Places in the Heart

"The story of a woman fighting for her children, for her land, for the greatest dream there is... the future."

1984 1h 51m EN

👍

7.2

SOLID

★7.2TMDB · 204

Drama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

In 1935 rural Texas, recently widowed Edna Spaulding struggles to survive with two small children, a farm to run, and very little money in the bank - not to mention a deadly tornado and the unwelcome presence of the Ku Klux Klan. Edna is aided by her beautician sister, Margaret; a blind boarder, Mr. Will; and a would-be thief, Moze, who decides to teach Edna how to plant and harvest cotton.

“The story of a woman fighting for her children, for her land, for the greatest dream there is... the future.”

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Cast

Sally Field
Edna Spalding
Lindsay Crouse
Margaret Lomax
John Malkovich
Mr. Will
Danny Glover
Moze
Ed Harris
Wayne Lomax
Ray Baker
Sheriff Royce Spalding
Amy Madigan
Viola Kelsey
Terry O'Quinn
Buddy Kelsey

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Robert Benton
Writers: Robert Benton
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Made its money back 3.7× over at the box office.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

42 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Robert Benton, shot by Néstor Almendros. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by John Kander. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Carol Littleton shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Sally Field and Lindsay Crouse and John Malkovich carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "The story of a woman fighting for her children, for her land, for the greatest dream there is... the future.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0087921 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Robert Benton directs. Néstor Almendros behind the camera. John Kander scores. Carol Littleton cuts. Made its budget back several times over at the box office. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Made its money back 3.7× over at the box office.
242 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
3Directed by Robert Benton, shot by Néstor Almendros. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Original score by John Kander. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
5Editor Carol Littleton shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Sally Field and Lindsay Crouse and John Malkovich carry the top of the cast.
7Marketing tagline: "The story of a woman fighting for her children, for her land, for the greatest dream there is... the future.".
8IMDB entry: tt0087921 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Classified under 14 themes, including "farm", "war veteran", "ku klux klan", "loss of loved one".

The technical file

Cinematography: Néstor Almendros
Original score: John Kander
Editing: Carol Littleton
Production design: Gene Callahan
Costume design: Ann Roth
Runtime: 111 min · 1h 51m
Status: Released
Budget: $9,500,000
Box office: $34,901,614
Return: 367% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): PG
IMDB: Places in the Heart (1984)

Awards

Academy Award for Best Actress
Academy Award for Best Writing, Original Screenplay
National Board of Review: Top Ten Films

Individual records documented via Wikidata; the summary above may count more.

Also by

Robert Benton

Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

Community reviews

What people are saying

Wuchak2024-06-11
★ 7/10
Outcasts unite as a family of sorts in the Lone Star State during the Depression After a tragedy, a desperate mother (Sally Field) in rural east Texas takes in a blind boarder (John Malkovich) and enlists the help of a questionable black drifter (Danny Glover) in order to make ends meet, with the possibility of a cotton crop. "Places in the Heart" (1984) belongs to the troubled farmer dramas that flooded the market in 1984. The others include “The River,” “Country” and “The Dollmaker.” I prefer this one over “The River” (which are the only two I’ve seen). It’s based on writer/director Robert Benton’s experiences growing up in the Waxahachie area, which is 30 minutes south of Dallas. The flick works up some quality human interest and would influence the soon-to-come “Mississippi Burning.” Being a slice-of-life picture based on someone’s experiences in real-life, I appreciated the subplot featuring Lindsay Crouse, Ed Harris and Amy Madigan, which some people complain was superfluous. There’s an effective table scene & aftermath that was done even better in the later “Little Children.” Anyway, it comes in the tradition of great American dramas like “Of Mice and Men” and “The Great Santini.” The movie runs 1 hour, 51 minutes, and was shot in Ellis County, which is just south of Dallas in northeast Texas. Waxahachie is the town and Five Points is where the cotton gin is located. GRADE: B

Production companies