The Clark presents a series of films celebrating the paradox of the idyllic, with films that inevitably introduce some kind of conflict into peaceful landscapes in the rural United States, France, and Ireland.

The series begins with Terrence Malick’s Days of Heaven (1978), a film that limps painfully between desperation and pleasure, between sackcloth and silk. After accidentally killing his foreman at a steelworks in Chicago, laborer Bill, (Richard Gere) goes westward to the Texas plains with his girlfriend, Abby (Brooke Adams), and younger sister (Linda Manz). Posing as siblings, the trio find work in the wheat fields alongside other migrant workers. Looming over their work and their make-shift barracks is the imposing home of the farmer (Sam Shepard). To escape their life of toil, Bill convinces Abby to marry the wealthy but dying farmer. The ensuing love triangle binds the three together as they circle around the idyllic landscape. The lonely beauty of the film pays homage to the paintings of Edward Hopper and Andrew Wyeth, who cinematographer Néstor Almendros cited as inspirations. Almendros won an Oscar for his work on Days of Heaven, which was innovatively shot with natural-light photography. (Run time: 1 hour, 34 minutes)

Free. Accessible seats available; for information, call 413 458 0524.



Image: Days of Heaven, Terrence Malick, 1978