heaven is a remarkably simple story told in a lyrical, almost poetic manner. Widely celebrated for its visual splendor, Days of Heaven does veer slightly into eccentric territory. However, it still has more than enough to make it an intelligent and beautiful viewing experience. 

Told in voiceover by young Linda (Linda Manz), we learn that her hot-tempered brother Bill (Richard Gere) murdered a foreman at the Chicago steel mill that he worked at. Linda and Bill flee to the Texas Panhandle. Joining them is Bill's long-term lover, Abby (Brooke Adams). Here, they are hired hands for The Farmer (Sam Shepard). Bill and Abby pose as brother and sister, though that does not stop whispers about their closeness from being spoken by the other temporary laborers. 

The Farmer is a quiet, retiring man. He is very wealthy. He is also very ill. The Farmer is drawn to Abby. Finding a way to make some quick cash, Bill prods Abby to encourage The Farmer's attentions. Bill has learned that The Farmer has, if he's lucky, a year to live. By the season's end, The Farmer and Abby are married. As Linda observes, however, "he didn't get sicker. He didn't get better. He stayed the same". I would say that The Farmer did actually get better, or at least no longer appeared to be at Death's door.

This frustrates Bill, who is waiting less and less patiently for the Farmer to kick the bucket. Abby, however, seems to have genuinely fallen in love with the Farmer. For his part, The Farmer begins to wonder exactly what Bill and Abby are. They seem far too close physically to be mere siblings, especially since Bill and Linda are not as affectionate as Bill and Abby are. 

Things take a strange turn after Bill departs, when a literal flying circus lands on The Farmer's land. Things take a tragic turn when locust arrive. There will be more deaths, and a sad separation for Abby and Linda, who will perhaps not stay where she is supposed to.

Days of Heaven is a quiet film. At a crisp 94 minutes, Days of Heaven is a short film. In that time, however, writer/director Terrence Malick puts in so much. The film foregoes flash for a mostly still serenity. Everything in Days of Heaven is simple. However, that should not be confused with simplistic. There is an undercurrent of tragedy and strong drama within the film's softness. 

The story is simple and direct. The performances are simple. The pacing is simple. Yet, Days of Heaven, I would argue, has great emotion within it. Sam Shepard's Farmer may be quiet and still. However, we see his genuine hurt to rage at seeing Abby's longing for her "brother". Shephard may not have been an actor at the time. Known primarily for his writing, Sam Shepard made his feature film debut in Days of Heaven. I think his relative inexperience in front of the camera helped Shepard. It made his quietness and hesitancy in approaching Abby stronger and again, simpler, in its portrayal. 

Bill is probably the most openly emotional character. He, for example, does not shrink from killing a man. However, Richard Gere was not ranting and raging as Bill. He too had a soft manner, at times almost tender. Gere showed Bill's temper, such as when he throws his food at another worker for suggesting he and Abby were far too close for brother and sister. Even here, however, there was a cool and controlled manner that fit all of Days of Heaven. 

Brooke Adams and Linda Manz as Abby and Linda also did well. Adams made Abby into a woman who did love one man and fell in love with another. The push-and-pull between Bill and The Farmer was well-played by Adams. "I think I love you", the Farmer tells Abby. She replies, quite simply but with no hint of sarcasm or amusement, "What a nice thing to say". Adams shows Abby is flattered by the comment, but neither impressed nor enthusiastic about it.

Manz was precocious without being cloying. She played Linda as a straightforward teen making sense of things. In her voiceover, she reflects on things with a slight distance. I think this is correct, to have that dispassionate tone. Linda is, in her voiceover, reflecting on those lost days. As such, it should be with that simple, direct quality. She is not speaking to us with her opinions or feelings. She is speaking to us with the facts, stripped from any emotional reflection. Bill killed a man. The Farmer did not die of his illness. These are things that happened. How Linda felt about them is secondary to her telling us what happened.

Days of Heaven is mostly now known for two elements: its score and its cinematography. Both are beautiful. Ennio Morricone received his first of an eventual six Original Score Oscar nominations for this film (finally winning for The Hateful Eight, his sixth and last nomination). Like the film itself, Morricone's music is simple, direct, lush and I would say quiet. Days of Heaven's greatest claim to fame is Nestor Almendros' cinematography, which won him the Oscar for that category. It too matches the film's manner of beautiful sedateness. 

The fiery conclusion with the locust did bring to mind The Good Earth. It is probably the most action Days of Heaven has. It leads to a tragic conclusion, but it is also visually impressive. 

I think perhaps the part where the flying circus comes to the farm might be a bit too eccentric for what we have seen. Days of Heaven had been pretty grounded until then (no pun intended). A bit where President Wilson passes by Amarillo (the closest town to them) seemed there more to let us know the time setting than anything else. 

Days of Heaven is a quiet, elegiac film. Soft and still, I think the viewer will still be rewarded by the time the film ends. These are days that are worth visiting.  

DECISION: A-