On D List of Movie Reviews
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Days of Heaven (1978)
Rate:
2
Viewed:
1/17
1/17:
I had never heard of Days of Heaven until it showed up on TCM, and I listened to Ben Mankiewicz who made
a big deal out of the cinematography.
Well, after seeing it, I find the whole thing, especially the cinematography, overrated. Not a fan of Terrence
Malick, I say his movies suck. They're always slow, touchy-feely, and without substance. The best example of what
I mean is The Thin Red Line.
By the way, it took Terrence Malick twenty years to direct again after Days of Heaven which was the second
of his career. The reason why is that his movies never made money because nobody was interested.
Hardly anything happens in Days of Heaven whose release was delayed for two years due to extensive
editing. There's no story whatsoever. It's all about capturing sunrises and sunsets at the right moment. The
transition from one scene to another is awkward, and there's a zero flow among the scenes. Nothing is explained.
What's more amazing is how drowned out Richard Gere is. It has to take an unbelievable amount of talent to pull
this off because he's a charismatic actor who can make himself a cynosure. Well, the poor son of a bitch has been
killed here. Let's be real: he, a great Calvin Klein model if I ever saw one, was miscast along with his
anachronistic hairstyle.
Brooke Adams looks like she was kicked in the head by a horse, causing her eyes to be upside-down crooked. Her
co-star Sam Shepard is hopeless. So is Linda Manz who's a horrible actress. As for the locust scene, it isn't real.
Peanut shells were used during the drop from a helicopter. If you want authenticity, then check out
The Good Earth with Paul Muni which won Karl Freund an Oscar for Best
Cinematography.
All in all, Days of Heaven is Heaven's Gate all over again with
Terrence Malick substituted for Michael Cimino.