Places in the Heart

1984 film by Robert Benton

Places in the Heart

Theatrical film poster

Directed by| Robert Benton
Written by| Robert Benton
Produced by| Arlene Donovan
Starring|

* Sally Field
* Lindsay Crouse
* Ed Harris
* Amy Madigan
* John Malkovich
* Danny Glover

Cinematography| Néstor Almendros
Edited by| Carol Littleton
Music by| John Kander
Howard Shore (music producer)
Color process| Technicolor

Production
company

Delphi II Productions

Distributed by| Tri-Star Pictures

Release date

* September 21, 1984 (1984-09-21)

Running time

| 111 minutes
Country| United States
Language| English
Budget| $9.5 million[citation needed]
Box office| $34.9 million[1]

Places in the Heart is a 1984 American drama film written and directed by Robert Benton.[2][3] Set in 1930s Texas during the Great Depression, the film stars Sally Field as a recently widowed woman who struggles to save her farm with the help of a blind lodger and a Black laborer. The cast also includes John Malkovich, Lindsay Crouse, Ed Harris, Amy Madigan, Danny Glover, and Terry O'Quinn.[4][5][6][7][8]

The film premiered at the 35th Berlin International Film Festival, where Benton won the Silver Bear for Best Director. Released theatrically by Tri-Star Pictures on September 21, 1984, it was both a critical and commercial success, earning $34.9 million on a $9.5 million budget. Places in the Heart received seven Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture, and won two: Best Actress for Field and Best Original Screenplay for Benton.

## Plot

[edit]

In 1935, during the Great Depression, the quiet town of Waxahachie, Texas, is shaken when Sheriff Royce Spalding is accidentally shot and killed by a drunk Black teenager, Wylie, who believes his revolver is empty. That same day, a white lynch mob brutally murders Wylie and drags his body through town, leaving it hanging from a tree. Both Royce and Wylie are buried on the same day.

Royce's widow, Edna Spalding, is left to raise their two young children, Frank and Possum, on a struggling cotton farm. Her sister Margaret helps with the funeral, but Edna quickly finds herself facing financial ruin. The local banker, Albert Denby, tells her to sell the farm, but she refuses.

That night, a Black drifter named Moses "Moze" Hadner arrives at Edna's door asking for work. He claims to know how to farm cotton and offers to help her. She feeds him but sends him away. The next morning, she finds him chopping wood in her yard. She feeds him again, but Moze later steals silverware and is caught. When the police bring him back, Edna decides not to press charges and instead hires him officially.

Edna's troubles mount when Denby insists she take in his blind brother-in-law, Will, a bitter World War I veteran, as a boarder. Will resents his new situation but gradually forms a bond with Edna's children, especially after rescuing Possum during a tornado that devastates part of the town.

Meanwhile, Margaret's marriage begins to fall apart as her husband Wayne carries on an affair with Viola Kelsey, a married schoolteacher. After the tornado, Margaret discovers the truth and Wayne confesses the affair, and she tells him she won't forgive him this time.

As cotton prices continue to fall, Edna realizes she can't meet the next mortgage payment. She learns of a $100 prize awarded to the first farmer in Ellis County to bring in a bale of cotton for the season. With Moze's guidance, Edna assembles a small team of pickers and races to harvest and sell the crop. Moze teaches her how to negotiate fairly with the buyer, and their gamble pays off—they win the prize and sell the cotton at a good price, enough to save the farm.

Their success is short-lived. That night, Moze is attacked by the Ku Klux Klan. Will, hearing the assault and recognizing the attackers by voice, intervenes with Royce's old revolver. He stops the beating, and the men flee. Moze knows that his life is in danger and staying will only bring trouble to Edna and her children. Before leaving, he gives her a handkerchief that belonged to his mother.

The film closes with a dreamlike church scene. As a choir sings and 1 Corinthians 13 is read aloud, characters from earlier in the story—living and dead—appear among the pews, taking part in Holy Communion. Margaret takes Wayne's hand in silent reconciliation. Moze, now gone, is shown present in the church. Edna gently passes the communion tray to her late husband, Royce, who then passes it to Wylie, the boy who killed him. They exchange the words, "Peace of God," as the camera lingers on them in solemn silence.

## Cast

[edit]

* Sally Field as Edna Spalding
* Lindsay Crouse as Margaret Lomax
* Danny Glover as Moses "Moze" Hadner
* John Malkovich as Mr. Will
* Ed Harris as Wayne Lomax
* Ray Baker as Sheriff Royce Spalding
* Amy Madigan as Viola Kelsey
* Yankton Hatten as Frank Spalding
* Gennie James as Possum Spalding
* Lane Smith as Albert Denby (banker)
* Terry O'Quinn as Buddy Kelsey
* Bert Remsen as Tee Tot Hightower
* Jay Patterson as W.E. Simmons
* Toni Hudson as Ermine
* De'voreaux White as Wylie
* Jerry Haynes as Deputy Jack Driscoll

## Production

[edit]

Regarding the unique ending, writer-director Robert Benton explained why he ended an otherwise realistic movie with a fantasy scene incorporating equality, grace and forgiveness, tenets of Christianity:

"There are certain things images can explain that words cannot. There is something in the image of the man who has been killed handing the communion plate to the boy who killed him that seems very moving to me in ways I cannot explain. I had the ending before I ever finished the screenplay, although I knew audiences would be confused by it."[9]

## Release

[edit]

Places in the Heart was released in theatres on September 21, 1984.[10] The film was released on DVD on October 9, 2001, by Sony Pictures Home Entertainment.[11]

## Reception

[edit]

### Box office

[edit]

Places in the Heart grossed $274,279 in its opening weekend.[12] The film grossed $34.9 million in the US.[1]

### Critical response

[edit]

Review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes gives the film a score of 89% based on reviews from 38 critics and a rating average of 8.00/10. The consensus is: "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."[13] Metacritic gives the film a score of 70% based on reviews from 12 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[14]

Vincent Canby of The New York Times wrote in his review: "Robert Benton has made one of the best films in years about growing up American." Canby called it "moving and often funny" and "a tonic, a revivifying experience right down to the final images", comparing it to Luis Buñuel's Tristana".[10] Roger Ebert gave the film three of four stars, writing that Benton's "memories provide the material for a wonderful movie, and he has made it, but unfortunately he hasn't stopped at that. He has gone on to include too much. He tells a central story of great power, and then keeps leaving it to catch us up with minor characters we never care about."[15]

### Accolades

[edit]

In 1985, when Sally Field accepted her second Academy Award for Best Actress (the first was for Norma Rae), she uttered the memorable and much-mocked line "I can't deny the fact that you like me—right now, you like me!" It is commonly misquoted as "You like me—you really like me!"[citation needed]

The February 2020 issue of New York magazine lists Places in the Heart as among "The Best Movies That Lost Best Picture at the Oscars."[16]

Award  | Category  | Nominee(s)  | Result  | Ref.

|
|
|
|

Academy Awards | Best Picture | Arlene Donovan | Nominated  | [17]
Best Director | Robert Benton | Nominated
Best Actress | Sally Field | Won
Best Supporting Actor | John Malkovich | Nominated
Best Supporting Actress | Lindsay Crouse | Nominated
Best Screenplay – Written Directly for the Screen | Robert Benton  | Won
Best Costume Design | Ann Roth | Nominated
Berlin International Film Festival | Golden Bear | Robert Benton  | Nominated  | [18]
Best Director | Won
OCIC Award – Competition  | Won
Boston Society of Film Critics Awards | Best Supporting Actor | John Malkovich[a] | Won  | [19]
Directors Guild of America Awards | Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Motion Pictures | Robert Benton  | Nominated  | [20]
Golden Globe Awards | Best Motion Picture – Drama | Nominated  | [21]
Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama | Sally Field  | Won
Best Screenplay – Motion Picture | Robert Benton  | Nominated
Golden Reel Awards | Best Sound Editing – Sound Effects | Richard P. Cirincione and Maurice Schell  | Won[b] |
Kansas City Film Critics Circle Awards | Best Supporting Actor  | John Malkovich  | Won  | [22]
Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards | Best Supporting Actor | John Malkovich[a] | Runner-up  | [23]
National Board of Review Awards | Top Ten Films | 4th Place  | [24]
Best Supporting Actor | John Malkovich  | Won
National Society of Film Critics Awards | Best Supporting Actor | John Malkovich[a] | Won  | [25]
New York Film Critics Circle Awards | Best Supporting Actor | John Malkovich  | Runner-up  | [26]
Best Screenplay | Robert Benton  | Won
Best Cinematographer | Néstor Almendros | Nominated
Toronto International Film Festival | People's Choice Award | Robert Benton  | Won  | [27]
Writers Guild of America Awards | Best Screenplay – Written Directly for the Screen | Nominated  | [28]
Young Artist Awards | Best Young Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture  | Gennie James | Nominated  | [29]

The film is recognized by American Film Institute in these lists:

* 2006: AFI's 100 Years...100 Cheers – #95[30]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b "Places in the Heart". Box Office Mojo. United States: Amazon.com. Retrieved February 1, 2021.
2. ^ "Places in the Heart". Turner Classic Movies. Atlanta: Turner Broadcasting System (Time Warner). Retrieved February 1, 2017.
3. ^ "Places in the Heart". AFI Catalog of Feature Films. United States: American Film Institute. Retrieved February 1, 2017.
4. ^ Walters 2015, p. 284.
5. ^ Müller 2003, p. 278.
6. ^ Nichols & Scott 2004, p. 768. sfn error: no target: CITEREFNicholsScott2004 (help)
7. ^ Blakely 2001, p. 40.
8. ^ Anker 2010, p. 196.
9. ^ "How Endings Have Affected Two Recent Movies". New York Times. October 8, 1984. Retrieved September 7, 2021.
10. ^ a b Canby, Vincent (September 21, 1984). "FILM: 'PLACES IN THE HEART,' BENTON'S WAXAHACHIE IN THE DEPRESSION". The New York Times. Archived from the original on October 2, 2015. Retrieved February 1, 2017.
11. ^ "Places in the Heart". Sony Pictures Home Entertainment. Culver City, California: Sony Pictures Entertainment. October 9, 2001. ASIN B00005NRN8. Retrieved February 1, 2017.
12. ^ "Places in the Heart". Box Office Mojo. United States: Amazon.com. Retrieved February 1, 2017.
13. ^ "Places in the Heart". Rotten Tomatoes. United States: Fandango. Retrieved September 11, 2021.
14. ^ "Places in the Heart". Metacritic. Retrieved 2021-09-11.
15. ^ Ebert, Roger (January 1, 1984). "Places in the Heart". RogerEbert.com. Chicago: Ebert Digital LLC. Retrieved February 1, 2021.
16. ^ "The Best Movies That Lost Best Picture at the Oscars". New York Magazine. Retrieved March 17, 2025.
17. ^ "The 57th Academy Awards (1985) Nominees and Winners". Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Archived from the original on December 28, 2011. Retrieved October 13, 2011.
18. ^ "35th Berlin International Film Festival". Berlin International Film Festival. Archived from the original on December 28, 2010. Retrieved January 8, 2011.
19. ^ "BSFC Winners: 1980s". Boston Society of Film Critics. 27 July 2018. Retrieved May 18, 2024.
20. ^ "The 37th Annual DGA Awards". Directors Guild of America Awards. Retrieved May 18, 2024.
21. ^ "Places in the Heart". Golden Globe Awards. Retrieved May 18, 2024.
22. ^ "KCFCC Award Winners – 1980-89". Kansas City Film Critics Circle. December 14, 2013. Retrieved May 18, 2024.
23. ^ "Mozart film biography wins over tough critics". Mohave Daily Miner. December 18, 1984. Retrieved December 28, 2017 - via Google News Archive.
24. ^ "1984 Award Winners". National Board of Review. Retrieved May 18, 2024.
25. ^ Maslin, Janet (January 3, 1985). "'Stranger Than Paradise' wins award". The New York Times. Retrieved January 3, 2018.
26. ^ "'Passage' Wins Two Big Awards". Observer-Reporter. December 20, 1984. Retrieved December 28, 2017 - via Google News Archive.
27. ^ "Juried Awards – People's Choice Awards". Toronto International Film Festival. Retrieved May 18, 2024.
28. ^ "Awards Winners". Writers Guild of America Awards. Archived from the original on December 5, 2012. Retrieved June 6, 2010.
29. ^ "6th Youth in Film Awards". Young Artist Awards. Archived from the original on May 6, 2016. Retrieved March 31, 2011.
30. ^ "AFI's 100 Years...100 Cheers". AFI Catalog of Feature Films. United States: American Film Institute. Retrieved November 23, 2023.

1. ^ a b c Also for The Killing Fields.
2. ^ Tied with The River.

### Sources

[edit]

* Walters, Ivan (2015). A Year of Movies: 365 Films to Watch on the Date They Happened. Lanham, Maryland: Rowman & Littlefield. p. 284\. ISBN 978-1442245594.
* Müller, Jürgen (2003). Movies of the 80s. Cologne: Taschen. p. 278\. ISBN 978-3822817377.
* Peter M. Nichols; A. O. Scott, eds. (2004). The New York Times Guide to the Best 1,000 Movies Ever Made. New York City: St. Martin's Griffin. p. 768\. ISBN 978-0312326111.
* Blakely, Gloria (2001). Danny Glover (Baa) (Black Americans of Achievement). New York City: Chelsea House Publishers, LLC. p. 40\. ISBN 978-0791062852.
* Anker, Roy M. (2010). Of Pilgrims and Fire: When God Shows Up at the Movies (1st ed.). Grand Rapids, Michigan: Eerdmans Publishing Company. p. 196. ISBN 978-0802865724. "Terry O'Quinn as Buddy Kelsey."

## External links

[edit]

* Film portal

* Places in the Heart at IMDb
* Places in the Heart at the TCM Movie Database
* Places in the Heart at the AFI Catalog of Feature Films
* Places in the Heart at Box Office Mojo

* v
* t
* e

Films directed by Robert Benton

* Bad Company (1972)
* The Late Show (1977)
* Kramer vs. Kramer (1979)
* Still of the Night (1982)
* Places in the Heart (1984)
* Nadine (1987)
* Billy Bathgate (1991)
* Nobody's Fool (1994)
* Twilight (1998)
* The Human Stain (2003)
* Feast of Love (2007)

* v
* t
* e

Toronto International Film Festival People's Choice Award

* Girlfriends (1978)
* Best Boy (1979)
* Bad Timing (1980)
* Chariots of Fire (1981)
* Tempest (1982)
* The Big Chill (1983)
* Places in the Heart (1984)
* The Official Story (1985)
* The Decline of the American Empire (1986)
* The Princess Bride (1987)
* Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown (1988)
* Roger & Me (1989)
* Cyrano de Bergerac (1990)
* The Fisher King (1991)
* Strictly Ballroom (1992)
* The Snapper (1993)
* Priest (1994)
* Antonia's Line (1995)
* Shine (1996)
* The Hanging Garden (1997)
* Life Is Beautiful (1998)
* American Beauty (1999)
* Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000)
* Amélie (2001)
* Whale Rider (2002)
* Zatōichi (2003)
* Hotel Rwanda (2004)
* Tsotsi (2005)
* Bella (2006)
* Eastern Promises (2007)
* Slumdog Millionaire (2008)
* Precious (2009)
* The King's Speech (2010)
* Where Do We Go Now? (2011)
* Silver Linings Playbook (2012)
* 12 Years a Slave (2013)
* The Imitation Game (2014)
* Room (2015)
* La La Land (2016)
* Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (2017)
* Green Book (2018)
* Jojo Rabbit (2019)
* Nomadland (2020)
* Belfast (2021)
* The Fabelmans (2022)
* American Fiction (2023)
* The Life of Chuck (2024)

Authority control databases

International|

* VIAF

National|

* United States
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Other|

* IdRef

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