janmanuel2 I can't believe the high scores for this movie. It was on my cable channel and had high 90's on two review scores so I recorded it. The narrator has the most annoying voice and accent and her voice does not project to the audience at all. The old man who worked for the farmer was the best actor. The photography was beautiful. Everything else was mediocre at best. It just dragged along to an abysmal ending. I cannot believe people are comparing this to movies like Casa Blanca. This is just average. The whole premise could have been developed into a great movie. I guess I don't like this director's style.

blanche-2 Terrence Malick's masterpiece, Days of Heaven, is from 1978 and stars Richard Gere, Sam Shepard, Brooke Adams, and Linda Manz.People have written here about the cinematography - there's nothing I can add to it - certainly one of the most gorgeous films ever done, absolutely staggering.The story takes place in 1916. Bill (Gere) and Abby (Adams) are boyfriend and girlfriend who pose as brother and sister. After Bill punches a man (Stuart Margolin) and he winds up dead, the two of them, along with Bill's sister Linda (Manz) travel from Chicago to the Texas panhandle looking for work.The owner of the farm where they wind up, (Shepard) falls for Abby, and, when Bill finds out he's terminally ill, urges Abby to marry him. After the wedding, Bill and Linda stay on at the farm with Bill doing jobs around the place. Meanwhile he's meeting Abby secretly. Jealousy, impatience, and tragedy follow.Not much dialogue to be had here - apparently Malick threw out the script and let the actors "find" the story. The three leads - were any of us ever that young? They're beautiful. All the acting is very internalized, and it works here beautifully - it's all in the facial expressions, the eyes - it could almost be a silent movie. Though it's a languid film, there is an underlying tension throughout. The one rough spot for me was Linda Manz and her New York accent. People from Chicago do not talk like that, and in fact I had a difficult time understanding her, which made her an odd choice for the narrator. Children are naturals, they don't have any social barriers or inhibitions, so I'm never impressed by child actors though many of them are fabulous. I didn't feel that she had much to offer. Malick felt differently, and it's his movie, I just didn't think her gifts showed on screen.This is a must-see film - haunting and atmospheric and incredibly beautiful.

hughman55 I want to set the record straight about this film score. But first I want to join my fellow detractors of the grossly overrated film in agreeing that the characters and story line are anemic and undeveloped; and the voice over atrocious. At first I couldn't understand a word of it. I'd rewind and listen again only to discover that not only was it annoying, but it was also uninteresting and meaningless.Now, for all the fellow detractors who cared as little for this tedious film as I did but acknowledged its breathtaking cinematography and beautiful score, you may want to reconsider your praise of the music. The music is beautiful, and one of the best things about this awful film, but it's not original. And it is not film music. It is, note for note, from a classical piece composed in 1886, by Camille Saint Seans, called "Carnival of the Animals". What you're hearing over and over again throughout this whole three hour film (oh, that's right, it's only 94 minutes) is the 'Aquarium' movement. You will also be familiar with this same composition as the 'Swan' movement is used in the ballet solo, "The Dying Swan"; made famous by Anna Pavlova and every other great ballerina over the last 100 years who strapped on a pair of pointe shoes to croak under a spotlight. So, the music in this film truly beautiful. But no thanks to anyone living in 1978 or now.

SnoopyStyle It's 1916. Bill (Richard Gere) is a hothead. He accidentally kills his supervisor in a Chicago steel mill. He runs away with his girlfriend Abby (Brooke Adams) and her sister Linda who narrates the movie. They find work harvesting a vast land for a farmer (Sam Shepard). Bill and Abby pretends to be siblings to avoid scrutiny. The farmer falls for Abby. Bill convinces Abby to marry the terminally ill farmer for his money. However, his death doesn't come and Bill becomes concern.Terrence Malick knows how to make a beautiful looking film. His collaboration with cinematographer Nestor Almendros is absolutely brilliant. The scored by Ennio Morricone invokes an ethereal quality. It's a movie that should be shown in museums. I'm not as taken with a young Richard Gere in the role. He's way too pretty. His wavy hair is too lovely. He has that playboy swagger. He doesn't fit the steel mill worker and farm worker character. He looks more like a hustler. I do love Brooke Adams in the role. The little girl Linda is another matter. She is stiff and I hate the narration. It keeps the movie devoid of emotions. If Malick insists on making Linda the protagonist, he could at least make her interesting.