Days of Heaven (1978) directed by Terrence Malick
Terrence Malick is described as an artist first, film maker second and it shows in his films. Days of Heaven is one of the best looking films I've ever seen. Every scene is like one of those classic paintings of the rustic countryside with sunsets, red skies and vast sweeping fields. At times the movie almost feels like a series of paintings rather than a film. Days of Heaven is a strange movie because it places so much emphasis on the look and feel of the film and purposely downplays the story by keeping it a distance.
The story is about two lovers, Bill and Abby, who go to Texas after Bill kills a boss in a dispute. The two of them, along with Bill's sister Linda, work as farmhands for a wealthy but dying farmer. Bill and Abby devise a scheme for Abby to marry the farmer so that when he dies she will get the money and they can live happily ever after. Enter love triangle, welcome typical drama. It would seem like a pretty complex and rich story filled with human drama but it doesn't really play out that way. The story is observed rather than experienced. Heated arguments are seen from a distance but never heard. We never really see the moments of tenderness between the adults. This is because the film is told from the perspective of the little sister Linda rather than any of the three principle characters. She narrates the film with a profound sadness perhaps out of longing or the inevitable failure of the love triangle. We don't feel the emotion in the film because she doesn't feel them. Yet I wouldn't say this film isn't emotional. There is true beauty in the images on screen which can be just as moving as a well defined story. The setting captures this moment, these days of heaven, with such beauty yet also reflects upon them with deep sorrow, if that makes any sense. Linda's narration is also quite chilling which adds to this feeling. I don't think the film is particularly deep or anything but it isn't simply pretty pictures either.
Grade: B+
Terrence Malick is described as an artist first, film maker second and it shows in his films. Days of Heaven is one of the best looking films I've ever seen. Every scene is like one of those classic paintings of the rustic countryside with sunsets, red skies and vast sweeping fields. At times the movie almost feels like a series of paintings rather than a film. Days of Heaven is a strange movie because it places so much emphasis on the look and feel of the film and purposely downplays the story by keeping it a distance.
The story is about two lovers, Bill and Abby, who go to Texas after Bill kills a boss in a dispute. The two of them, along with Bill's sister Linda, work as farmhands for a wealthy but dying farmer. Bill and Abby devise a scheme for Abby to marry the farmer so that when he dies she will get the money and they can live happily ever after. Enter love triangle, welcome typical drama. It would seem like a pretty complex and rich story filled with human drama but it doesn't really play out that way. The story is observed rather than experienced. Heated arguments are seen from a distance but never heard. We never really see the moments of tenderness between the adults. This is because the film is told from the perspective of the little sister Linda rather than any of the three principle characters. She narrates the film with a profound sadness perhaps out of longing or the inevitable failure of the love triangle. We don't feel the emotion in the film because she doesn't feel them. Yet I wouldn't say this film isn't emotional. There is true beauty in the images on screen which can be just as moving as a well defined story. The setting captures this moment, these days of heaven, with such beauty yet also reflects upon them with deep sorrow, if that makes any sense. Linda's narration is also quite chilling which adds to this feeling. I don't think the film is particularly deep or anything but it isn't simply pretty pictures either.
Grade: B+
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