Days of Heaven

Terrence Malick

United States

1978

94 minutes

Color

1.77:1

English

409

Synopsis

One-of-a-kind filmmaker-philosopher Terrence Malick has created some of the most visually arresting films of the twentieth century, and his glorious period tragedy Days of Heaven, featuring Oscar-winning cinematography by Nestor Almendros, stands out among them. In 1910, a Chicago steelworker (Richard Gere) accidentally kills his supervisor, and he, his girlfriend (Brooke Adams), and his little sister (Linda Manz) flee to the Texas panhandle, where they find work harvesting wheat in the fields of a stoic farmer (Sam Shepard). A love triangle, a swarm of locusts, a hellish fire—Malick captures it all with dreamlike authenticity, creating a timeless American idyll that is also a gritty evocation of turn-of-the-century labor.

Cast

BillRichard Gere
AbbeyBrooke Adams
The farmerSam Shepard
LindaLinda Manz
The farm foremanRobert J. Wilke
Linda's friendJackie Shultis
Mill foremanStuart Margolin
Harvest handTimothy Scott

Credits

DirectorTerrence Malick
CinematographyNestor Almendros
Additional photographyHaskell Wexler
ProducerBert Schneider and Harold Schneider
Executive producerJacob Brackman
EditingBill Weber
MusicEnnio Morricone
Non-original music byCamille Saint-Saens
CastingDianne Crittenden
Art directorJack Fisk
Set decoratorRobert Gould
Costume designerPatricia Norris

Disc Features

DIRECTOR-APPROVED SPECIAL EDITION

  • New, restored high-definition digital transfer, supervised and approved by director Terrence Malick, editor Billy Weber, and camera operator John Bailey
  • New Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack (with DTS-HD Master Audio on the Blu-ray edition)
  • Audio commentary featuring Weber, art director Jack Fisk, costume designer Patricia Norris, and casting director Dianne Crittenden
  • Audio interview with actor Richard Gere
  • Video interviews with Bailey, cinematographer Haskell Wexler, and actor Sam Shepard
  • PLUS: A booklet featuring an essay by critic Adrian Martin and a chapter from director of photography Nestor Almendros’s autobiography

From the Current

Days of Heaven:
On Earth as It Is in Heaven

by Adrian Martin Oct 22, 2007

Like many American directors who emerged in the early 1970s, Terrence Malick went to film school—to the American Film Institute, where, indeed, his fellow . . .

Striking Gold

by Lee Kline Aug 14, 2007

When I found out last year that we’d be working on Days of Heaven, I got goose bumps. It’s always been one of my favorite films, and I had wished it could be in the Criterion Collection ever since I started here twelve years ago—that and Sixteen Candles (I’m very diverse). Paramount . . .

Related Films

The Auteurs Forum

Displaying 4 of 5 discussion topics.

Start new topic  |  See all

Days of Heaven

18 posts by 12 people updated 27 days ago

Days of Heaven on Blu-Ray

8 posts by 6 people updated about 1 month ago

Days of Heaven Theme Song

11 posts by 6 people updated about 1 month ago

Available Editions

Days of Heaven Criterion DVD Add to Cart

DVD

1 Disc

SRP: $39.95

Criterion Store price

$31.96

Days of Heaven Criterion Blu-Ray Add to Cart

23 Mar 2010

Blu-Ray

1 Disc

SRP: $39.95

Criterion Store price

$31.96