| Places in the Heart | | Cast : | Sally Field, Lindsay Crouse, Ed Harris | | Director : | Robert Benton | | Studio : | Columbia/Tristar Studios | | Format : | Color, Closed-captioned, Widescreen | | Released Date : | September 21, 1984 | | DVD Released Date : | September 13, 2005 | | Language : | French (Dubbed), French (Subtitled), English (Dubbed), English (Subtitled), Thai (Subtitled), Chinese (Subtitled), English (Original Language), French (Original Language), Korean (Subtitled), Spanish (Subtitled) | | Audience Rating : | PG (Parental Guidance Suggested) | | | BUY THIS DVD FROM AMAZON |
Customer Reviews
| Rating |  | | Date | November 03, 2003 | | Summary | OF LOSS, LOVE AND HOPE | Content
 | Few movies hit you so unabashedly in the heart with a melodramatic wallop as Bentonâs Places in the Heart, yet manage to avoid feeling cheap. A deeply touching slice of the depression era, worthy of all the Oscars it bagged (screenplay, best actress for Fields) plus several nominations. Sally Field weilds absolute acting prowess as Edna Spaulding, a wife and mother of two kids who becomes widowed after a drunk accidentally shoots her husband. So she decides to make some money by planting cotton. She takes in a very friendly black man (wonderfully played by Danny Glover) who helps her get and plant the cotton, and a smart blind man (played by John Malkovich in an Oscar-nominated performance) who's a paying boarder. These three adults and the two children form a little family together, and this is the part of "Places in the Heart" that works best. Other characters add to the story. Lindsey Crouse was also Oscar-nominated for her portrayl of Field's sister who comes to help out after tragedy strikes early on. Ed Harris plays Crouse's husband who's having an affair with another woman, which makes for a somewhat inessential subplot. But that's a minor grouse. Apart from the top-notch performances, the film's stunning finale is an unforgettable cinematic statement about hope. Had everyone in the room jerking a tear. On DVD the film doesn't really look like an old movie (1984) if that bothers you. A highly recommended gem for any collection! |
| Rating | | | Date | July 17, 2003 | | Summary | I WISH THERE WERE A SEQUEL! | Content
| This movie is great! I used it for a college paper on prejudice and the hardships of life. You can really feel what these people are going through. I wish there were a sequel about 10 years later, where Moses comes back with a family and buys a piece of Edna's land. I wish he could really overcome being black during a miserable time in history. I wish Will and Edna would fall in love and help complete the missing part of each other's lives. Possum would be a teen, with high hopes and great dreams. Frank would be a strong, honest man that is a representation of the type of person it takes to change an entire country's idea about prejudice. They would become happy once again. I want their lives to finally be worth something. I WANT MORE OF THEIR STORY! |
| Rating | | | Date | April 12, 2003 | | Summary | DVD! AT LAST!!! | Content
| I've been waiting for this film on DVD for years! Thank goodness, It's here and won't disappoint. Clean crisp and sharp with great sound quality! As a film it is a true piece of ART with some of the best performances ever assembled! I lived in Waxahachie where much of the film was shot and was in the "Heart" house as it is called. Believe me, the cinematography in this film is worth the price of the DVD! Texas never looked better! This film would make a terrific companion piece to "The Trip to Bountiful" which was also filmed around the Waxahachie, Texas area. "Places" on DVD! It's about time! Now how about "Bountiful" on DVD? |
| Rating | | | Date | March 12, 2003 | | Summary | A SUBTLE, SUBLIME TREASURE OF A MOVIE! | Content
| Sally Fields, Danny Glover, John Malkovich and Ed Harris star in "Places In The Heart" as poignant family saga set during the Great Depression. When Emma Spalding's (Fields) husband is accidentally killed she learns that her financial situation is precariously perched on the acquisition of several acres of farm land and its cultivation for a cotton crop. To aid in her money problems, Mrs. Spalding takes in a blind man, Mr. Will (Malkovich) and hires a hobo, Moses (Glover). There are scenes that you will never forget and a real tear jerker of an ending.Sally Fields won her second Best Actress Oscar for this role.
Columbia Tristar has given us the film in a rather mediocre transfer. Colors are faded. Contrast can, at times be low. There is some minor pixelization and edge enhancement that intrudes. Chips, scratches, dirt and film grain are all quite visible. The sound is 2.0 surround and rather disappointing, suffering from a weak characteristic throughout. There are no extras to speak of. BOTTOM LINE: Say yes to the film because it is great entertainment, and try to overlook the rather lack luster transfer, if you can.
Aside: I suppose I should begin each review by stating that my marks (stars)that I give in rating the films are indicative of picture and sound quality and have nothing to do with my overall like or dislike of a movie based on its plot. This is why some universally acclaimed movies, from time to time, may get a less than stellar rating. Everything is based on the digital quality of the disc - how it looks and sounds. Mine is not a Roger Ebert film review. |
| Rating | | | Date | February 03, 2003 | | Summary | Yes, I really like her... | Content
| Sally only got 2 Oscar noms, and won both. This seems to be the stock of lots of jokes. Fact is, with great writing, Ms. Field will knock your socks off, as she does here. I won't bother to rehash the plot, cuz you already know it, and it's phenomenal. Aside from the absolute attention to period detail, the acting is, without exception, superb. A previous reviewer noted that the cinematography of Nestor Almendros was sorely missing an Oscar nomination, and this is most correct. There were three films in 1984 about "saving the farm" ("Country", "The River" and this); though "Country" was released earlier and got better reviews, this one came along and blew 'em all out of the water. This was Benton's autobiographical account of life during hard times, and it couldn't be more lovingly presented. Then, again, there's the acting: Lindsay Crouse, Danny Glover, John Malkovich, Terry O'Quinn, Amy Irving, Ed Harris, and two absolutely wonderful kid-actors, Yankton Hatton & Gennie James. Howard Shore composed a score, not that original, with great help from the music icons of the period. It was very effective. The bottom line is that this is a very fine film, and mostly carried by the unwavering and confident performance of Sally Field. I like her. I really do. |
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