Days of Heaven

Days of Heaven (1978) starring Richard Gere, Brooke Adams, Sam Shepard, Linda Manz. Directed by Terrence Malick. In 1916, migrant laborers arrive to help with the wheat harvest on a Midwest farm. The farm owner (Shepard) falls in love with a worker named Abby (Adams) and asks her to stay. She agrees to stay, but says her "brother" Bill (Gere) and sister (Manz) must also stay on. The pair are conning the farmer, believing that he is dying, but Abby ends up falling in love with him. Not a typical Malick film, this one has a clear through-plot. Beautifully photographed and with evocative music by Ennio Morricone, it packs a strong emotional punch.  The movie won an Oscar for cinematography. (Closed captions are available.) Grade: B+