Desert Hearts (1985)

User Rating:

6.7/10   

Director:

Donna Deitch

Writers:

Jane Rule (novel)
Natalie Cooper (writer)

Release Date:

7 March 1986 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Romance

Plot:

It is 1950s Nevada, and Professor Vivian Bell arrives to get a divorce. She's unsatisfied with her marriage...

Plot Keywords:

Lesbian | Divorce | Nevada | Female Nudity | Gay Interest

Awards:

3 wins & 2 nominations

Cast

Helen Shaver	...	Vivian Bell
Patricia Charbonneau	...	Cay Rivvers
Audra Lindley	...	Frances Parker
Andra Akers	...	Silver
Dean Butler	...	Darrell
Gwen Welles	...	Gwen
James Staley	...	Art Warner
Katie La Bourdette	...	Lucille
Alex McArthur	...	Walter
Tyler Tyhurst	...	Buck
Denise Crosby	...	Pat
Antony Ponzini	...	Joe
Brenda Beck	...	Joyce
Sam Minsky	...	Best Man
Patricia Frazier	...	Change Girl

Runtime:

96 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Colour:

Colour

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

Italy:VM14 | Canada:R (Ontario) | Australia:M | New Zealand:M | UK:18 | USA:R | West Germany:16

Filming Locations:

Reno, Nevada, USA

Company:

Desert Hearts Productions

Trivia:

Patricia Charbonneau filmed the entire movie while pregnant.

Quotes:

Vivian: [of her marriage] It drowned in still waters.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in It's in the Water (1997)

Soundtrack:

BLUE MOON

Vasty underrated

Reading some of the other comments, and the reviews at the time it came out, I suppose my feeling about this movie must be extremely idiosyncratic. Yet, all the people I rope in to watching this film seem to agree with me - so this is to give a counterpoint to the tepid (at best) comments I've read so far.

This is a beautifully photographed film, from beginning to end. It perfectly captures the ambiance and look of the Reno area in 1959 (I know because I was there); not just in appearance, but in the characters as well. Period music is expertly used throughout the film, with the final choice of Ella Fitzgerald's "I Wished on the Moon" a haunting and perfect end. I can't help but think that because this film was one of the first to spend several uncompromising minutes devoted to lesbian lovemaking that people tended to focus almost exclusively on that scene - and make pronouncements based on their own comfort levels with how it was filmed. This scene is really quite beautiful, but it could be left out and the sex only hinted at without harming the flow of the film. The two main characters are well-thought-out and fully realized; both fine performances (Helen Shaver is near perfect). All of the supporting characters are interesting and perfectly believable. The intelligent, witty script gives deep insight into the characters with minimal time spent. The humor is subtle but satisfying. Two examples: 1) when "the professor" comes out of her room after brooding for several days she is asked by another guest what she has been doing in there - the eccentric, grizzled ranch manager (Audra Lindley - who looks like she has been burned into the Nevada landscape)answers like a schoolmarm, "whatever it is, it's too deep for us to understand" 2) while horseback riding in the desert a Marilyn wannabe in blue jeans gets off her horse and says "my girdle is killing me!" For me this is a near perfect film. The only thing close to a criticism I can muster is the Kay character seems a bit too contemporary (but his is a very minor point and the role is well played). Unlike the other commentors, I think the characters are fascinating, each scene stands on its own as a perfect little vignette, and not only did I find the film enjoyable when it first came out, I have watched it at least 18 times since and it always holds up beautifully. Watch this movie with an open mind, void of preconceptions and value judgements, and see if you aren't enchanted (or at least entertained).