Review – Days of Heaven

The visuals are the star of this Terrence Malik production. Richard Gere, Brooke Adams and Sam Shepard – all young in 1978 – turn in average performances. The passage from Genesis upon which this is loosely based is only ten verses long, and though things are fleshed out a bit with some soap opera twists and turns there still isn’t much of a story to speak of. The dialogue and narrative are also oddly cut, the plot spinning out in fits and starts. However, the look and feel are something else. The open plains of Texas in the late 19-teens give Malick plenty of opportunities to work with cinematography and art direction to produce something that, however dull, is very visually impressive. Mildly amusing