Rating: 
Summary: Malick's masterpiece
Review: The common opinion says Badland is Malick's masterpiece: I prefer Days of Heaven.
The basic elements of both screenplays are similar, the cinematic structures are similar, too, because both movies have a narrator, however I love Days of Heaven for the astounding cinematography by Nestor Almendros, for the subtle score by Ennio Morricone and the masterly guitar solos by Leo Kottke, for the perfect casting: I can't find a single flow in this movie. Alas, the DVD release suffers a serious flow: both english audio tracks are indiscernible. The dubbed french audio track is a surprisingly good one, instead. The video tracl reveals a better work but is somehow disappointing when you think of DVD video tracks realized from others 1978 movies.
Rating: 
Summary: What a let-down!!
Review: I never have or ever wanted to review films but this film made me change my mind! The Thin Red Line is definitely on my list of top 5 all time great films alongside Godfather, Shawshank Redemption, Braveheart and Legends of the Fall). Having read all of the other reviewers, I was convinced that DOH is a great film and was dying to see it. So I ordered the DVD. The day I got the DVD I went home with my girlfriend, got the ice cream and sat in front of my widescreen TV for another Malick cinematic treat. What followed was quite painful to watch. Other than the "every-five-minute" beautiful shot of the landscape etc, nothing made us watch or listen with the same enthusiasm or interest as with TTRL. Something was REALLY lacking. I always watch a film and expect the film to entertain me in every way - story, acting, cinematography, music and direction - for me, DOH lacked in every department. I honestly don't understand the other reviewers' comments. When I find a good film, I normally watch it over and over again every couple of months just to appreciate and remember how good films can be. But this DVD will be sitting on my shelf and I hope I run into someone who wants to buy it as I certainly will not be watching it again!! If you desperately WANT to like/enjoy a film, I guess then you can TRY and convince yourself that you enjoyed it and tell others that its a good film. People normally do this because its their favourite director/actor leading the film. But this is not how I watch films. Malick did a great job with TTRL and it was an unforgettable experience. Unfortunately, DOH is easily forgettable - it is, quite simply, a bad film. Don't believe the hype .... like I did!!!
Rating:
Summary: GREATEST AMERICAN FLICK?
Review: I first caught "Days of Heaven" on a lousy VHS tape which was basically inaudible and muddy. And yet it had the power to resonate in my mind weeks and months later. Well, what a gorgeous transfer it's received on DVD -- stunning, in fact! The colors are vivid, the picture razor sharp, and the soundtrack lush. "Days of Heaven" is not a silent film, although it could be. Instead what we have here is a director so comfortable with his material, so sure about his intentions, that he allows the story to unfold almost effortlessly before our eyes. You may never care much for editing and pacing, but after seeing "Days of Heaven" you will. Scenes last mere seconds, yet tell us everything. Building layer upon layer. Is it some form of poetry? Or magical level of artistry? It's both. And the acting is a dream. Superb, understated performances. A film to be watched over and over. Look for the fire and water symbolism, especially. Then look deeper.
Rating:
Summary: Astonishingly Beautiful and Compassionate
Review: "Heaven" is exactly the right word in the title, because Malick creates a world that is staggeringly beautiful. This contrasts with the doomed characters, who struggle against a dark fate that is as overwhelming as the landscape. Linda Manz and Brooke Adams are touching as the orphans in the storm. Sam Shephard is heartbreaking as the shy farmer (a very different figure from the capitalist villain streotype of the left-wing propaganda that Malick is sometimes accused of indulging in--he's a far deeper artist than that.) Richard Gere gives a good early performance that lacks the narcissism of his later work; here he's like a hurt kid.) Like Dreiser, Malick's tragedy is cathartic--if only people could be as beautiful in spirit as the natural world is in fact.
Rating:
Summary: Landscape Music and Flight, a Masterpiece
Review: This is a gorgeous film, exploiting landscape and story (understated, but brilliant) to make an incredibly beautiful and moving film experience. If all you've seen of this movie is on tv or video (admittedly, the way I had) the DVD widescreen and improved sound is going to make a HUGE difference. The colors and textures used in the film are visceral, much like the way Peter Weir, for example, uses them. The movement of the wheat fields and the motions of the insects are amazing. Mallick, in this film, as in Badlands, deals with the idea that flight and fight exist at the same time. After each fight (and these are not gore in your eye knock down drag out fights, you blink your eyes and you've missed them, but the consequences are devastating) flight takes place, and, as in Huckleberry Finn, the journey is interesting and wonderful. The narration in this film, as in Badlands is flat, almost lifeless, but the pictures that surround it are amazing. The narration keeps you firmly rooted while the pictures send you soaring. A great double feature with Badlands, and one well worth seeing. It does move slowly (something either you deal with in a Mallick film or you talk endlessly about how boring it is), but staying with the movie yields great reward.
Rating:
Summary: See It For the Stunning Cinematography Alone
Review: This film tells the tale of a young, impoverished couple(well-played by Richard Gere and Brooke Adams) who arrive as transient workers at the ranch of the lonely, well-to-do Sam Shepard, just before the outbreak of th First World War. The couple is posing as brother and sister, for reasons never made quite clear, and the wife marries the rancher. It is an unhappy tale, but relieved by breathtaking cinematography that will keep you riveted. Not one of the cinematic heavyweights, but intriguing, different, and definitely a visual feast.
Rating: 
Summary: Not Quite the Hype
Review: I rewatched "Days of Heaven" in the new 70mm wide screen release with high hopes of recapturing the magic I sensed when I first saw it in 1978. Without question, it is one of the most beautifully photographed American films ever, and on that basis alone I give it a hearty three stars. What disturbs me, however, is what I now recognize as the complete miscasting of Richard Gere and Brooke Adams in the two central roles of the film. Compounding this error is the banal script that allows, with the exception of the brilliant Linda Manz's character, modern conversations coming out of the mouths of uneducated early century characters. People then simply did not talk and behave like Gere and Adams do in the film. In fact, the conversations are so loose that I suspect they were not memorized but extemporaneouly spoken. So much effort is spent visually recreating the era that this kind of miscue is unfortunate. The same kind of problem emerges in "The Piano", with its new age music and banal modern banter out of the mouths of 19th century characters. When you watch period pieces in Russian films for example, you are immediately thrust back into time. The actors capture the inflections, manners, and behaviors so completely that there is no question of the period. This is intentional, not accidental. American fims, for some reason, never take the time to do it right, and this film is a prime example. Watch it and marvel at the photography, but don't wince too much as Gere prances about as he does in "Breathless". And he still mumbles no matter what time he is supposed to be in. Also, compare Malik's recent "The Thin Red Line", clearly a real masterpiece in all categories, including faithfulness of character, place, and time.
Rating: 
Summary: A stunning haunting visual masterpiece
Review: Terrence Mallick's 1978 masterpiece is as strong today as when it was first released...or maybe even better now in comparison to the banal movies of today. The incredible cinematography and minimal narrative create a mood and feeling that very few films would ever even attempt...this is like a poem on film, but easily accessible and amazingly engrossing. Ennio Morricone's score is one of his best and most haunting ever. The entire cast is superb (Gere, Adams, Shepard), but the stand-out has always been young Linda Manz (who also narrates throughout in a subtle almost surreal authenticity)- her low-key performance is absolutely incredible. The minimal narrative has been criticized by some, but anything more would have damaged the mood and emotion of the film. The tragic outcome of events is inevitable...so why clutter it with soap opera? Compare this film to anything else out there and you will see that it is truly one-of-a-kind. Seeing this movie again after almost 20 years reminded me how many great films came out of the 70's. It was a great period for modern cinema --- maybe call them the "days of heaven" for movie-going --- and Mallick's masterpiece stands tall to this day. This is a must see for any serious film buff. The only reason I give it 4 stars instead of 5 is that on the DVD some of the darker scenes are slightly murky...but overall it is still a Very Clean and Nice looking widescreen transfer. The DVD has the original kind of awkward trailer as well. Don't miss this film!
Rating:
Summary: not just another pretty picture
Review: A pox on all reviewers who cannot break away from the power of Malick and Almendros' breathtaking landscapes. The landscapes are there not to overpower the story. The are merely the underpinnings of Malick's minimalist morality tale. The central message here is that the overwhelming beauty of life offers a vision of a heaven on earth, a reality which many people trade away for an unseen, apocalyptic and perhaps nonexistant mythology. The happiest characters here are not those obesessed with material gain but rather those who find happiness with the fruits of their honest labors, whatever riches they may or may not bring. The characters who insist on something they have not earned start a chain reaction of events that eventually decide their fate. Bill trades Abby's love for the hopes of inheriting the farm. The Farmer, in his jealousy, foolishly sacrifices his life and Abby's love in defense of something already that is already secure. Folks, this is the Gospel according to Terrence Malick. This is a story Jesus might have told if Edison had just been a bit quicker with the motion picture camera. It is my favorite movie of all time because, in its scenic spendor and spare and simple plotline, this modern parable is a continuing reminder to me that in the world in which I live we are all in this together.
Rating:
Summary: Color is back
Review: Days of Heaven is a pleasure to watch. When I saw this movie (or film, depending on how pretentious you are) in the theater, the color of the wide-open spaces knocked me out. My 4-year-old VHS version was a washed-out disappointment. This DVD has the rich color that I was looking for.
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