Days of Heaven (1978) is an absolutely perfect film on an aesthetic level. Makes sense, perhaps, given that it was shot by perfectionist, art lover and philosophy professor, Terrence Malick. The plot, as is Malick's wont, is relatively simple. In 1916 a couple, Bill and Abby, along with his little sister go to work as seasonal laborers on a large wheat estate. The couple, to avoid gossip, say they are all siblings, but things get complicated when the landowner falls in love with Abby. The film is full of biblical references, which serve the plot and its main themes of rise and fall, injustice and justice. The good-evil dichotomy is essentially abolished, as all the characters proceed to more or less logical, but morally questionable actions. The voice over of the young girl is also extremely interesting, which, unlike the usual voice overs that simply narrate events or directly comment on what we see, presents us with the girl's thoughts in a way that is loosely and abstractly connected to the plot. It has perhaps the best cinematography ever done by the great Nestor Almendros. The film uses almost exclusively natural lighting, and Malick shot just after sunrise and just before sunset, to capture the sweet golden light of that time. The wonderful score was written by Ennio Morricone and it was this film that earned him his first Oscar nomination and made him famous in the US. The film's theme music was based at Malick's own request on Saint-Saëns' le carnival des animaux. Morricone had written 18 themes, which Malick rejected, before finally settling on the first one he had written. In general, the sound design is unreal, whether it's whispers or the whistling of the wind or the sounds of engines.
PS From what I have seen, it is not available on any platform in Greece. If you want to see her, you'll probably have to do your Old classic pirating
usual hacking routine.
