Review of Days of Heaven (1978) by Jon F — 22 Feb 2011

Breathtakingly gorgeous film. The cinematography in Days of Heaven is insanely beautiful - my jaw was regularly dropped by the images I was seeing. The sunsets, rolling wheat fields, animals, farm equipment, earthy people - when combined with Ennio Morricone's haunting score, Days of Heaven is pure visual poetry. This is even more beautifully filmed than Malick's The Thin Red Line, and thankfully a far better movie in all other areas. While Malick still approaches the characters and their plight in a restrained and slightly disconnected way, I actually was interested by the characters and their complex, tragic dynamic. Also, the narration rarely drifts into the laughable faux-poetic randomness that killed The Thin Red LIne for me, staying mostly grounded and relevant.

As far as Terrence Malick goes, as of now Days of Heaven is my favorite - although it has given me an itching to revisit Badlands and The New World, both of which I enjoyed to a slightly lesser degree. Despite his flaws he is certainly one of America's most distinctive and striking directors, and from the looks of it this year's The Tree of Life will be another unique and gorgeous experience. I am looking forward to it.