DeuceWild_77 Still fresh from directing the critical acclaimed and box office hit, "Kramer vs. Kramer" ('79), in which he won the Academy Award for Best Director, plus four other more Oscars (including Best Film of the Year) for a total of nine nominations, the filmmaker Robert Benton, after the very good, but not as well succeed, "Still of the Night" ('82), started to develop a more intimate film, based on his own experiences growing up in Waxahachie, Texas during the Era of the Great Depression.The year is 1935. The Spalding family, consisting of Royce, the local sheriff (Ray Baker), his devoted wife, Edna (Sally Field) and their two little kids, Frank (Yankton Hatten) & Possum (Gennie James), live in a small, segregated town in the midst of the Depression. When Royce is killed by accident, Edna is left alone with their kids to raise and the family farm to mantain while the bank is starting to pressures her to sell it, because without her husband's salary, she can't afford to make the loan payments. Fighting back to sustain her family and home, Edna joins an african-american drifter called Moses (Danny Glover) and her new tenant, Mr. Will (John Malkovich), to plant cotton on all her acres to survive the Depression, but it's a task that will not be easy to succeed...It's noticeable how Robert Benton gave his whole heart to the movie: the tenderness, dreamlike realism and nostalgic factor of his own screenplay; the assertive direction of a melodrama without being too corny or overly sentimental and the use of an absolutely beautiful photography, captured by Néstor Almendros' camera.The less good part, is that the film drifts itself from the main plot when it starts to give too much relevance to the sub-plots from side characters such as the love triangle between Edna's brother in law, Wayne Lomax (Ed Harris), married to Edna's sister, Margaret (Lindsay Crouse), a hairdresser and the town's teacher, Viola Kelsey (Amy Madigan), married to a good hearted businessman, Buddy (Terry O'Quinn), which that went nowhere, throwing the movie into almost the 'soap opera' territory.Despite that, the ensemble cast delivers superb performances: the real life couple, Amy Madigan & Ed Harris always display great on-screen chemistry; Lindsay Crouse scored her only Oscar nominated performance here as the affable sister, however cheated wife; John Malkovich, also Oscar nominated, is very good as the blind, but literate & helpful, Mr. Will. Maybe if he had more scenes, probably could have won the Academy Award, but instead his co-star Haing S. Ngor from "The Killing Fields" was awarded, anyway the prize went to good hands that year.Danny Glover, in one of his first significant roles, plays the token black man with a sense of dignity and gravitas within his performance. It opened the doors for him being cast one year later in Lawrence Kasdan's "Silverado" ('85), playing one of the major parts and Steven Spielberg's "The Color Purple" ('85), in which he played the complete opposite of his more sympathetic turns. Glover deserved to be recognized for his role in "Places in the Heart" as much as his fellow colleagues, the two nominated supporting actors, Malkovich and Crouse.Last, but not the least, Sally Field, won her second Oscar here (after she won for "Norma Rae" back in '80), in a brave performance playing the central role of Edna Spalding, the persevering young widow, determined to sustain her children and to survive working in a men's world and in a town that is in an one step to poverty.In short, "Places in the Heart" is a memorable and affectionate 'period piece' of Americana, Robert Benton's most personal and devoted project (hence the movie's title) and also one of his best directed films. Sadly, the director took the wrong route for his next two movies, only redeeming himself with "Nobody's Fool" ('94), in which he got another Oscar nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay, as well as his star, the legendary Paul Newman, for Best Actor in Leading Role.

gavin6942 In 1930s southern United States, a widow (Sally Field) and her family try to run their cotton farm with the help of a disparate group of friends.Rotten Tomatoes says, "Places in the Heart is a quiet character piece with grand ambitions that it more than fulfills, thanks to absorbing work from writer-director Robert Benton and a tremendous cast." I disagree. While the cast is incredible, and even includes a young Terry O'Quinn, the film as a whole just did not impress me.Robert Benton is a fine director, although maybe not a well-known one. He excelled with "Kramer vs. Kramer" (1979) and made a decent thriller with "Twilight" (1998). But this particular film was not one that I felt was that great. Maybe I just was not moved by Depression-era cotton farming and race relations in Texas...

Jackson Booth-Millard Many know the famous speech that the leading actress gave when she won her second Academy Award for this film, "I can't deny the fact that you like me, right now, you like me!" (often misquoted as "You like me! You really like me!"), I was looking forward to watching, from Oscar nominated director Robert Benton (Kramer vs. Kramer). Basically set in Waxahachie, Texas in 1935, a place where white people and white people mostly separate themselves from each other, Sheriff Royce Spalding (Ray Baker) is investigating trouble at the railroad when he is accidentally shot dead by young black boy Wylie (De'voreaux White), white vigilantes punish him dragging behind a truck for all the community to see, including Spalding's family. The Sheriff's wife Edna Spalding (Oscar and Golden Globe winning Sally Field) is now alone to take care of her small children Frank (Yankton Hatten) and Possum (Gennie James) and maintain the farm, added pressure comes from her other family, her sister Margaret Lomax (Oscar nominated Lindsay Crouse) who cannot help because of her own family and her beauty shop, and her husband's brother-in-law Mr. Will (Oscar nominated John Malkovich) blinded in the war who becomes a lodger on the farm. The cotton crop is planted for the farm to make it's money, money is scarce and worse news is that the price of cotton is decreasing, she gives black drifter Moze (Danny Glover) work without payment, giving him meals instead, the handyman though is not satisfied and steals silverware to make some money, he is caught in the act but forgiven as he is the one who knows the cotton growing and marketing. Edna is determined to keep the family together and preserve the farm, and she sees the opportunity to win money they need to keep going, Ellis County prize has a prize of $100 that will go to the first bale of cotton brought to market, but she needs more cotton pickers who cannot be paid, she joins those that she finds to help her, bleeding herself in the thorns to finish the work, while Will cooks the food to reward the workers. Edna and Moze are the first to the wholesaler and do everything they can to convince the owner of how much the cotton bale is worth, it is unclear as to whether they win the prize or not, and returning to the farm Moze is confronted by Ku Klux Klan members, he is rescued by Will, but he decides reluctantly to move on, while Viola Kelsey (Amy Madigan) is departing with her husband Buddy (Terry O'Quinn) to Houston, after ending an affair with Edna's brother-in-law. In the end the film finishes where it all started, in church where the community are taking communion, Wayne Lomax (Ed Harris) passes to Margaret, and the bread and wine goes from to character to character, both those who are still living and dead, and the last words are spoken by Wylie to the Sheriff, obviously it is his actions that later lead to everything else. Also starring Lois & Clark's Lane Smith as Albert Denby and Bert Remsen as Tee Tot Hightower. Field is wonderful as the feisty and endearing small- town farmer and mother who goes through pain and graft to support her family, Malkovich is likable as the blind man who bonds with her, Glover gets his moments as the black man who is vulnerable but helps, and Harris gets a few small scenes doing his usual good job. Set in the Depression Era you know it is going to be full of despair and other small harsh realities of life, seeing the bleeding hands picking the cotton is most compelling, obviously there are the heartwarming scenes as well with the family orientation and community values, and it is paced well, it is a pleasant and enjoyable period drama. It won the Oscar for Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen for Benton, and it was nominated for Best Picture and Best Costume Design, and it was nominated the Golden Globes for Best Motion Picture - Drama and Best Screenplay. Very good!

sankey48 We have enjoyed this movie a couple of times. My father in law has always maintained you don't need to watch a movie more than once. I say bunkum to that. As a projectionist for one of our Universities in Sydney, Australia, back in the mid to late seventies - I always learned something or saw something I had not noticed before as I ran many movies over and over. Each time seeing something I missed before. Places in The Heart is one such movie. So many of the reviewers have widely covered the many aspects of Places. Each review I have read (and as at 26th October, 2012, I have read them all) - in a lot of cases bring up another aspect not covered before by others. I just wanted to maybe round them all up and add a comment on my part as well. I agree with one reviewer that kind of alluded to how close Sally Field's role in "Places" reflected her LIVE struggle for recognition on the screen. I also agree with some reviewers note of the out right hypocrisy being portrayed by all these "nice" people in the daytime to be members of the hateful, violent "Klan" at night.I loved the young man who portrayed Frank and what a good son being willing to take his "licking" as he would have done when his dad was to punish him. I would like to look for more roles the young actor plays. The one who played Possum was good also. Regarding the insertion of the "extra-marital" goings on..i wonder if this was done to reach a bigger audience with a more Mature kind of Rating..PG here in Australia. But as another reviewer stated 'it might have given the audience more time to finish their pop corn and soda.' Hmm. I am glad someone brought up the answer another looked for about the passage of Scripture towards the end. I will add it at the end of this Review. I must say I thought, as a musician that likes bright, rousing hymn singing - the hymns were more like a dirge...harmonious but SO slllllow it's a wonder people didn't go to sleep. These days I am familiar with most American rendition of hymns being the opposite in always done very fast and breath-takingly. I enjoyed all the actors in the movie Sally Field, Danny Glover, John Malkovich being one of his earlier movies on reflection as I have seen him much later in Man In The Iron Mask and most recently in "Empire of the Sun" I thoroughly recommend the movie to everyone. The passage of Scripture to be preached in the last scene -one of the reviewers was asking about follows. It is from the King James Version of the Bible.1 Corinthians 13:1 Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal.1 Corinthians 13:2 And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing.1 Corinthians 13:3 And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profits me nothing.1 Corinthians 13:4 Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envies not; charity vaunts not itself, is not puffed up,1 Corinthians 13:5 Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeks not her own, is not easily provoked, thinks no evil;1 Corinthians 13:6 Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth;1 Corinthians 13:7 Beareth all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.1 Corinthians 13:8 Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away. What an appropriate scripture for this type of movie and all it portrays.