Places in the Heart Movie Review 1984

A young widow determines to make the best of a bad situation on a small farm in Depression-era Texas, fighting poverty, racism, and sexism while enduring back-breaking labor. Support group includes a blind veteran and a black drifter. Hokey but nonetheless moving film is improved significantly by strong performances by virtually everyone in the cast. In his debut, Malkovich shines through this stellar group. Effective dust-bowl photography by Nestor Almendros.

Distribution

Home Vision Cinema, c/o Image Entertainment, 20525 Nordhoff St., Ste. 200, Chatsworth, CA 91311, URL: http://www.homevision.com

Available on VHS, DVD
Running time 113 minutes.

Cast and Crew

Genres

Great Depression, Moms, Blindness, Farm Livin', War Between the Sexes, Twister!, Texas

Screenplay

Robert Benton

Cast

Sally Field, John Malkovich, Danny Glover, Ed Harris, Lindsay Crouse, Amy Madigan, Terry O'Quinn, Ned Dowd, Ray Baker

Cinematography

Nestor Almendros

Director

Robert Benton

Music

Howard Shore

Producer

Tri-Star Pictures

Awards

Oscars 1984: Actress (Field), Orig. Screenplay; Golden Globes 1985: Actress--Drama (Field); Natl. Bd. of Review 1984: Support. Actor (Malkovich); N.Y. Film Critics 1984: Screenplay; Natl. Soc. Film Critics 1984: Support. Actor (Malkovich).