The story is set in 1916 (the film shows a 1916 newspaper, and a scene late in the film shows American soldiers headed off for World War I). Bill (Gere), a Chicago manual laborer, knocks down and kills a boss in the steel mill where he works. He flees to the Texas Panhandle with his girlfriend Abby (Adams) and younger sister Linda (Manz). Bill and Abby pretend to be siblings to prevent gossip.
The three hire on as part of a large group of seasonal workers with a rich, shy rancher (Shepard). Although he is young, he learns he is dying of an unspecified disease. When the rancher falls in love with Abby, Bill encourages her to marry him so that they can inherit his money after he dies. The marriage takes place and Bill stays at the ranch as Abby's "brother." The farmer's foreman, Robert Wilke, suspects their scheme. The rancher's health unexpectedly remains stable, foiling Bill's plans.
Eventually, the farmer discovers Bill's true relationship with Abby. At the same time, Abby has begun to fall in love with her new husband. The farmer goes after Bill with a gun, but Bill kills him. Although the killing was in self defense, due to the class difference between them and the fact that Bill and Abby had started a scam on the farmer, he fears being charged as a murderer if caught. Bill and the women escape. The foreman Wilke puts the police on their trail, and the police kill Bill in the hunt. Abby leaves Linda at a boarding school and goes off on her own.
In my early years of watching and studying film, this was the first film that made me love film as much as I do. I saw the scene you see below in a documentary called Visions of Light: The Art of Cinematography. In this film the they talk about great ways of visual expression and one of the scenes they show is the picture below. The music of Leo Kottke, one of my favorites, is playing why they cross that bridge. The scene in the film is short, but totally breathtaking. I did not know much of the film then. I got a whisper in my ear about the film and had to see it for myself. It was a good idea to to watch that film. It now is one of my favorite films of all time and to me the best of Terrence Malick career.
I continued watching this documentary and realized there are films in here I needed to see. The film opened my eyes to so much out there. I realized also that my film obsession would need to grow. True, I liked a few classic films at that time, but I did not realize that I need to watch more films and get better knowledge on the films I loved. As the friend who came with me pointed out to me she asked me why do I like these films. Is it the acting? Is it the story? Is it the way the film is presented? After watching the documentary I changed my film outlook. This gave me ideas that there are films out there that I should see and films of today needed to part of that example. There were very few at the time that I could actually say I loved. It got a bit better over time, but my scope of films had to follow some kind of criteria. Classic, great contemporary, among other things was what I needed to follow.
Film was always good, but after watching Days of Heaven it was so much better. The film turned my idea of what film was. It did not have to be simple, but the complex could work so well and the story had to be better then most. With my great love of film I realized I had to keep some of these films at high expectations. I now and used to look for a good film to go see. I needed to be engaged in the film and also like what the film is about. I don't often go to the movies because I look for one that make me learn and understand how great films are made.
I even stopped going to my local theater and went to the local art house or college movie theater to check out the classics. If you need to find a film that has these qualities then look no further. Days of Heaven is quite amazing. It's a movie that needs to be scene for all it's great visual mastery. I suggest you go as soon as you can whatever way you get your movies and check it out. Enjoy this classic.
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