Days of Heaven

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Days of Heaven

PG

Released Jan 1, 1978

1h 35m

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

94%

Tomatometer

65 Reviews

89%

Popcornmeter

10,000+ Ratings

A screen poem about life in America at the turn of the century. A story of love and murder told through the voice of a child and expressive images of nature in 1916. A steelworker flees Chicago after a fight with his boss; he takes his little sister and girlfriend with him.

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Critics Consensus

Illuminated by magic hour glow and wistful performances, Days of Heaven is a visual masterpiece that finds eloquent poetry in its spare scenario.

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Kevin Maher

Times (UK)

The plague of locusts scene, achieved by dumping thousands of peanut shells from a helicopter and playing the eventual footage backwards, is a knockout.

Rated: 5/5

Feb 2, 2024

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Sara Michelle Fetters

MovieFreak.com

Terrence Malick’s ethereal, windswept ballad of love, lust, and nature’s wrath remains an otherworldly triumph.

Rated: 4/4

Oct 19, 2023

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David Sexton

London Evening Standard

Simply one of the most ravishing films ever made, luminous in a way that no other movie has been.

Rated: 5/5

Sep 2, 2011

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Mike Massie

Gone With The Twins

It ends as vaguely as it begins, yet with a distinct sense of satisfaction and unexplainable resoluteness (perhaps these characters’ stories are entirely resolved), as if something profound has unfolded amid the odd plainness of it all.

Rated: 7/10

Nov 8, 2024

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Ray Pride

Newcity

Malick’s haunting, painterly variation on Biblical stories in the wheat fields of the Texas panhandle just before the First World War is a voluptuous masterpiece, an equation of ironies. Drawn with myth’s simplicity.

Rated: 10/10

Jul 4, 2024

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Bianca Garner

The Film Bee

Even though the film’s length is a slick 94 minutes, it feels so much longer (in a good way). It’s the type of film that leaves you craving more; but Malick deliberately leaves certain scenes and plot points ambiguous.

May 16, 2024

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Jason G

Saw this on Criterion channel and didn't like it at all. The script is inert and Malick can't handle actors (how many times a day does the Richard Gere character shave?). The massive editing (cutting) prevents the rhythms of nature from coming through, and the clumsy close-ups of the characters look like insets, along with the nature creatures. The music is great (it must be borrowed by Harry Potter) and the cinematography/lighting is well-respected. I suppose it looks better on a big screen, and the blend of noise and silence might be artistic (the locust noises are cool) but I'm glad Malick doesn't make many movies.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

09/12/24

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Luca D

One of the most beautiful films you'll see. The fire in the fields scene was amazing. Definitely holds up well, considering it's age. The only part I wasn't to happy about was the lackluster ending. Kind of ended on a weird note. Other than that the sets, costumes, music, and acting were all 10/10.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

09/08/24

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Hao Ian L

While the premise of the love triangle story is rather simple, the poetic and meditative approach is what sets it apart. <i>Days of Heaven</i> is not a film driven by plot, it avoids traditional narrative structures and opts instead for a dreamlike quality that invites viewers to immerse themselves in the world on screen with visual poetry that is unparalleled. Malick captures the vastness and beauty of the Texas Panhandle with breathtaking imagery, the golden fields of wheat, fiery sunsets, and imposing thunderstorms create a visual symphony that complements the film's emotional depth, it's an experience much more magical than a synopsis would ever allow.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

09/01/24

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David C

I saw it last night at Music Box theater. It is a beautiful film to look at with a solid cast but the story is just lacking and the ending was so bad that I heard people laugh out loud. Good but not best ever film.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

03/28/24

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Nathan T

Another great and classic film.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/17/24

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Tim O

My "memory" of having initially seen this decades ago, was a much stronger film than I see now. Beautiful cinematography, and some really impressive scenes of period mass-harvesting in the giant kerosene tracters era (heh, big hit for the small community of fans of old tractors and machinery [grin]). But the characters haven't aged well, and I now find pretty shallow and unengaging.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

12/18/23

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Synopsis

A screen poem about life in America at the turn of the century. A story of love and murder told through the voice of a child and expressive images of nature in 1916. A steelworker flees Chicago after a fight with his boss; he takes his little sister and girlfriend with him.

Director: Terrence Malick
Producer: Bert Schneider, Harold Schneider
Screenwriter: Terrence Malick
Distributor: Paramount Pictures
Production Co: Paramount Pictures
Rating: PG
Genre: Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jan 1, 1978, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Mar 22, 2016
Runtime: 1h 35m
Sound Mix: Surround, Dolby Stereo
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.85:1)

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