Film · TMDB
7.5In 1916, a Chicago steel worker accidentally kills his supervisor and flees to the Texas panhandle with his girlfriend and little sister to work harvesting wheat in the fields of a stoic farmer.
Released: 1978-09-1394 minDir: Terrence MalickDrama, RomanceBudget: $3.0MBox office: $3.7M
Cast
- Richard Gere as Bill
- Brooke Adams as Abby
- Sam Shepard as The Farmer
- Linda Manz as Linda
- Robert J. Wilke as The Farm Foreman
- Jackie Shultis as Linda's Friend
Themes
- chicago, illinois
- farm
- husband wife relationship
~27 min read
Article
Days of Heaven is a 1978 American romantic period drama film written and directed by Terrence Malick, and starring Richard Gere, Brooke Adams, Sam Shepard and Linda Manz. Set in 1916, it tells the story of Bill and Abby, lovers who travel to the Texas Panhandle for work harvesting crops for a wealthy grain farmer. Bill persuades Abby to claim the fortune of the dying farmer by tricking him into a sham marriage.
Days of Heaven was Malick's second feature film, after Badlands (1973), and was produced on a budget of $3 million. Production was particularly troublesome, with a tight shooting schedule in Canada in 1976 and significant budget constraints. Film editing took Malick a lengthy two years, due to difficulty with achieving a general flow and assembly of the scenes. This was eventually solved by incorporating improvised narration from teen Linda Manz. The film was scored by Ennio Morricone with contributions by guitarist Leo Kottke, and photographed by Néstor Almendros and Haskell Wexler.