Days of Heaven, directed by Terrence Malick, was a project that was put together quietly between Malick, the producers, and close collaborators which was then shot in the wheat fields of Alberta, Canada. Malick had described his idea of, Days of Heaven, as “a drop of water on a pond, that moment of perfection.” Acclaimed as the most beautiful film of all time, Malick utilized a variation of techniques and styles that were both new and old throughout the rise of Hollywood movies such as; narration by a young woman, various popular elements of western genre, and the use of slow cinema. Days of Heaven is a film that Roger Ebert describes in his blog as, evoking “the feeling of how a child feels when it lives precariously, and then is delivered into security and joy, and then has it all taken away again--and blinks away the tears and says it doesn't hurt.” The pain and beauty throughout the film are constantly moving along and through unforgettable cinematography by two famous cinematographers, Nestor Almendros and Haskell Wexler; Days of Heaven became an inspiration for many other films. Narrated by the youngest protagonist, Linda, the tone of the film has been called elegiac. She follows her older brother Bill and his lover. Abby, from the outside of Chicago to Texas, to get jobs in the wheat fields. Bill tells everyone that Abby is his sister and many people question their relationship which ultimately leads to a fight and an ill farmer falling for Abby, asking her to stay with him past harvest on his farm. We understand most of the story through Linda’s point of view and narration. Linda states, “He [Bill] was tired of livin' like the rest of 'em, nosing around like a pig in a gutter,” so he told Abby to live with the farmer for a year until he dies so they can take that money and live happily ever after. Although, throughout the year Linda notes that, “Instead of getting sicker, he just stayed the same; the doctor must have given him some pills or something.” Through a younger perspective and arguably an outside perspective of a love triangle unfolding, Linda may not be necessarily credible but allows for a more childlike narrative as well as observations that perhaps a child could only see or understand. Unlike the Linda’s narration moving the film along, the mise en scene throughout Days Of Heaven shows the characters in wide shot which allows for a larger frame for mostly outdoor/natural details, including; the fields, sky, horses, wild life, horses, rivers, rocks, and various plant life. Roger Ebert notes that. “Malick set many of its shots at the "golden hours'' near dawn and dusk, when shadows are muted and the sky is all the same tone.” The lighting is one of the most important stylistic choices to enhance the poetic aesthetic that Malick originally intended for the film. The shades of orange and subtle shadows throughout the film help keep the tone light as a young character narrates while also creating beauty in the same space while also amplifying the genre of western films to what may be recognized today. In relation to setting up perfect moments throughout the film, the cinematography keeps the film moving along at a slow but informing pace. In between the narration, visuals, and music the steady shots of landscapes and constant moving and working of the character keeps the film from lingering too long on one conversation or perfect moment. Just as Linda narrates, what she sees from the outside may not understand, the thoughts and moments are always floating away as new moments float along. Reminding the audience in both a phonic and visual sense that moments are fleeting. For example, capturing scenes such as Abby and Bill hiding under a covered wagon or laying out far in the wheat fields, illustrated Malick’s understanding of a familiar human feeling as well as successfully creating a thread of perfect and imperfect moments to portray relevant ideas and feelings. Malick utilizes a unlikely childlike perspective of life and romantics in the Wild West. Sources: https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/great-movie-days-of-heaven-1978 https://www.criterion.com/current/posts/555-days-of-heaven-on-earth-as-it-is-in-heaven https://cinetrii.com/days_of_heaven.php The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford [2007]Based on a true story and adapted from the novel, Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, written by American writer Ron Hansen in 1983; director Andrew Dominik was heavily inspired by the cinematography in Days of Heaven which was directed by Terrence Malick. In an interview with American Cinematographer Magazine, Deakins says: “Andrew had a whole lot of photographic references for the look of the movie, mainly the work of still photographers, but also images clipped from magazines, stills from Days of Heaven, and even Polaroids taken on location that looked interesting or unusual. He hung all of them up in the long corridor of the production office. That was a wonderful idea, because every day we’d all pass by [images] that immediately conveyed the tone of the movie he wanted to make.” In using various elements closely tied to western genre as a whole, Malick interpreted a thorough dynamic of characters' relationships in a western universe rather than the western universe overcompensating the plot with repetitive plots and cinematic elements. Set in Missouri in 1881, this lengthy dramatic western focuses on the band of outlaws run by the most infamous outlaw of all, Jesse James. In a series of slow developing scenes, Robert Ford, a man who desperately and jealousy wants to be everything Jesse James is, devises a plan to get what he wants. Narrated by Hugh Ross, the camera follows the development of both Jesse James and Robert Ford as well as their relationship with each other. As James controls the movement of the film through his vindictive actions and behavior towards other characters- Ford precariously observes him. Unlike the childlike observational narration from Linda’s perspective in Days of Heaven, the narration of The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, is a factual based narration that fills in the audience with past information or crucial information not told through visuals. The article titled, Terrence Malick Thought It Was Too Slow: 10 Things Learned From The Revival Screening Of ‘The Assassination Of Jesse James By The Coward Robert Ford’, author Jordan Hoffman notes, “Originally, Dominik wanted a woman to do the narration. Ross was in there just as a temp track. And, as so often happens, they fell in love with the temp track. No one could do it as good as Hugh. Oddly, even Hugh couldn’t do it as good as Hugh.” It’s interesting to know that there were more aspects that Malick perhaps wanted to add in relation to his inspiration from Days Of Heaven. In a way, there lurks a question on whether the movie would have been different if the narration was by a female. Although just describing previous plot points or character history, the narration strictly informs the audience of facts rather than simple observations. In regards to the western take, there are many elements throughout that film that older westerns thoroughly utilize to reflect on the recent war. The most obvious perhaps is the subjects of outlaws and their lives during the time period. Other elements that are included throughout the film include; many robberies, trains, natural surroundings, horses, and warm lighting. In the following video, Dave Kehr contemplates whether westerns are dead. ![]() Kehr notes that the American westerns we know, follows a savior/hero much like in the Tom Ford’s film Stagecoach, but in this case Malick is changing the perspective and ultimately changing the perspective of the western genre as a whole. Westerns generally revolve around the law and society in which its shape is disturbed by outlaws, in this case outlaws are disturbing outlaws. There are no heroes in The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, there is only jealousy and violence. The film also inspired a popular video game, Red Dead Redemption 2, to utilize the scene where Jesse James and his gang are robbing the train. Shot in night time, with no excess lighting source, the video game emulates the scene shot by shot. Sources:
https://screenhub.blog/2018/09/26/things-you-should-watch-to-get-ready-for-read-dead-redemption-ii-screenhub-entertainment/ https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0443680/ https://filmschoolrejects.com/roger-deakins-jesse-james/ http://thelastdetailfilm.weebly.com/assassination-of-jesse-james-20071.html
9 Comments
Haya Fahim
5/2/2021 12:16:43 pm
I really enjoyed reading the details and summary about both films. I like how Malick was strict about using limited lighting and allowing nature to provide that. The wide shots of characters in the landscape allows the audience to observe the environment and the character which is beautiful.
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Ngoc Ngo
5/2/2021 07:32:34 pm
this is a very detail work. i really enjoy your blog all the time.
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Ben Vena
5/2/2021 07:38:54 pm
I enjoyed reading your blog especially when you said about Malick's unique limited lighting technique and I also agree how wide shots are what makes characters and the landscape they are in beautiful.
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Kayla Tomaszkiewicz
5/2/2021 09:03:48 pm
I really enjoyed your blog and I agree with you on Malick's use of lighting and unique shots of the landscape.
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Aidan Geoffroy
5/2/2021 09:06:46 pm
I really enjoyed reading your blogpost for the week. I think what made both of these films so visually appealing is because they both used limited lighting in their shots to really show off the natural beauty of the landscape.
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Ryan L
5/2/2021 09:26:02 pm
I enjoyed reading your blog very well done. I liked the points you made about how the camera work follows the development in The Assassination of Jesse James By The Coward Robert Ford.
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Stephan Nisic
5/13/2021 12:34:25 am
I love how thoughtfully you talked about both the visuals in these films and how it really took the films to a different level.
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julia kaleel
5/15/2021 05:34:21 pm
As many others have said. I enjoyed the blog. I as well brought up landscape and is a huge tell for about the movie
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Gino Mate
5/16/2021 01:08:13 pm
Hey Eve, I enjoyed how you incorporated not only photos in your blog, but also gifs as well. What made this film amazing is with their use of the lighting. Some shots were breathtaking and the sunsets topped it off.
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Film As Art:
From a college film course. Note: I haven't had time to write but I've seen many new movies since taking the class and hope to find spare time to continue writing reviews based on my interests rather than parameters of a class. THANK YOU! |