Richard Gere, Brooke Adams, Sam Shepard

Richard Gere works in a Chicago steel mill at the turn of the century, but must flee the city after accidentally killing a man. Heading for the wheat fields of Texas, he packs up his girlfriend (Brook...( read more  read more... )e Adams) and his younger sister (Linda Manz). Instead of a better life, they head straight into tragedy when a wealthy farmer (Sam Shepard) falls for Adams. Believing him to be dying and expecting to inherit a fortune, she agrees to marry him. Their plans change when Shepard fails to die and Gere takes matters into his own hands. Aesthetically flawless, this film about a romantic love triangle is diminished by the small scope of video. Originally shown in 70mm, it is an eye-catching period piece that won its cinematographer, Néstor Almendros, a 1978 Oscar. Texture and color are the unbilled characters in this tragic tale, and are just as important as the players. The story, sadly, fades somewhat when compared to the glory of the visuals. --Rochelle O'Gorman

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90% liked it

8,699 ratings

Critics

91% liked it

33 critics

PG, 1 hr. 35 min.

Directed by: Terrence Malick

Release Date: September 13, 1978

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DVD Release Date: March 30, 1999

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Flixster Reviews (863)


  • June 19, 2008
    Malick's masterpiece. One of the most gorgeously shot films in history. Right up there with The Conformist and Chinatown.

    Gere, Adams and Shepard all give exquisitely simple performance that speak volumes.

    However the real brilliance lies with it's Mise en Cadre. The collision...( read more) of images, created through the editing and direction, build a visual poem of powerful emotion.
  • April 5, 2008
    A masterpiece by the incomparable Terrence Malick.
  • January 5, 2008
    Haunting and magical soundtrack, sweeping and lush cinematography... so-so acting, but who cares? This movie is so pretty!
  • December 12, 2007
    Tender immorality. Days of Heaven lavishes its exterior with beauty to oppose the deviance of its plot and the ethics of its characters to make for a picture laden with the splendor of serenity and the insight of needs, wants, and love. The film caters as a moving film through im...( read more)agery as it captures an environment and a setting and is able to progress with minimal dialogue.

    ...more soon.
  • October 23, 2007
    one of the most beautifully captured films ever. good work mr. cameraman! richard gere and brooke and whoever are just characters who dont do much... and it's narrated rather jumbly by the lil girl. oh crap, i really can't be bothered with reviews lately. so er, yeh, i'm gonna go...( read more) get pissed. good review eh? basically watch this if you're having a drink. will make it fly right by and you can appreciate the scenery
  • November 10, 2009
    my favorite Malick movie to date ! i hope sometimes he will be back to tell a simple story like this,not an over the top,ambitious project. and that Carnival of the Animals-The Aquarium score,very effective !
  • November 10, 2009
    the tagline didn't lie at all, my ears, my eyes, my senses, are overwhelmed.,
    i didn't usually paid much attention at the score, but this great score from ennio morricone is simply irresistible., and the cinematography is drop-dead gorgeous. The tone, the beauty of the nature, th...( read more)e angle, it's all mixed up beautifully.,
    i know this film is widely-known for its physical beauty, but there is something more important and more initial about this movie (and all terrence malick movies) beside that physical thing, there is certain deep feeling and emotion about the story, and crafted with beautiful words of narration.,
    and when you have those two variables, you could only ended up with one result, a beautiful movie.,
    and in 'days of heaven' malick brings up that beautiful movie with a tragic love story between three adult characters through the eyes of a little girl., although most of the moments in this movie shared only in those three adults characters, this film is about the little girl, about her life, her days of heaven, and her lost.,
    this is one of the most beautiful movie that ever made, i would definitely bet my money for that..
  • October 21, 2009
    Way better then I thought it was gonna be
  • October 12, 2009
    Image and video hosting by TinyPic
    Days of Heaven(1978) was from director Terrence Malick, a story of a love triangle. Bill, played by Richard Gere, his girlfriend Abb...( read more)y,( Brooke Adams) and sister Linda took labor jobs picking wheat. The rich land owner,played by Sam Shepard fell in love with Abby. Bill convinced Abby to marry Shepard, after hearing that Shepard had short time to live, thinking after he died they will stay with all his money and properties..What Bill did not expect was that Abby had fall in love with Shepard after they were married and that was where all the problem started. Music was beautiful in the movie,the narration by the little sister throughout the movie was good. Malick's directing was magnificent.
  • August 24, 2009
    Malick again presents us with a wide display of stunning visual moments. The characters seemed real and interesting to me The Morricone soundtrack with its variations on Saint-Saens "the aquarium" were lovely and haunting. I did feel the sister's voice over narration was less ef...( read more)fective than the one used in "The New World". Overall a movie that should definitely be seen.

Critic Reviews


October 22, 2007
Nick Schager, Slant Magazine

A DVD fit for a masterpiece. full review

January 1, 2000
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

This is a movie made by a man who knew how something felt, and found a way to evoke it in us. full review

View more Days of Heaven reviews at RottenTomatoes.com

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Days of Heaven Trivia


  • He made Badlands in 1973, Days of Heaven in 1978, The Thin Red Line in 1998 and this film in 2005.  Answer »
  • Who sang Show Me Heaven from the Days of Thunder soundtrack?  Answer »
  • "Days of Heaven" is well known for what?  Answer »
  • Richard Gere and Brooke Adams pretended to be __________ in Days of Heaven?  Answer »

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