| Places in the Heart | |
|---|---|
%2c_poster.jpg) Theatrical film poster | |
| Directed by | Robert Benton |
| Written by | Robert Benton |
| Produced by | Arlene Donovan |
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Néstor Almendros |
| Edited by | Carol Littleton |
| Music by | John Kander |
| Color process | Technicolor |
Production company | Delphi II Productions |
| Distributed by | Tri-Star Pictures |
Release date |
|
Running time | 111 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $9.5 million[citation needed] |
| Box office | $34.9 million[1] |
Places in the Heart is a 1984 Americandrama film written and directed byRobert Benton.[2][3] Set in 1930s Texas during theGreat Depression, the film starsSally Field as a recently widowed woman who struggles to save her farm with the help of a blind lodger and a Black laborer. The cast also includesJohn Malkovich,Lindsay Crouse,Ed Harris,Amy Madigan,Danny Glover, andTerry O'Quinn.[4][5][6][7][8]
The film premiered at the35th Berlin International Film Festival, where Benton won theSilver Bear for Best Director. Released theatrically byTri-Star Pictures on September 21, 1984, it was both a critical and commercial success, earning $34.9 million on a $9.5 million budget.Places in the Heart received sevenAcademy Award nominations, includingBest Picture, and won two:Best Actress for Field andBest Original Screenplay for Benton.
In 1935, during theGreat Depression, the quiet town ofWaxahachie, Texas is shaken when Sheriff Royce Spalding is accidentally shot and killed by a drunk Black teenager, Wylie, who believes his revolver is empty. That same day, a white lynch mob brutally murders Wylie and drags his body through town, leaving it hanging from a tree. Both Royce and Wylie are buried on the same day.
Royce's widow, Edna Spalding, is left to raise their two young children, Frank and Possum, on a struggling cotton farm. Her sister Margaret helps with the funeral, but Edna quickly finds herself facing financial ruin. The local banker, Albert Denby, tells her to sell the farm, but she refuses.
That night, a Black drifter named Moses "Moze" Hadner arrives at Edna's door asking for work. He claims to know how to farm cotton and offers to help her. She feeds him but sends him away. The next morning, she finds him chopping wood in her yard. She feeds him again, but Moze later steals silverware and is caught. When the police bring him back, Edna decides not to press charges and instead hires him officially.
Edna's troubles mount when Denby insists she take in his blind brother-in-law, Will, a bitterWorld War I veteran, as a boarder. Will resents his new situation but gradually forms a bond with Edna's children, especially after rescuing Possum during a tornado that devastates part of the town.
Meanwhile, Margaret's marriage begins to fall apart as her husband Wayne carries on an affair with Viola Kelsey, a married schoolteacher. After the tornado, Margaret discovers the truth and Wayne confesses the affair, and she tells him she won't forgive him this time.
As cotton prices continue to fall, Edna realizes she can't meet the next mortgage payment. She learns of a $100 prize awarded to the first farmer in Ellis County to bring in a bale of cotton for the season. With Moze's guidance, Edna assembles a small team of pickers and races to harvest and sell the crop. Moze teaches her how to negotiate fairly with the buyer, and their gamble pays off—they win the prize and sell the cotton at a good price, enough to save the farm.
Their success is short-lived. That night, Moze is attacked by theKu Klux Klan. Will, hearing the assault and recognizing the attackers by voice, intervenes with Royce's old revolver. He stops the beating, and the men flee. Moze knows that his life is in danger and staying will only bring trouble to Edna and her children. Before leaving, he gives her a handkerchief that belonged to his mother.
The film closes with a dreamlike church scene. As a choir sings and1 Corinthians 13 is read aloud, characters from earlier in the story—living and dead—appear among the pews, taking part inHoly Communion. Margaret takes Wayne's hand in silent reconciliation. Moze, now gone, is shown present in the church. Edna gently passes the communion tray to her late husband, Royce, who then passes it to Wylie, the boy who killed him. They exchange the words, "Peace of God," as the camera lingers on them in solemn silence.
Regarding the unique ending, writer-director Robert Benton explained why he ended an otherwise realistic movie with a fantasy scene incorporating equality, grace and forgiveness, tenets of Christianity:
"There are certain things images can explain that words cannot. There is something in the image of the man who has been killed handing the communion plate to the boy who killed him that seems very moving to me in ways I cannot explain. I had the ending before I ever finished the screenplay, although I knew audiences would be confused by it."[9]
Places in the Heart was released in theatres on September 21, 1984.[10] The film was released onDVD on October 9, 2001, bySony Pictures Home Entertainment.[11]
Places in the Heart grossed $274,279 in its opening weekend.[12] The film grossed $34.9 million in the US.[1]
Review aggregatorRotten Tomatoes gives the film a score of 89% based on reviews from 38 critics and a rating average of 8.00/10. The consensus is: "Places in the Heart is a quiet character piece with grand ambitions that it more than fulfills, thanks to absorbing work from writer-director Robert Benton and a tremendous cast."[13]Metacritic gives the film a score of 70% based on reviews from 12 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[14]
Vincent Canby ofThe New York Times wrote in his review: "Robert Benton has made one of the best films in years about growing up American." Canby called it "moving and often funny" and "a tonic, a revivifying experience right down to the final images", comparing it to Luis Buñuel'sTristana".[10]Roger Ebert gave the film three of four stars, writing that Benton's "memories provide the material for a wonderful movie, and he has made it, but unfortunately he hasn't stopped at that. He has gone on to include too much. He tells a central story of great power, and then keeps leaving it to catch us up with minor characters we never care about."[15]
In 1985, when Sally Field accepted her secondAcademy Award for Best Actress (the first was forNorma Rae), she uttered the memorable and much-mocked line "I can't deny the fact that you like me—right now, you like me!" It is commonly misquoted as "You like me—youreally like me!"[citation needed]
The February 2020 issue ofNew York magazine listsPlaces in the Heart as among "The Best Movies That Lost Best Picture at the Oscars."[16]
The film is recognized byAmerican Film Institute in these lists:
Terry O'Quinn as Buddy Kelsey.
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