comment #1

actionman says ...

Would Malick have directed this Jake-Reese version?

comment #2

Ray says ...

Jeff, you're exactly right.

Of course, the seventies "awards" movies were dominated by either grittier, more realistic films, or by populist entertainment. DAYS OF HEAVEN was neither.

The filmmaking tastes of the seventies veered more toward THE FRENCH CONNECTION or STAR WARS/JAWS than they did to films like this. Nowadays, however, I'm convinced that a film like this would win simply because it was seen as "artsy," rather than based on its actual content. Last year's nominations for THERE WILL BE BLOOD showed that in spades.

comment #3

K. Bowen says ...

What a lovely film. I've had the good fortune to have big screen showings follow me around the country. As a result, i've seen it three or four times on the silver screen. Astonishing.

That said, let's look at the critical fate of similar recent movies. The New World and The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford have both polarized critics. They would complain that there is not much plot. The characters aren't "involving." Christy Lemire would label it "boring" and compare it unfavorably to Frost/Nixon. Stephen Whitty would declare that a Rhodes scholar philosophy professor made a film that was just a bunch of pretty empty pictures. It would probably end up with a middling tomatometer.

As far as casting: I would say Ryan Gosling for RIchard Gere. I can see Witherspoon, but she's a little loud for it. Vera Farmiga? Jessica Biel? Josh Brolin for The Farmer?

comment #4

Mark says ...

Beautifully made movies still manage to go by unnoticed. Reference The Assassination of JJ BTC RF.

comment #5

Edward says ...

Thank God for DVDs and no Blu-Ray, so these films can live on.

comment #6

Mark says ...

Di Caprio and Cotillard.

comment #7

Rich S. says ...

I would say you're right, except I think you shoot a little past it there with Jake and Reese. Reese, for one, isn't nearly "earthy" enough. And Jake's a bigger hole in the air than even Gere.

comment #8

Abbey Normal says ...

I knew I'd heard the music that plays during the Benjamin Button trailer before....of course! How I love Morricone.

What's the deal with films recycling original music from other movies? The trailer for The Spirit did the same thing with another Morricone classic, using the Untouchables music. This strikes me as lazy. Whenever I recognize music being reused for a movie, I will then always think of that movie as being a second class thing, lacking chops and inspiration in some way.

comment #9

mitchtaylor says ...

Abbey- that cue is actually from Carnival of the Animals by Camille Saint-Saens. I believe it's "The Fish" or some such.

And as far as my understanding goes: 90% of trailers use cues from movies b/c the movie's score is not completed when the trailer is being cut by the publicity dept.

comment #10

Mark says ...

What's the deal with films recycling original music from other movies?

Mainly it's just done in trailers to trigger something already existing in the masses. But i agree; i can remember back to the trailer of 7 Days In Tibet, and thinking, this is nothing but a 2nd rate Dragonheart.

comment #11

DarthCorleone says ...

Ray>> THERE WILL BE BLOOD wasn't merely "artsy." It IS art. :- )

comment #12

erniesouchak says ...

I think just about any movie made in the '70s would kick ass if released this year instead.

comment #13

arturobandini2 says ...

I wish the Academy would add a category for Best Film Revival, as it would encourage studios to re-release (or "redux") more masterpieces that need to be experienced on a big screen. In these hard economic times, it would save studios money ("Hmmm, do we greenlight this Brett Ratner-Kate Hudson queefing comedy for next February, or strike ten new prints of Days of Heaven and re-release it?"). It would also give younger viewers a chance to experience certain classics in a theater, and it would give the Academy a second chance to honor films that they foolishly neglected on the first go-round.

Apocalypse Now Redux and the reissue of Elevator to the Gallows were my favorite movies of their respective years. So far in 2008, the best film I've seen is unquestionably Ashes of Time Redux.

comment #14

actionman says ...

Arturo -- I take it you're a big fan of Ask The Dust?

comment #15

arturobandini2 says ...

Actionman -- you are correct, Sir! Definitely a fan of the book and all things John Fante. Greatly disappointed by the movie (casting mostly).

comment #16

lazarus says ...

I'm thinking Josh Hartnett for Gere, which may be a little unkind to the latter, who at least has a few good perfs under his belt. The suggestions for the Brooke Adams role are too pretty; I'm thinking more along the lines of Ellen Page, though she would probably look a little too young.

Thank god no one has suggested Dakota Fanning for Linda Manz, who I think is perhaps irreplaceable.

comment #17

actionman says ...

Really? I was a big fan of the book and loved the film. I thought Colin Farrell did a wonderful job. Was it him who you didn't like? I admit that when I first read that Towne had cast Farrell, I thought it was a case of major miscasting. But then Farrell delivered a tender, emotional performance. I feel his performance is supremely underrated, as well as the film in general. Or was it Salma who you didn't like? I thought she was dead-perfect for the role.

I loved how Towne made a tone-poem of a film from the source material. It was one of my top five films in 2005. Luscious cinematography from Caleb Deschanel.

comment #18

Sabina E says ...

Nobody is original. there is only ONE story out there, it depends on how you tell it.

comment #19

George Prager says ...

"Your sister keep you warm at night, does she?"

comment #20

arturobandini2 says ...

Actionman, you're like my favorite person today. The movie (ATD) wasn't terrible at all, I just had tremendous expectations after seeing photos of the Bunker Hill sets. I also admire Towne's Herculean efforts to get it made, and both leads are very good actors, I think. (I remember seeing Traffic with a friend from Mexico, who said Hayek did a better job with the Tijuana accent than Del Toro.) My beef was that they were both too beautiful and polished for the roles. Farrell found the poetry and misogyny, but he will never convince me he's a hardscrabble Italian-American runt. Likewise, Hayek almost gained enough weight to look like Camilla, but she's ultimately too sophisticated-acting to buy in a waitress uniform (and her huaraches looked more like mules). I'm with you on the tone and Deschanel's photography, however. Finally, the love story just lost steam, I thought, and I blame it on the star chemistry. But you've convinced me to take another look, so thanks.

I'd actually love to see a Robert Towne take on Paul Bowles' Let It Come Down.

comment #21

MindlessObamaton says ...

Heath Ledger would've been great in the SS role.

comment #22

Ray says ...

@ DarthCorleone - It's only art in terms of its cinematography and Day-Lewis' performance (up until the end, anyway ...). It has intriguing moments, but there is no doubt in my mind that the better film won in 2007.

comment #23

Chase Kahn says ...

I disagree Ray -- I think THERE WILL BE BLOOD is a modern American masterpiece, one of the best of the decade.

If you watch the first 15 minutes and don't get chills, then I suppose the pic just isn't your cup of tea. Plus, you forgot Johnny Greenwood's overbearing but sublime score...

comment #24

Dan Revill says ...

I think that TWBB & NCFOM are pretty much equal. I do give a slight edge to TWBB, but if I was forced to rewatch one for all eternity, I'd probably go with the Coens...

comment #25

joncro says ...

TWBB & NCFOM were both utterly dominated by a single performance, but I think that it distracted from NCFOM and enhanced TWBB.

comment #26

CitizenKanedforChewingGum says ...

Care to expand on that, joncro? Ashes of Time Redux is pretty awesome, btw, if anyone gets a chance to see it in a theater, don't hesitate to do so.

comment #27

MindlessObamaton says ...

I picked I'M NOT THERE for best film last year, and it is. But, frankly, THERE WILL BE BLOOD is going to be timeless. It already feels like it was made 30, 40 years ago and will only get better with age. Man, I need to watch it again. I haven't even seen it on DVD yet, though I saw it about 7 times at the theater.

comment #28

bmcintire says ...

I think DAYS OF HEAVEN would do exactly as well as JESSE JAMES did last year - in terms of box office, criticism and awards. I love both of them, but they are just too slow and deliberate for many people.
And frankly, I'm not getting all the harshness/hate for this year's crop of potential nominees. Some stand-outs, some misfires, some overrated tripe - just like every year.

comment #29

sumo-pop says ...

You ain't wrong. In fact, I think it's Malick's best which is saying a lot even if he's only made 4 flicks. On a related note, at some point there needs to be a reassessment of Richard Gere's career. For a guy who's really popular to knock he has tuned in some standout work. Besides Days there's Internal Affairs, American Gigolo, Officer and a Gentleman, The Hoax, Chicago (well he was good anyway), Unfaithful, Primal Fear, and Looking For Mr. Goodabar. Not a bad run.

comment #30

ZayTonday says ...

The New World was every bit as good as Days of Heaven. Did it get ANY awards consideration? Nope.

comment #31

ZayTonday says ...

Also as others have said, Jesse James was just as good too.

comment #32

ZayTonday says ...

WAIT... Ashes of Time Redux is out? When did this happen and why didn't I hear about it?

comment #33

mpneeb says ...

You might not be wrong, but there would still be a large faction trying to get SUPERMAN a Best Pic nom if the films of 1978 were released in 2008.
I've always felt 1978 was a weak year when compared to other years of the 1970s. It suffers in comparison.

comment #34

MickTravisMcGee says ...

I liked "The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford" a lot. It was one of my favorite movies of 2007, and competition was tight.

But it is completely beholden to the Malick style. I've never seen a movie so in debt to "Days of Heaven," which -- since I love "Days of Heaven" -- is OK by me.

My opinion of "Assassination" changed just a little, however, when I saw "There Will Be Blood." "There Will Be Blood" owes a significant amount to Malick as well, but Anderson takes the influence and synthesizes it into something different, something uniquely his own and in doing so transcends imitation and rises to great art.

comment #35

MindlessObamaton says ...

I need to rewatch TNW. Definately that extended cut.

comment #36

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