Days
of Heaven from Criterion in October
5
August 2007
The
second feature from the unprolific but visionary
director Terrence Malick (following the 1973 Badlands)
has at its core the simple story of a love triangle
that develops when Chicago steelworker Bill (Richard
Gere) accidentally kills his supervisor and flees
to Texas with his girlfriend Abby (Brooke Adams)
and sister Linda to work the fields for a stoic
farmer (Sam Shepard). But the handling is anything
but straightforward, Nestor Almendros's astonishing,
Oscar-winning cinematography beautifully capturing
the essence of the turn-of-the-century Texas farmlands,
makingthe 1978 Days of Heaven one
of the most visually arresting movies ever made.
If
ever there was a movie that would benefit from a
Criterion digital restoration then this is it, and
fans will no doubt be drooling at the prospect of
the Director-Approved Special Edition that has been
announced for release in October, with the following
features:
- New,
restored high-definition 1.78:1 anamorphic digital
transfer, supervised and approved by director
Terrence Malick, editor Billy Weber, and camera
operator John Bailey;
- New
Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack;
- Audio
commentary featuring Weber, art director Jack
Fisk, costume designer Patricia Norris, and casting
director Dianne Crittenden;
- New
video interviews with cinematographers Haskell
Wexler and Bailey;
- A
booklet featuring essays by critic Adrian Martin
and director of photography Nestor Almendros;
- More!
Release
date is 23rd October 2007 at the SRP of $39.95.
