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Heartland

Play trailer Poster for Heartland PG Released Sep 22, 1979 1h 36m Western Play Trailer Watchlist
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100% Tomatometer 5 Reviews 86% Popcornmeter 500+ Ratings
Plucky widow Elinore Randall (Conchata Ferrell) and her young daughter, Jerrine (Megan Folson), travel to Montana at the dawn of the 20th century so that Elinore can take a job running the household of gruff, undemonstrative rancher Clyde Stewart (Rip Torn). Though the Wild West days have faded into the recent past, life in the mountainous area remains difficult. Still, Elinore and Clyde form a quiet but loving bond in the face of backbreaking labor and unexpected adversity.
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Heartland

Critics Reviews

View All (5) Critics Reviews
Roger Ebert Chicago Sun-Times Rated: 4/4 Oct 23, 2004 Full Review Phil Hall Examiner.com An intelligent and invigorating production, blessed by an extraordinary performance from Conchata Ferrell. Rated: 5/5 Jul 24, 2015 Full Review Dennis Schwartz Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews A robust and authentic look at the everyday mundane struggles on the frontier. Rated: B Sep 24, 2008 Full Review Emanuel Levy EmanuelLevy.Com Unlike other films of the "farming" cycle (Country, Places in the Heart) casting the lead with a newcomer (Conchata Ferrell), who didn't look like an actress, added to the film's authenticity. Rated: B Dec 4, 2006 Full Review Robert Roten Laramie Movie Scope Rated: 4/5 Oct 26, 2005 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Audience Member One of the warmest Westerns I've found. In saying that it also has two extremely brutal scenes of animal cruelty, so proceed with caution – however these are both in the context of rancher/farming life. If you can stomach this it's well worth checking out. A solid 5/5. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/24/23 Full Review Audience Member One of the best movies I've ever seen. The characters were real and believable, the storyline was moving, the actors lived their roles. Nothing sappy here, nor depressing. Just life as it was in a hard land at a difficult time. A mailorder bride and her daughter arrive and work side by side with her new husband through all the challenges of life. The ending could have been depressing, but was instead upbeat and hopeful. I highly recommend it. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 01/21/23 Full Review Audience Member My wife and I loved this movie. Its a sleeper. Take a shot, you won't regret it Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/16/23 Full Review Audience Member Quietly moving story of life in Wyoming and the hardship of life there, the rough kindness and the need for human companionship. It's hard to explain--but would be very good for a story showing life out in the west before the turn of the century. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/15/23 Full Review Audience Member Rip Torn and Conchata Ferrell give very realistic, unsentimental performances. Beautiful Montana stands in for Wyoming in one of the hardest winters I've ever lived through. A beautiful film. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 01/18/23 Full Review Audience Member Delicate and beautiful. I remember seeing it with my mother at the little Garberville movie theater in Humbolt County on a Wednesday night, a school night. It's a lovely little film, simple story, with terrific performances by Conchata Farrell and Rip Torn. It brings back fond memories of my own heartland. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/16/23 Full Review Read all reviews
Heartland

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Cast & Crew

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Movie Info

Synopsis Plucky widow Elinore Randall (Conchata Ferrell) and her young daughter, Jerrine (Megan Folson), travel to Montana at the dawn of the 20th century so that Elinore can take a job running the household of gruff, undemonstrative rancher Clyde Stewart (Rip Torn). Though the Wild West days have faded into the recent past, life in the mountainous area remains difficult. Still, Elinore and Clyde form a quiet but loving bond in the face of backbreaking labor and unexpected adversity.
Director
Richard Pearce
Producer
Michael Hausman, Beth Ferris
Screenwriter
Beth Ferris
Production Co
Filmhaus, Wilderness Women, The National Endowment for the Humanities
Rating
PG
Genre
Western
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Sep 22, 1979, Limited
Release Date (Streaming)
Jun 14, 2017
Runtime
1h 36m
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