Recent PostsDesert Hearts
Promotional movie poster for the film
Directed by
Donna Deitch
Produced by
Donna Deitch
Cami Taylor
Written by
Jane Rule (novel)
Natalie Cooper
Starring
Helen Shaver
Patricia Charbonneau
Audra Lindley
Cinematography
Robert Elswit
Editing by
Robert Estrin
Distributed by
Samuel Goldwyn Company
Release date(s)
August 28, 1985 (1985-08-28)
Running time
96 minutes
Country
USA
Language
English
IMDb profile
Desert Hearts is a 1985 lesbian-themed romantic drama film loosely based on the Jane Rule novel Desert of the Heart. Directed by Donna Deitch, the film stars Helen Shaver and Patricia Charbonneau with a supporting performance by Audra Lindley.
Contents
- 1 Plot summary
- 2 Critical reception
- 3 Production Notes
- 4 Awards and nominations
- 5 DVD release
- 6 References
- 7 External links
//
Plot summary
Desert Hearts is set in 1959. Vivian Bell (Shaver), an English professor at Columbia University, travels to Nevada to establish 6-week residency to obtain a divorce. She stays at a guest house for women waiting for their divorces to be finalized, owned by Frances Parker (Lindley).
Vivian meets Cay Rivvers (Charbonneau) a free-spirited sculptor to whom Frances is a surrogate mother. Cay works at a casino as a change operator in Reno, and is ending a relationship with Darrell, her boss, because as she put it, she “allowed (her)self to be attracted to his attraction” for her. When Vivian arrives, Cay notices her, and tightly controlled and elegant Vivian in turn is taken aback by Cay’s boldness and lack of concern of what others think of her. Cay reveals that she has had relationships with women in the past. Frances notices that Vivian is becoming a bigger part of Cay’s life and resents her for it, afraid that Cay will leave her and she will be alone. When everyone attends an engagement party for Cay’s best friend Silver, Cay drives a drunken Vivian to Lake Tahoe afterwards and kisses her. Vivian returns it passionately and is so surprised by her response that she begs Cay to take her home. When they return at the ranch in the early morning, Frances has had Vivian’s bags packed and a taxi waiting for her, furious (wrongfully assuming) that she has seduced Cay. Cay leaves the ranch immediately and Vivian endures the rest of her stay in a hotel casino.
After some days, both Cay and Vivian are clearly muddled and hurting. Cay goes to visit Vivian at her hotel and they make love and begin an affair. With Vivian’s impending finalization of her divorce, they must sort out the future of their relationship, Vivian afraid of what people will think of her, and Cay unsure of what she would ever do in New York City. Frances and Cay are brought together, and Cay admits to Frances that Vivian has “reached in a put a string of lights around her heart”. As Vivian is at the train station to take her back, she convinces Cay to discuss coming with her just until the next station.
Critical reception
Desert Hearts is notable for being the first to depict a lesbian relationship where both characters enjoy a satisfactory ending, in contrast to previously released films such as Personal Best that focus less on the relationship of the main characters, and where one returns to a relationship with a man. It is also the first lesbian-themed movie to be directed by a woman.
The New York Times wrote that the film is “so earnest and sincere that it deserves an A for deportment,” but criticized the lack of imagination in the writing and characters.
In time, however, the film has been recognized for its quality and impact. In 1996, the Sydney Morning Herald declared, “Donna Deitch’s 1985 Desert Hearts is widely regarded as one of the best and most significant mainstream fiction films about lesbians.”
Helen Shaver claims that Greta Garbo was so impressed with her performance in the film that they attempted to meet but due to Garbo’s poor health instead discussed her performance over the phone. Patricia Charbonneau, in turn, learned that model Gia Carangi patterned herself after Cay’s character.
Author and lesbian literary critic Camile Paglia praised the movie for its riveting performances, having seen it 11 times in theaters. She claims that Patricia Charbonneau’s magic is coming from hormonal glow, as she had found out she was pregnant before shooting began, and was sick on the set. In her landmark work Sexual Personae, Paglia said the lanky, spirited, mercurial Charbonneau would have made a perfect transvestite Rosalind in Shakespeare’s “As You Like It.”
Production Notes
It took director Donna Deitch (who makes a cameo appearance as a heavily accented woman playing two slot machines at a time. Her line: “If you don’t play, you can’t win.”) four years to raise the $1.5 million for the film and eventually had to sell her home to make it. She also encountered difficulty finding actors who would portray lesbians so explicitly.
Deitch was surprised to learn 20 years after the film’s release that both actors were told by their friends and agents that this film would ruin their careers. In a 1986 interview, Shaver told the story that she was up for a role in Joshua Then and Now, which would have promoted her career much farther than Desert Hearts. Donna Deitch assured her over the phone that she was right for her movie, and told her she refused to hang up the phone until she got an answer, and after five minutes, Shaver accepted the role.
Deitch insisted that the lesbian sex scene, rated by many viewers as the best in cinema, not be edited or altered in any way. When producers of The L Word began production of that television show, they required the actors to view Desert Hearts to show them a well-made lesbian love scene.
Deitch mentioned in the director commentary of the 20th anniversary DVD release that approximately 20% of her budget went to obtaining the rights to the original music in the film. The soundtrack included songs by Patsy Cline, Elvis Presley, Buddy Holly, Ella Fitzgerald, Patti Page, Kitty Wells, Johnny Cash, Ferlin Husky, and Jim Reeves. Deitch asked the studio to extend the rights to the music to release a soundtrack on record or cassette, but the studio declined.
Helen Shaver met her husband, key grip Steve Smith, on the set of this film. They’ve been married since 1988 and they have a grown son.
Awards and nominations
- 1987 Independent Spirit Award for Best Female Lead – Patricia Charbonneau (nominated)
- 1985 Locarno International Film Festival Bronze Leopard – Helen Shaver (winner)
- 1986 Sundance Film Festival Honorable Mention – Dramatic
- 1986 Sundance Film Festival Grand Jury Prize (nominated)
DVD release
Desert Hearts was released on Region 1 DVD on January 23, 2001. A new 2-Disc Collector’s Edition DVD, on Region 1, was released in North America on June 6, 2007.
References
- ^ “Desert Hearts at PlantOut.com”. Retrieved November 30, 2007.
- ^ Canby, Vincent. “‘Desert Hearts,’ About Women in Love.” The New York Times; April 4, 1986, Friday, Section C; Page 8, Column 5
- ^ Brown, Geoff. “Feature debut of amazing grace and poise / Cinema review.” The Times (London), August 1 1986, Friday, Issue 62524.
- ^ Attanasio, Paul. “Movies; ‘Desert’ Devotion’; A Polished, Well-Cast Affair of the Heart.” The Washington Post, April 18, 1986, Friday, D.
- ^ “Desert Hearts”. Roger Ebert’s website. Retrieved November 30, 2007.
- ^ Anderson, Doug. “Rules of the Heart.” Sydney Morning Herald; August 19, 1996 : Pg. 15
- ^ Martin, Sandra. “Jane Rule: B.C. novelist wrote a cult classic and became a lesbian role model.” The Globe and Mail (Canada); November 29, 2007: 76; Pg. S8
- ^ Anderson-Minshall, Diane, “Desert of my Heart: The Lesbian Classic – 20 Years Later.” Curve Magazine Sept. 2007: 62-63,76.
- ^ Paglia, Camille (December 12, 2007). “Dogma days”. Salon.com.
- ^ “Desert Hearts”. Emanuel Levy website. Retrieved November 30, 2007.
- ^ a b Scott, Jay. “Shaver carries Desert Hearts.” The Globe and Mail (Canada), April 11, 1986: P. D1
- ^ a b Mills, Kim. “Desert Hearts role pays dividends for actress.” The Globe and Mail (Canada), May 23, 1986; Pg. C3.
- ^ King, Loren “”Deitch on “Desert Hearts,” the DVD — and the sequel”.” gay.com. Retrieved November 30, 2007.
External links
- Desert Hearts at the Internet Movie Database
- Desert Hearts movie trailer at Wolfe Video
Retrieved from “http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Desert_Hearts”
Categories: 1985 films | LGBT-related films | Lesbian-related films | Drama films | Romance films | Films based on fiction books | Erotic films