DAYS OF HEAVEN

US, 1979, 93 minutes, Colour.
Richard Gere, Brooke Adams, Sam Shepard, Linda Manz.
Directed by Terrence Mallick.

Days of Heaven is an impressive film by Terrence Mallick (his Badlands also portrayed a misfit couple, guilty of violence and society's victims in beautiful/harsh landscapes). Photography by Nestor Almendros is extraordinary and
exquisite, especially of seasons, wheat lands, locusts and fire. Period is 1916, the verge of the modern era, especially for the migrants, the poor and the wandering unemployed. Work sequences in factory and on farm are compelling. The personal drama (lyrical and stark) is Eugene O'Neill-type fate-ridden tragedy - of passion, errors, betrayal and death - all told by Linda Manz as a striking girl-woman who draws our attention to her viewpoint on these particularly American happenings. Ennio Morricone's plaintive score is a bonus.

1. The significance and tone of the title? Heaven and Earth meeting on the wheat fields? The days of the gods and the myths of time past and the comparisons with human beings in the present? Indication of thews, irony?

2. The visual impact of the film and the quality of the photography, the composition of sequences? The cityscapes of coal heaps and factories, the movement across the countryside in trains and on horses, on boats? The countryside and the wheat fields, the animals, the seasons? Interiors and exteriors and exteriors especially of the Gothic house? Plague of locusts, fire? The moods of the landscapes, of the weather?

3. The contribution of the musical score and its rousing themes, plaintive thews?

4. The value of the film as a piece of Americana? Its insight into the united States at the beginning of the 20th. century? The end of an era, the focus on World War One? The apocalyptic overtones of comments about the changing of the times, destiny, plagues and fire? The migrants and their European background, adaptation to America, lack of opportunities? The poverty and squalor and labour of the cities? The hardship and hopes of the migrants going to the wheat fields which seemed so promising with harvest? The hardships of labour, survival? The transition from manual work to machines? The threat to the animal herds? The contrast with opportunities of wealth, leisure? Opportunity, lies, passion? World War One?

5. The American themes and traditions from drama of poverty and wealth, passion, lies, fraud, guilt and innocence, violence?

6. The device of having Linda speak the narrative? Her tone, accent, choice of words, viewpoint and observations? The commentary on characters and motivations, on the events? How well did they compare with the audience's view of characters and events? The contrast? The pathos of her age, experience, hopes, hard work? The girl-woman? The particularly American commentary that she gave? The moral and emotional judgment on what happened? Her own actions within the story and her relationships to the key characters?

7. The structure of the film in three sections: the prologue of the credits and the collage of poverty and suffering and the industry in the American cities, the hard work of the women for survival, the furnaces and the clashes; the work of the group going out to the farms? The second phase of the marriage and the response to wealth and leisure? Thirdly, the outcome of the lies, the dynamics of the marriage and the potential for tragedy, plague and fire, death and vengeance? The epilogue with Abby going off with the soldiers and Linda going down the rail track?

8. The portrait of individuals and the complexity of their lives? Their hopes for themselves no matter what their lack of opportunity, dreams of achievement? Hopes, passions? The possibility of freedom? Mistakes? Greed? The inexorability and irrevocability of fate?

9. The importance of the credit photos and the prologue and the comment on life in Chicago? The furnaces and the noise, the hard way of life and the treadmill of feeding the furnaces? Billy within this context, fighting and leaving? Abby and her dependence on Bill? Linda and her bond with her brother? Their decision to stay together and accept their fate together - and the irony of this decision? The plan to go as family for self-protection?

10. The picture of the trains (Noah's Ark suggested) - the people and their hopes, the crowds? The wheat fields and the animals and the peace and prosperity offering? Their entering into the farm via the strange gate? The vision of the Gothic house - unattainable for the workers? The irony of its being attained by the three? The sequences of fellowship in work, play, the swimming, the talking? The experience of the oppressed? Seeing them as victim of hard work, of the seasons in the snow? Their achievement? Being penalised for lacks in work? The way of life on the wheat belt? President Wilson's visit? The animals, the machines? A portrait of labour?

11. Billy and the family within this context? The screenplay's not delineating them clearly until the second part of the film? Their managing? The importance of their posing as family and people's suspicion and comments? The bond between Billy and Abby? Linda and her friends and their discussion of hopes for the future? The prospect of having to move on after the harvest?

12. The farmer and his character? Age, living in the old house, his supervisory work, his relationship with his manager and dependence on him? The illness and the year to life? His looking at the group, his continual focus on Abby and her attractiveness to him? Falling in love with her, his hopes for his final year?

13. The image of the house, exteriors and interiors? Seen in long shot and its strangeness on the fields? The significance of the house for the farmer, for the three? The house. ultimately being brought down?

14. The possibility for fraud and greed? Billy and his pushing Abby towards the marriage? Abby's reluctant decision? The wedding sequence and the ambiguity of its joys? The celebration and happiness? Abby and her love for the farmer? The scenes of their happiness together, intimacy? A transformation in love for both? The audience's attitude towards the sham marriage and the changing attitudes of each? Billy and his being ousted from this situation? The lyrical scenes of sharing, their enjoying refinement and leisure? The recreations and Linda’s enjoyment? Her work in the kitchen? The outdoor sequences - and the glass under the water as indication of infidelity?

15. Linda and her way of life, her observations on what was happening during this period? Emotional and moral comment?

16. Abby and her change, her music and dancing, clothes, growing tenderness?

17. Billy and his passion, the night out with Abby, their drinking together and the glass in the water? Their trying to cover their tracks?

18. The importance of the manager and his understanding what was happening? His being put out by the farmer? His threat to Abby and Billy? The vengeance at the end?

19. The intrusion of the planes and the oddity of the echoes of World War One and the Red Baron on the wheat fields? The humour of the group, their performances and the delight in the concert? Billy's decision to leave with them and flying off?

20. Billy and his feeling of guilt? The night with Abby? The farmer's suspicions? The possibility of Billy shooting the farmer when out hunting and his inability to do this? The irony of his accidental killing of the farmer? How guilty was Billy of what was to come? How much did he deserve the vengeance?

21. Billy's return and the coming of the locusts? The film's detail in presenting the locust plague? The fire fighting the locusts and the farmer's going berserk, the havoc in the fields? The spectacular aspects of the fire? The biblical overtones of plague and apocalypse? The confrontation of Billy and the farmer within this context? The irony of the accidental death?

22. The importance of their decision to escape, the frantic aspects of their leaving? Their isolation and loneliness? The bargaining for the boat? The seeming safety of going down the river? The people that they passed and their ordinary way of life compared with the desperate group? The seeming arrival in safety?

23. The overseer and the posse and the vengeance in the pursuit? The basic American theme of the West and the justice posse?

24. The desperation of the chase, Abby and Linda and their helplessness and grief, Billy and his desperate running and his dying in the water? The ultimate culmination of a tragedy of fate?

25. Abby and the love for Linda, leaving her alone, facing the future with the soldiers?

26. The contrast with Linda in the orphanage, her friendship with the girl and their escape - with all the girls watching? The disappointment of the girl as indication of the fears and uncertainties of the future? Linda and her sympathy and explanation that this was a close friend? A final caption on the openness of the future as they went down the track?

27. A satisfying drama, the visual impact of the film, its relationship to themes and issues as well as situations and character?