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VHS : Desert HeartsIn association with Amazon.comstarring: Andra Akers, Sheila Balter, Brenda Beck, Dean Butler (II), Patricia Charbonneau directed by: Donna Deitch  List Price: $19.98 Price: $9.88 You Save: $10.10 (51%)Prices subject to change. Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Binding: VHS Tape EAN: 9786303682969 Format: Color, NTSC ISBN: 6303682960 Label: Evergreen Ent Manufacturer: Evergreen Ent Publisher: Evergreen Ent Release Date: September 17, 1996 Running Time: 96 minutes Studio: Evergreen Ent Theatrical Release Date: March 07, 1986 Sales Rank: 48951 Related Items: Editorial Review: Amazon.com essential video: When college professor Vivian Bell (Helen Shaver) arrives in Reno in 1959 to get a quickie divorce, the last thing on her mind is romance. A prim intellectual, crippled by a sterile marriage ("We're a professional couple") and hiding behind her education, she moves into a ranch belonging to Frances Parker (Audra Lindley) and tries to keep to herself. But Parker's beautiful, sassy tomboy of a stepdaughter proves to be quite a distraction, and a love affair slowly blossoms. Cay (Patricia Charbonneau) refuses to be bound by convention or by expectations of how a nice girl should behave, and her devil-may-care attitude both attracts and terrifies the nervous professor. Shaver is terrific as Vivian, and the slow thawing of her character is beautifully paced--you can feel the tension break when she finally lets down her guard. Another strong performance comes from Audra Lindley as Frances. She's a tough old bird with a drinking problem, but Lindley keeps the character from descending into stereotype, and she gives full rein to the tragic side of this lonely woman, especially as she struggles with her reaction to the developing relationship between Cay and Vivian. There are scenes in Desert Hearts that would be painfully clichéd if they appeared in a heterosexual romance, and even here they only just escape that fate--relying a little too much on significant glances and lines that just don't sound like real conversation. Nevertheless, first-time director Deitch breathes new life into a standard straight-arrow-meets-free-spirit plot, and steadfastly refuses to turn this love story into an "issues movie." Add to that a strong feel for the period and a soundtrack filled with the likes of Patsy Cline and Gene Vincent, and the result is a warm, well-acted film that packs a real emotional punch. --Simon Leake Average Rating:
 Rating:  - Old fashioned but relevantThe movie was a bit melodramatic but very effective in making it's point. As a woman who was happily married for 27 of 29 years and only discovered my "true" sexuality at almost 50yrs old, I can relate to the hesitancy of pursing this type of relationship. Based on my experience, I found it depicted a fairly realistic view of a female to female relationship. Rating: - Still the Best!!!!I've seen many lesbian-themed movies over the years and "Desert Hearts" is simply the best, even 14 years after the first time I saw it. Patricia Charbonneau is absolutely delicious as the wild-spirited and honest Cay Rivvers while Helen Shaver gives a powerful performance as the soon-to-be divorced Vivian Bell. When Vivian arrives in Reno to get a divorce in 1959, she finds her world turned topsy-turvey when she meets the free-spirited Cay. Audra Lindley (Three's Comapny) turns in a ... Read More Rating: - The best Lesbian Film MadeI watched this when I was 20 and now I'm 40 and I still love it. The storyline is real, the characters feel real, the love/sex scene is realistic and all the stars of the film do a wonderful job. Sure there have been some OK films since, but this remains my favourite and any lesbian out there who does not own a copy - should......My favourite line in the film I use often - Long time no see - "I'm handling it".. Brilliant. To top it off it has a great soundtrack - Made me rush out and buy a ... Read More Rating:  - Life and Love in the Desert. Substantive and Hot.Vivian Bell (Helen Shaver) is a dry, sober New York professor of literature stuck in dry, sagebrushy 1959 Reno, Nevada in an attempt to meet the technical requirements for a divorce from a dry, emptily sad, but not unbearable marriage. Yeah, there's a great deal of aridity here. But it's beautiful. This is a good story and it's my kind of country. Early in the film, Vivian tells her divorce lawyer "I want to be free of who I've been." This is a weighty line. Vivian is distant and uptight, determined ... Read More Rating: - outstanding movieThis movie posessed everything I expected and more. For once a lesbian movie with a positive outcome. Helen Shaver and Patricia Charbonneau performance is outstanding. They truly are opposites of one another. They posess a ten year age difference. These two unlikely women would eventually fall in love with one another. The love scene between these two women was very hot and passionate and left me with a feeling of "wow how wonderful". This movie was very well directed by Donna Deich. I am glad ... Read More Browse for similar items by category:
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