Get the MovieNight app
Add it to your home screen — faster & full screen
Get the MovieNight app
Add it to your home screen — faster & full screen
Paramount Pictures
Not part of a collection.
She gave her hand to one man, but her heart to another.
In 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.
CinemaSerf
Jun 18, 2023 · via TMDB
I wasn't ever really a fan of Richard Gere. Maybe it was just all that hair? Anyway, in this rather poignant story he is "Bill" who works in a smelter in Chicago whilst living with "Amy" (Brooke Adams) and his younger sister "Linda" (Linda Manz). He's not happy, and after the latest in a series of lively squabbles with his foreman, the three decide to quit the city and head to Texas where they find casual work on farm. As the season progresses, it soon becomes clear that the owner of the farm (Sam Shepard) has taken a bit of a shine to "Abby". He is poorly and "Bill" reckons that he isn't destined to be long for the world, so "Abby" agrees to marry him so that, in due course, they can inherit the whole shebang! Thing is, though, someone's been telling some fibs and the perhaps the farmer isn't quite so close to his sell-by date as many had been led to believe! Things only get murkier when we learn that "Bill" has a past - and that past is homing in on their new lives and threatening their triumvirate. It's gently narrated by "Linda" and the story from Terrence Malick is tightly packaged into a quickly paced ninety minutes of characterful, sometimes poignant, drama. Shepard gets the plaudits from me, his performance stands out but generally this is a decent ensemble effort that guides us through a story of avarice, loyalty and menace with aplomb. Gere still isn't great, but the film looks great and is certainly worth a watch.
talisencrw
Jul 5, 2016 · via TMDB
Outstanding. My second favourite Malick film next to Badlands. I'm not sure anyone has ever been better at photographing fire. The only other of his films I have seen thus far is 'To the Wonder', but it's films like this that make me such a lover of cinema. I'm not a Richard Gere fan in the slightest (though I have always loved Brooke Adams), but it's roles like this that cement his reputation as a cinematic icon in my books. I didn't say 'actor' because I'm not really sure that's his strength--it's more a presence, such as Alain Delon in 'Le Samourai'.
MoHA
Mar 15, 2015 · via TMDB
Following the story of Bill (Richard Gere), a hard working laborer in the early 19th century, Days Of Heaven is a cinematic masterpiece. Accompanied by his girlfriend, Abby (Brooke Adams) and sister (Linda Manz), Bill departs on a steam engine for a lone wheat farm in Texas for work. The journey is a long one, but director Terrence Malick makes the ride pleasant with beautiful shots of nature at its best. The rest of the movie follows suit. Although once at the farm the labor is arduous for the three characters, they find solace in being surrounded by the natural aesthetics. Everything is made even better when Bill, against his better judgment, convinces Abby to marry the owner of the farm. Life becomes carefree. The common thread that ties the film together is the depiction of nature. The plains of Texas are exactly that–plain. Malick is able to capture this simplicity and turn it into something extraordinarily beautiful. A common theme emerges–the relationship between humans and nature. At times the relationship can be a close one, as illustrated by the carefree frolicking through the fields. However at other times, by piecing together wide shots of the plains, Malick portrays humans as insignificant in comparison to nature. While the two are contrasts, the two work together to form a cohesive depiction of nature. This relationship is especially illuminated by the attempt to industrialize the farm. Steam engines and massive coal powered plows stand tall over the individual farmhands. One can look at these massive machines as an attempt for man to conquer nature and assert his dominance. Additionally, Malick is able to give nature emotion, almost as vivid as if it was an animate object. Wheat blowing back and forth in the wind while the sun shines through the clouds provides for a very melancholy and relaxed mood. The breeze is almost palpable on one’s cheek. Yet, when the massive machines arrive and the farmhands are forced to do intense manual labor, the calmness disappears. Life becomes hectic. This contrast shows the duality of nature. For every pleasant thing in life, there is a bad thing as its complement– much like heaven and hell. This is extremely apparent when Bill attempts to leave the farm for the second time. As he leaves the farmer’s residence, he hears a droning sound. Before Bill or the viewer understands what is happening, the sky opens up with locusts. The farm literally becomes engulfed in these insects coming straight out of the ten plagues. All hell breaks loose–sirens sound and hundreds of workers tried to get these locusts off the farm. All that is beautiful–the wheat, the sky, and the vast emptiness of the plains–is covered up. It is almost as if hell is covering the heaven on earth. This allegory becomes even clearer once a fire erupts. The days in heaven are clearly over as the fire cannot be contained and the beauty is physically destroyed. Following the duality in nature already established by the movie, heaven is subsequently restored. Although most of the crops are gone after the fire, the land still has an aesthetic quality to it. And although Bill and Abby never find solace after fleeing, Bill’s sister finds herself enjoying life again after reuniting with her friend. Just as it had been during the days of heaven, she is carefree again.
User reviews courtesy of TMDB.
Amazon Video
Apple TV Store
Google Play Movies
YouTube
Fandango At Home
JustWatch TV
Amazon Video
Apple TV Store
Google Play Movies
YouTube
Fandango At Home
Richard Gere
Bill
Brooke Adams
Abby
Sam Shepard
The Farmer
Linda Manz
Linda
Robert J. Wilke
The Farm Foreman
Stuart Margolin
Mill Foreman
Timothy Scott
Harvest Hand
Richard Libertini
Vaudeville Leader
Terrence Malick
Mill Worker (uncredited)
Jack Fisk
Art Direction
Robert Gould
Set Decoration
Dan Perri
Title Designer
Haskell Wexler
Additional Photography
John Bailey
Camera Operator
Néstor Almendros
Director of Photography
Leo Kottke
Additional Music
Terrence Malick
Director
Marion Segal
Additional Editor
Geno Havens
Casting Assistant
Bert Schneider
Producer
Nathalie Seaver
Researcher
Ennio Morricone
Conductor
Ennio Morricone
Original Music Composer
Alan Splet
Sound Assistant
Charles L. Campbell
Sound Effects Editor
Terrence Malick
Writer
Theater Of Faces
dadme la muerte que me falta
FENNEL
Amour.Artificiel
12 Angry Men
Seven Samurai
Les petites couleurs
A Brighter Summer Day
Heartbreak Motel
Bicycle Thieves
The Seventh Seal
8½
Paris, Texas
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
Some Like It Hot
La Haine
Wild Strawberries
La Dolce Vita
The Wages of Fear
Swaarangi
Citizen Kane
Before Sunrise
The Passion of Joan of Arc
La Strada
Three Colors: Red
Titanic
On the Waterfront
Before Sunset
Anatomy of a Murder
The Grapes of Wrath
Pather Panchali
Solaris
Ali: Fear Eats the Soul
Selena
Amores Perros
Three Colors: Blue
All About My Mother
Cat on a Hot Tin Roof
Harold and Maude
Walk the Line
Good Bye, Lenin!
Eyes Wide Shut
Head-On
The Rules of the Game
The Inquisitor
L'Avventura
Bonnie and Clyde
The Fugitive
Being John Malkovich
Ashes and Diamonds
Boys Don't Cry
That Obscure Object of Desire
Dirty Dancing
Sissi
Monster
Funny Girl
A History of Violence
Out of Africa
Sissi: The Young Empress
Sissi: The Fateful Years of an Empress
If Only
My Own Private Idaho
Wild at Heart
Skylark
Two for the Road
Love Is the Ruin of Us All
The Science of Sleep
Trial by Fire
The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie
Morte e Vida Severina
The Electrical Life of Louis Wain
Screwed in Tallinn: A Small Film About Loneliness
Cruel Intentions
Mr. & Mrs. Smith
Jimmy's Hall
The Other Side of the Wind
Breaking Surface
The Legend of Billie Jean
Annie
Ali Zaoua: Prince of the Streets
The Kids' Diner
Secret Weapons
So Evil My Love
Sheep in the Box
To Paint or Make Love
Sleepless
Live by Night
Premaku Velayera
The Astronaut Farmer
The Perfect Christmas Present
Waiter
The Return of Jafar
Mojin: The Lost Legend
The Canterbury Tales
Johnny Lingo
Butterfly Kisses
Roe vs. Wade
Prague
All About Them
Kira's Reason: A Love Story
You Choose!
On the Edge
The Tender Hook
9 Songs
Two Gentlemen Sharing
Flightless Bird & Merry-Go-Round
Zhongkui: Snow Girl and the Dark Crystal
Rule No. 1
The Best Men
The Guardian Angel
Fighting for Freedom
Day Zero
Strange Planet
Supesharu ressun: Hentai sei-kyôiku
Rajski ptak
Mr. Perfect
Hunger
PLEH
Zombies und Dromomanen - Die blinden Vögel unterwegs
Antiscene
The Easiest Way
Where the Light Fades
Siren
The Bridges of Madison County
The Best of Me
Love Everlasting
Othello
The Magnificent Ambersons
Train Dreams
What Dreams May Come
The Choice
Persuasion
We Live in Time
2 Hearts
Safe Haven
Jane Eyre
Far from the Madding Crowd
It Ends with Us
Forever First Love
The Field
Challengers
The Fugitive Kind
Elena Undone
Still Mine
The Lost Husband
Nobody Has to Know
The Gift
Over the Top
Sommersby
Not Easily Broken
The Last Tycoon
Materialists
The Yellow Handkerchief
Disappearing Acts
Last Night
Country Strong
Blind
Nine Lives
American Fable
Dot the I
Intrusion
To the Wonder
Sep 13, 1978
New York City, New York
Sep 20, 1978
Los Angeles, California
Oct 6, 1978
© 2025-2026 MovieNight. All rights reserved.
Versus
Sign in to play →
Seven Dorms of Death
2015
Preview
1982
Sign in to vote
Battle your watched movies head-to-head
Community Top Movies
Evil Dead II
1987 · 14 wins
The Dark Knight
2008 · 14 wins
Halloween
1978 · 13 wins
Final Destination
2000 · 12 wins
Halloween II
1981 · 11 wins
Trivia
Leaderboard →Playing as a guest — sign in to save your score and rank on the leaderboard.
Movie Trivia
Guess the movie from a clue — tagline, plot, cast and more. Pick from four posters.
What movie experience do you prefer?
What is your favorite movie genre?
Versus
Sign in to play →
Seven Dorms of Death
2015
Preview
1982
Sign in to vote
Battle your watched movies head-to-head
Community Top Movies
Evil Dead II
1987 · 14 wins
The Dark Knight
2008 · 14 wins
Halloween
1978 · 13 wins
Final Destination
2000 · 12 wins
Halloween II
1981 · 11 wins
Trivia
Leaderboard →Playing as a guest — sign in to save your score and rank on the leaderboard.
Movie Trivia
Guess the movie from a clue — tagline, plot, cast and more. Pick from four posters.
What movie experience do you prefer?
What is your favorite movie genre?
We use essential cookies to run MovieNight, plus analytics (Google Analytics) and advertising (Google AdSense) cookies. By continuing to browse, you agree to this — or click No and we won't. See our Terms & Privacy Policy to learn more.