Tower Theatre :: 2:00 pm :: Sunday, June 8
Desert Hearts
- $10.00
- Director: Donna Deitch
- 1985, English, 91 minutes
There has been much clamor in the past for a screening of Desert Hearts, as it predated the start of the festival by five years. The film has never played theatrically in Fresno and is one of the most beloved films in LGBT cinematic history. It’s quite a treat to be able to show it to Reel Pride audiences.
Desert Hearts, based on the book Desert of the Heart by Jane Rule, is a beautiful film. When it was released in 1985, it was one of the first films made by a lesbian for a lesbian audience. Needless to say, it was a huge success drawing $2.4 million at the box office and paved the way for other films to come.
The movie tells the story of Vivian Bell (Helen Shaver), a repressed English professor who goes to Reno for a quickie divorce in 1959. She spends the weeks waiting for her final divorce papers at a dude ranch where she meets Cay Rivvers (Patricia Charbonneau), a beautiful young casino worker.
Cay is a free spirit - an artist by day and casino worker by night, as well as a lesbian. Her surrogate mother Frances (Audra Lindley in an amazing departure from her comic role in Three's Company) disapproves of her lifestyle, while also craving Cay's affection and attention.
To everyone's surprise, Vivian and Cay hit it off immediately as Cay introduces the shy academic to the wild-west casino scene as well as the breathless beauty of the desert. It's not long before Vivian finds her friendship moving into unexpected passion. And for Cay, it's the first time she has met someone who stirs her deepest emotions.
The acting in this film is full of many subtle nuances. Helen Shaver shows the most growth in her character as she progresses from a woman always doing the right thing, from the right marriage to a fellow professor, the right clothes and the right attitudes she transforms into a person questioning life and how she is to live the rest of hers. Patricia Charbonneau is as talented as she is beautiful and in this film she is not the stereotypical movie lesbian. She plays the role with sensitivity and style as a young woman that knows what she wants from life is not the norm but she is still determined to have it. Her portrayal is a refreshing change. Audra Lindley, most recognized for her long role on the TV hit Three’s Company, shows that she has more talent than any sitcom can demonstrate. As her character’s jealousy becomes more overt Lindley does not fall into the common trap of overplaying the role, but hands in a performance worthy of the highest acclaim.
"This timeless classic is one of the best lesbian love stories ever - and also happens to have one of the hottest love scenes." - Jenny Stewart, PlanetOut.com
AWARDS:
* 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 and Grand Jury Prize nomination
STARS:
Helen Shaver, Patricia Charbonneau, Audra Lindley, Andra Akers, Dean Butler
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