409 Days of Heaven

[Jean-Luc Garbo]

I've had problems with the brother/sister matter in the past as well. My most recent viewing was in the company of my brother who is a big Malick fan and asked him about this. He said that he recalls it being a biblical reference. A google search later and I turned up this.

Bill and Abby have fled Chicago with his young sister after he accidentally murders his boss, and decide to tell everyone they are brother and sister to just make things easier. In the Genesis 20 story this references, Abraham likewise claims that beautiful Sarah is his sister, lest the Philistines kill him and take her for themselves.

Actually, Abraham was afraid that an Egyptian (the Pharaoh at the time) not a Philistine would kill him for Sarah. Not sure if that is significant here, but the error in that essay bugged me somewhat.

[Dadapass]

The wife presented as sister happens three separate times in Genesis. wiki

[Finch]

Apparently this 1979 interview has never been translated into English before.

[dadaistnun]

Two-disc expanded soundtrack release by Film Score Monthly/Screen Archives.

[tarpilot]

Linda Manz makes first film appearance in 15 years!...

[kneelzod]

Linda Manz makes first film appearance in 15 years!...

She was responding to this video tribute to OUT OF THE BLUE.

[Rupert Pupkin]

Hi folks,

I was wondering what is the official status of "Days Of Heaven" regarding the browning/playback issue ?
Did Criterion has updated is official replacement program list since the first official one which has been posted a couple of years ago now ?

Mind you, "M" and "Walkabout" shows some obvious sudden browning on the surface of the whole layer disk and some playback issues. Criterion kindly sent me some replacement disks for these 2 titles. The replacement blu-ray are "second pressing" as I can read on the lithography of the disk.

We all- many of us - had- since they had bought Days Of Heaven some playback issues. My disk is still playable, but the ring of the disk has some "extended browning" albeit it's not the whole surface like for "Walkabout".

Well, if this is not on the official Criterion replacement list, I think that I still have to wait.

Another existential question : I think that this is a good title (well, I mean, I'm not an expert but they probably sent this title a lot) so perhaps there is now a second pressing (from a different) plant, or did they still sell the stocks from the first pressing ?
If someone has some info about this/and or can share their concerns about the playback issue of the disk and perhaps a browning/bronzing oxydation starting on the ring of the disk, I would appreciated your posts. thanks.

[domino harvey]

Mondo will have limited edition prints for this tomorrow

[beamish14]

I have a question about this film. My father-in-law has attended Cannes on a number of occasions, and according to him, Days of Heaven is directly responsible for
Saint-Saëns's "The Aquarium" being used as entrance music that plays before films that are screening. Is that true?

[DarkImbecile]

It wouldn’t be a surprise, considering Malick won the Best Director prize for Days at the 1979 festival.

Speaking of the film, this excellent Film Comment interview from 1978 with Oscar-winning cinematographer Néstor Almendros just became available online today.

[Mr Sausage]

DISCUSSION ENDS MONDAY, December 7th

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This thread is not spoiler free. This is a discussion thread; you should expect plot points of the individual films under discussion to be discussed openly. See: spoiler rules.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

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[barbarella satyricon]

Not much by way of contributing to the discussion, but just to start the thread out with this (even if already mentioned previously elsewhere): In memoriam Linda Manz, who took leave of this world this past August. Between this film and Hopper’s Out of the Blue, she remains a film legend on a par with James Dean for me. Not on that level of fame or recognition, of course, but just in the spirit of how a handful of movie roles in a lifetime - whether that lifetime was a short or a longer one (Linda was 58) - can cohere into a performer’s embodied poetics of living, a practical philosophy lived out in movie-time. If that sounds a little hifalutin, it only kind of gets at what Linda Manz in the movies has meant to me. Recently caught up with a first-time viewing of Fincher’s The Game and was momentarily taken out of that contrived narrative by Manz’s bit part as a landlady/neighbor. It was good to see her turning up, even if outside of the game, even if for a paycheck and whatever residuals. Hope you found your real Days of Heaven, Linda, where the golden hour never ends.

[HinkyDinkyTruesmith]

I happened to rewatch this for Malick's birthday; I hadn't seen it in over half a decade. While I enjoyed it then, I didn't find it as great as Malick's later films which, at the time, I was enraptured with––the sweeping, floating camera of The New World, The Tree of Life, The Thin Red Line, even To the Wonder dazzled me. By comparison, while I liked Badlands and Days of Heaven, the comparative restriction of the camera was less impressive. That, of course, was in my teenaged youth. Since then, the beauty of floating steadicam and gliding movement as been replaced by sharp blocking and composition, textured environments, and the relationship between the camera and bodies in space (so, focal lengths essentially).

Given this, I was rocked tonight by Days of Heaven. The film is astonishing first and foremost for the fact that it exists: in an era in which CGI has both made the ability to show anything possible but also has reduced the imaginative scope of filmmakers, Malick's fractured scrapbook textile of a film genuinely feels like someone took their camera and was able to live a full summer, winter, and summer again following these characters around. This sense of reality, this sense of the film actually feeling like it was made by time travel in 1916 begins in the opening credits with the hauntingly beautiful archival photographs and Morricone's pixie-like score twinkling and humming over the images of the early 20th century, which Linda Manz's face feels straight out of. Her narration, as many lately have been noting, is staggeringly great not only for what she says but how she says it; Malick apparently simply showed her footage and let her narrate and recorded that, but the strength of her narration is its personality, leant by her blunt ramblingness as well as her hilarious natural accent, as well as its philosophic formulation: she usually states hypotheses for what she sees or declarations based on her experiences. Although I've seen it compared to the sociopathic Holly's from Badlands, Manz is not cold, simply aloof and genuinely childish. The narration is street-tough but it's clear that she has emotions, and is genuinely upset watching Abby weep over Bill's body.

Her aloofness translates to the film's elliptical structure as things move in and out of narrative focus, almost Altman-esque in a way. Such as the celebration scene outside at night, with the glorious long shot of the violinist, followed by oblique shots of Bill noting Abby and the Farmer's intimacy; these sections are joyous for that they allow us to partake in the celebration itself; it is aimless but invigorating, and a sure command of naturalism in a way more sociological naturalists rarely have. Renoir and Welles, through The Rules of the Game and The Magnificent Ambersons also struck me as touchstone texts; for the former, it's not simply the vaudeville show that Abby and the Farmer watch but also the ways that Malick fixates on the animals that live amongst the wheat fields, akin to the hunt in Rules. As for Ambersons, the general idea of having a sort of paradise and destroying it, of a cocksure hero, of a woman's sexuality abused and dominated––just the general Lost Eden, although one can easily ignore the comparison and chalk it up to, well, Western civ.

Early in the main thread for the films someone suggested that you can't look at the big picture but most look at the details, although this seems ridiculous given the way in which the big picture of this film is so clearly and thoroughly the idea of paradise lost; two men have Abby and lose her because of their foolishness, the Farmer loses his land and his life in a rage of jealousy. What's so touching about the end of the film, which I've seen some people complain as sort of misplaced, is the ways in which Linda is so sincerely caring about this friend of hers, after a film full of loss––this may be exactly why Malick does show us her friend early on leaving on the train. She is always losing people, but is always making new friends as well. The film is tragic at its core but the framing of through Linda gives it such an air of plucky courage and "that's life" weary optimism that you can leave the film feeling good about life.

[whaleallright]

Mondo will have limited edition prints for this tomorrow

why would you buy a poster that makes Days of Heaven look like Emmanuelle Visits the Texas Panhandle?

[hearthesilence]

It looks like Don Bluth trying his hand at erotic prestige pictures.

[domino harvey]

Well I definitely wouldn’t recommend either of you go back in time to 4 1/2 years ago to buy it then

[whaleallright]

Bad taste is timeless.

[hearthesilence]

I had no idea Patti Smith was actually screen tested for this. She and Sam Shepard remained close even when they were no longer partners, so I wonder if that played a role in Malick's consideration?

[trobrianders]

Hi folks,

I was wondering what is the official status of "Days Of Heaven" regarding the browning/playback issue ?
Did Criterion has updated is official replacement program list since the first official one which has been posted a couple of years ago now ?

Mind you, "M" and "Walkabout" shows some obvious sudden browning on the surface of the whole layer disk and some playback issues. Criterion kindly sent me some replacement disks for these 2 titles. The replacement blu-ray are "second pressing" as I can read on the lithography of the disk.

We all- many of us - had- since they had bought Days Of Heaven some playback issues. My disk is still playable, but the ring of the disk has some "extended browning" albeit it's not the whole surface like for "Walkabout".

Well, if this is not on the official Criterion replacement list, I think that I still have to wait.

Another existential question : I think that this is a good title (well, I mean, I'm not an expert but they probably sent this title a lot) so perhaps there is now a second pressing (from a different) plant, or did they still sell the stocks from the first pressing ?
If someone has some info about this/and or can share their concerns about the playback issue of the disk and perhaps a browning/bronzing oxydation starting on the ring of the disk, I would appreciated your posts. thanks.

In anticipation of the forthcoming 4K UHD release Le cercle rouge I tried playing my copy of the regular Criterion blu-ray (which I believe is now out of print) but found it has 'browned' and now will not play. It has been safe in its case all this time, not exposed to sunlight or anything like that. It just degraded on its own. You gave me the idea of contacting Criterion about it and I should hear back soon.

[pistolwink]

Yes, I noticed this was out of print. Is this simply because Paramount put out their own bare-bones Blu-Ray (no idea how it compares to the Criterion) or does Criterion have other plans for this film? Anyone have any idea?

[ryannichols7]

Yes, I noticed this was out of print. Is this simply because Paramount put out their own bare-bones Blu-Ray (no idea how it compares to the Criterion) or does Criterion have other plans for this film? Anyone have any idea?

Paramount took six titles OOP a little over a year ago when they got a new head of home video or something, and subsequently reissued bare bones BDs of most of them. it wasn't until this they then decided they were going to create the "Paramount Presents" line, which is a boutique style line with numbered releases (Nashviille and Harold and Maude were the only two of the six in this line). both of these, by all accounts, have failed and every single one has probably not sold very well - there are no current Paramount Presents releases announced, The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance being the most recent (and only 4K release). now that Criterion has revealed The Virgin Suicides in 4K and Kino has a newer deal with Paramount where they're also licensing out 4K titles (and they confirmed none are ones Criterion released), it can be assumed the current Criterion/Paramount licenses are safe. as for the six that went OOP, including Days of Heaven (a top 10 all time movie for me), it can generally be assumed that if they were to get restored in 4K, they presumably could see a return to Criterion on the format. La Dolce Vita is already ready to go, and Don't Look Now got a UHD release in region B. the new Nashville and Harold and Maude utilitzed new transfers entirely, which I admittedly haven't seen. so that leaves Rosemary's Baby (will Criterion work with Polanski again?) and of course Days of Heaven in need of restoration before coming back..and let's hope it happens. Malick being a living director who CC has worked with many times certainly helps the case.

I'm sure this could be moved to the "Criterion and Paramount" thread

[Calvin]

Yes, I noticed this was out of print. Is this simply because Paramount put out their own bare-bones Blu-Ray (no idea how it compares to the Criterion) or does Criterion have other plans for this film? Anyone have any idea?

Paramount took six titles OOP a little over a year ago when they got a new head it can be assumed the current Criterion/Paramount licenses are safe. as for the six that went OOP, including Days of Heaven (a top 10 all time movie for me), it can generally be assumed that if they were to get restored in 4K, they presumably could see a return to Criterion on the format.

I'm not sure the logic tracks that it can be "generally be assumed" that if the OOP titles get new restorations they'll return to Criterion as, on the evidence of Nashville and Harold and Maude, surely the assumption should be that if they get a new restoration they'll be released under the Paramount Presents line. I also haven't seen any sales data that shows that line is selling poorly

[ryannichols7]

Yes, I noticed this was out of print. Is this simply because Paramount put out their own bare-bones Blu-Ray (no idea how it compares to the Criterion) or does Criterion have other plans for this film? Anyone have any idea?

Paramount took six titles OOP a little over a year ago when they got a new head it can be assumed the current Criterion/Paramount licenses are safe. as for the six that went OOP, including Days of Heaven (a top 10 all time movie for me), it can generally be assumed that if they were to get restored in 4K, they presumably could see a return to Criterion on the format.

I'm not sure the logic tracks that it can be "generally be assumed" that if the OOP titles get new restorations they'll return to Criterion as, on the evidence of Nashville and Harold and Maude, surely the assumption should be that if they get a new restoration they'll be released under the Paramount Presents line. I also haven't seen any sales data that shows that line is selling poorly

they haven't announced anything new on the line, and given the known new deals with Criterion (of which, in fairness, 1 title has been announced for) and Kino, I kinda trust it is. they don't even carry any of the titles at the largest brick and mortar media chain in the US, which is telling

considering Terrence Malick had enough pull to get Badlands to happen when Warner/Criterion really wasn't a thing, I'm sure he could pull off the return of Days of Heaven. I can't imagine Paramount doing a 4K of that themselves, personally. Nashville and Harold and Maude aren't UHD editions, which is what I meant by my comment. those were also released long before the new UHD-era deals with Criterion and Kino were made known

[andyli]

After The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, they had announced The First Wives Club, Rough Cut, and Back to the Beach for release in June, July, and August, respectively. So the line is definitely not dead.

Rosemary's Baby was as 4k-ready as La dolce vita, since the Criterion is already a 4K restoration from the original camera negative, approved by Polanski.

[ryannichols7]

After The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, they had announced The First Wives Club, Rough Cut, and Back to the Beach for release in June, July, and August, respectively. So the line is definitely not dead.

Rosemary's Baby was as 4k-ready as La dolce vita, since the Criterion is already a 4K restoration from the original camera negative, approved by Polanski.

well, they have at least indicated what direction they're taking with the line (and shows how those totally missed my radar!)

and that one would be just as big a seller, if not bigger. it just depends on who would release it, and hopefully it does happen at some point soon.