Days of
Heaven (1978):
Synopsis – A man and his “sister” run away from the big
city to find work out in the fields. When the owner of the fields, a handsome
young man, falls in love with the “sister”, the protagonists find themselves in
a morally compromising situation that they may not be able to resist.
Movie #3 in the April
Film Project
When it comes to
films directed by Terrence Malick, I've never really got what makes them so
special. Beautiful visuals/cinematography, sure, but I can get that kind of
stuff from other films. In my opinion, the man takes the concept of “show and
not tell” and goes crazy with it, leaving morons like me struggling to
understand what is happening in the story. I am not the kind of person who can
sit back and just enjoy visuals (he types
this knowing that his favorite film is currently 2001: A Space Odyssey,
making him a giant hypocrite), I love story way too much. I can appreciate
the belief that the audience is smart enough to fill in the blanks, but I think
that Mr. Malick let’s himself stray too far by assuming that we can relate with
the tales he unravels through visuals and small amounts of dialogue alone. Days
of Heaven does not suffer from this problem. I was able to follow and enjoy
the movie as an entire experience. And enjoy it I did. Along with the other
films in the April
Film Project I've seen, this is truly another diamond of a film, with only
a few flaws to its shinning surface.
What I Liked:
-Well, I guess it
goes without saying if you've seen any of Malick’s other work that this film
looks fantastic. POV shots from the top of trains, wind rippling through the
fields, that house, beautiful and ominous. And of course all our actors are
good looking, but the way the camera seems to find each of them at a perfect
angle is pretty astonishing. It’s one thing to be pretty; it’s another to look
like a work of art.
-Malick’s subtlety
of story is usual one of the problems I have with his films, but not with this
one. We hear enough snippets of dialogue, combined with the voice-over
narrative and the visual storytelling, to understand a cohesive and relatable
story in the film. I don't think much of this movie is left up to
interpretation. We see actions, we see consequences, and it all looks really
good.
-I love the
soundtrack/score of this movie. I don't know if it is all famous works, but
there were songs in the movie that I have heard 100 times in the trailers for
other films. The music fit everything perfectly.
What I Didn't Like:
-If I had to
complain about one thing it would be the voice-over narration. While I wouldn't
call it intrusive, it certainly didn't feel necessary. In fact, if they got rid
of that, they might as well get rid of the scenes of the sister reflecting back
on the story while she is bedridden. It certainly doesn't do the actress any
favors by trying to force her voice to sound older. I complain about voiceover
a lot don’t I?
What I Hated:
-I preferred being
one of those people who just didn't like Malick movies. Now I feel like I
should see all his stuff.
Verdict:
You want to see a
visual masterpiece that is romantic and powerful, while still remaining subtle
and mysterious? Bingo, we have your movie. If you decide to watch it, put it on
the biggest screen you have and put the volume at a decent level, then sit back
and let the film wash over you.
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