By 1985 Hollywood had still only dabbled in movies about the ‘shame that cannot speak its name,’ and in every case the verdict for the transgressors was regret and misery, if not death. Donna Deitch’s brilliant drama achieves exactly what she wanted, to do make a movie about a lesbian relationship that doesn’t end in a tragedy.
Desert Hearts
Blu-ray
The Criterion Collection 902
1985 / Color / 1:85 widescreen / 96 min. / available through The Criterion Collection / Street Date November 14, 2017 / 39.95
Starring: Helen Shaver, Patricia Charbonneau, Audra Lindley, Andra Akers, Gwen Welles, Dean Butler, James Staley, Katie La Bourdette, Alex McArthur, Tyler Tyhurst, Denise Crosby, Antony Ponzini, Brenda Beck, Jeffrey Tambor.
Cinematography: Robert Elswit
Film Editor: Robert Estrin
Production Design: Jeannine Oppewall
Written by Natalie Cooper from the novel by Jane Rule
Produced and Directed by Donna Deitch
Desert Hearts is a fine movie that’s also one of the first features ever about a lesbian romance,...
Desert Hearts
Blu-ray
The Criterion Collection 902
1985 / Color / 1:85 widescreen / 96 min. / available through The Criterion Collection / Street Date November 14, 2017 / 39.95
Starring: Helen Shaver, Patricia Charbonneau, Audra Lindley, Andra Akers, Gwen Welles, Dean Butler, James Staley, Katie La Bourdette, Alex McArthur, Tyler Tyhurst, Denise Crosby, Antony Ponzini, Brenda Beck, Jeffrey Tambor.
Cinematography: Robert Elswit
Film Editor: Robert Estrin
Production Design: Jeannine Oppewall
Written by Natalie Cooper from the novel by Jane Rule
Produced and Directed by Donna Deitch
Desert Hearts is a fine movie that’s also one of the first features ever about a lesbian romance,...
- 11/7/2017
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
November over at The Criterion Collection may look a smidge slim, offering up just four new titles, but each new addition to the collection is a seminal selection well-deserving of the Criterion treatment. Of most interest, however, is Donna Deitch’s feature debut “Desert Hearts,” a seminal lesbian drama that’s been going through something of a resurgence as of late, thanks to last year’s 30th anniversary and a continued adoration for its forward-thinking subject matter.
As we recently explored, in the early ’80s, Deitch was a film school grad with only docs under her belt, eager to make a different kind of feature about lesbians in love, and “without the help of Kickstarter or industry backing, she launched an unorthodox grassroots campaign that eventually gained the support of Gloria Steinem, Lily Tomlin, and Stockard Channing. The result was a hit at Sundance in 1986 that went on to become...
As we recently explored, in the early ’80s, Deitch was a film school grad with only docs under her belt, eager to make a different kind of feature about lesbians in love, and “without the help of Kickstarter or industry backing, she launched an unorthodox grassroots campaign that eventually gained the support of Gloria Steinem, Lily Tomlin, and Stockard Channing. The result was a hit at Sundance in 1986 that went on to become...
- 8/16/2017
- by Kate Erbland
- Indiewire
For every cult classic like Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me or stone cold classic like Kubrick’s Barry Lyndon, the folks at Janus and The Criterion Collection decide to use their platform to shine a light on some of film’s most interesting unsung gems. Be it from the early days of African cinema, the Romanian New Wave or even American indie cinema of the ‘80s and ‘90s, some of Janus and Criterion’s most interesting theatrical and home video releases are the ones that seemingly come out of nowhere.
Take, for example, Desert Hearts. From director Donna Deitch, Hearts tells the story of Vivian, a conservative, buttoned up English professor caught in the middle of late ‘50s Reno and a going-nowhere marriage. In the midst of a divorce Vivian meets Cay, a gorgeous and vibrant woman who helps not only open Vivian’s eyes to herself but to the world around her.
Take, for example, Desert Hearts. From director Donna Deitch, Hearts tells the story of Vivian, a conservative, buttoned up English professor caught in the middle of late ‘50s Reno and a going-nowhere marriage. In the midst of a divorce Vivian meets Cay, a gorgeous and vibrant woman who helps not only open Vivian’s eyes to herself but to the world around her.
- 7/20/2017
- by Joshua Brunsting
- CriterionCast
In the early ’80s, Donna Deitch was a recent film school grad with no feature credits looking make a lesbian romance — one that didn’t end with killing its heroines. Without the help of Kickstarter or industry backing, she launched an unorthodox grassroots campaign that eventually gained the support of Gloria Steinem, Lily Tomlin, and Stockard Channing. The result was a hit at Sundance in 1986 that went on to become a groundbreaking lesbian classic that still resonates today.
Read More‘Desert Hearts’ Trailer: Donna Deitch’s Groundbreaking Lesbian Classic Restored — Watch
Adapted by Natalie Cooper from the 1964 Jane Rule novel “Desert of the Heart,” Deitch’s 1985 film is a poignant romance set in 1959, when straitlaced Columbia professor Vivian Bell (Helen Shaver) arrives at a ranch in Reno, Nev. to get a divorce (the only place one could at that time). She meets the rancher’s daughter, Cay Rivvers (Patricia Charbonneau), an open and self-assured lesbian,...
Read More‘Desert Hearts’ Trailer: Donna Deitch’s Groundbreaking Lesbian Classic Restored — Watch
Adapted by Natalie Cooper from the 1964 Jane Rule novel “Desert of the Heart,” Deitch’s 1985 film is a poignant romance set in 1959, when straitlaced Columbia professor Vivian Bell (Helen Shaver) arrives at a ranch in Reno, Nev. to get a divorce (the only place one could at that time). She meets the rancher’s daughter, Cay Rivvers (Patricia Charbonneau), an open and self-assured lesbian,...
- 7/20/2017
- by Jude Dry
- Indiewire
Set in 1959 and released in 1986, “Desert Hearts” is utterly timeless. Not only was Donna Deitch’s groundbreaking film directed and produced by a woman, but it was the first film to show two women have a romance onscreen that didn’t result in their deaths. A little over thirty years since its Sundance debut, Deitch’s classic is getting a beautiful 4k restoration and anniversary theatrical run — complete with this brand new trailer and poster.
Adapted from a novel by Jane Rule, “Desert Hearts” chronicles straitlaced English professor Vivian Bell (Helen Shaver) who arrives in Reno to finalize her divorce. Hoping for a little peace and quiet, her world is turned upside down by the firecracker Cay Rivvers (Patricia Charbonneau). Ten years younger and not afraid to go after what she wants, Cay’s blows the lid off of Vivian’s carefully cultivated world at full speed.
The period details...
Adapted from a novel by Jane Rule, “Desert Hearts” chronicles straitlaced English professor Vivian Bell (Helen Shaver) who arrives in Reno to finalize her divorce. Hoping for a little peace and quiet, her world is turned upside down by the firecracker Cay Rivvers (Patricia Charbonneau). Ten years younger and not afraid to go after what she wants, Cay’s blows the lid off of Vivian’s carefully cultivated world at full speed.
The period details...
- 7/14/2017
- by Jude Dry
- Indiewire
It’s almost time to get your Q on, St. Louis!!
The 10h Annual QFest St. Louis, presented by Cinema St. Louis, runs March 29th – April 2nd at the .Zack (3224 Locust St., St. Louis, Mo 63103)
The St. Louis-based Lgbtq film festival, QFest will present an eclectic slate of films from filmmakers that represent a wide variety of voices in contemporary queer world cinema. The mission of the film festival is to use the art of contemporary gay cinema to illustrate the diversity of the Lgbtq community and to explore the complexities of living an alternative lifestyle.
All screenings at the .Zack (3224 Locust St., St. Louis, Mo 63103). Individual tickets are $13 for general admission, $10 for students and Cinema St. Louis members with valid and current photo IDs.
Advance tickets may be purchased at the Hi-Pointe Backlot box office or website. For more info, visit the Cinema St. Louis site Here
http://www.
The 10h Annual QFest St. Louis, presented by Cinema St. Louis, runs March 29th – April 2nd at the .Zack (3224 Locust St., St. Louis, Mo 63103)
The St. Louis-based Lgbtq film festival, QFest will present an eclectic slate of films from filmmakers that represent a wide variety of voices in contemporary queer world cinema. The mission of the film festival is to use the art of contemporary gay cinema to illustrate the diversity of the Lgbtq community and to explore the complexities of living an alternative lifestyle.
All screenings at the .Zack (3224 Locust St., St. Louis, Mo 63103). Individual tickets are $13 for general admission, $10 for students and Cinema St. Louis members with valid and current photo IDs.
Advance tickets may be purchased at the Hi-Pointe Backlot box office or website. For more info, visit the Cinema St. Louis site Here
http://www.
- 3/16/2017
- by Tom Stockman
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Team Film Experience isn't at Sundance this year, so instead we're going back through the years to discover and revisit some Sundance classics. Here is Glenn with the 1986 winner of the Special Jury Prize, Donna Deitch's Desert Hearts.
It was a happy accident that on a whim I picked the 1985 drama Desert Hearts to write about today given we’re still very much wrapped up in the warm bosom of Carol. I had not seen Donna Deitch’s film before and had no idea prior to sitting down to watch it that it shared so much in common with Carol, 30 years its senior. I was aware of course that it was a lesbian romance, and I was also aware that the film is (famously) regarded as the first film to allow a lesbian romance to end without tragedy. Still, there were moments where beat-for-beat the films are almost identical.
It was a happy accident that on a whim I picked the 1985 drama Desert Hearts to write about today given we’re still very much wrapped up in the warm bosom of Carol. I had not seen Donna Deitch’s film before and had no idea prior to sitting down to watch it that it shared so much in common with Carol, 30 years its senior. I was aware of course that it was a lesbian romance, and I was also aware that the film is (famously) regarded as the first film to allow a lesbian romance to end without tragedy. Still, there were moments where beat-for-beat the films are almost identical.
- 1/21/2016
- by Glenn Dunks
- FilmExperience
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