I Wish I Could See It On The Big Screen.

I think the title of this post sums up my view of Days of Heaven really well. The 1978 Terrence Malick period drama, photographed by Academy Award winning cinematographer Nestor Almendros, starring a young Sam Shepard and an equally young Richard Gere, is one of the most beautifully filmed movies I've seen in a long, long time. Not surprisingly, my 26 inch television could not do it justice. The lighting, the angles, the close-ups --- each shot was so well thought out and so well composed, that it becomes clear that only a filmmaker as meticulous as Terrence "I Make a Movie Once Every 20 Years" Malick could make it. 

The story of Days of Heaven takes place during the 1910s and follows a brother (Richard Gere), his younger sister, and the brother's girlfriend -- who they tell everyone is also a sister (could this perhaps cause a conflict?) -- as they make their way from ultra urban Chicago to the really rural Texas Panhandle. The train they're on brings them to Texas during harvest season, and there they meet a young, rich Farmer (Sam Shepard) who, the brother soon discovers, is dying. When the Farmer takes an interest in the brother's girlfriend, the brother persuades his girl to oblige the Farmer because, well, what's the harm if the poor guy is close to Death's door, right? At least, so he thinks, and as we, the intelligent moviewatchers know, if it seems too easy, it probably is.

Malick both wrote and directed the film, and he took his time doing both. Production went on for over a year with most scenes being filmed during "magic hour" and at one point with Malick throwing the script out and letting the actors work out the story for themselves. Malick then took over two years editing it down into its final product. But it was for sure a team effort: Not only did Nestor Almendros win his Oscar for this film, but legendary Haskell Wexler lent his own expert eye when Almendros could not be on set. Additionally, with Art Director Jack Fisk's incredible design and Ennio Morricone's hauntingly beautiful music score, this film is hands down a technically awesome motion picture. Absolutely gorgeous and a film which really should be seen as it was meant to be: On the big screen, and not a 26 incher.

Fortunately, right now something will be on my TV which works just fine: LOST. And it's a Desmond-centric episode. Ahhhh, heaven.