lLocation for 1978 film, Days of Heaven

[JD Hartman]

Does anyone know the location used for the sequences shot in the "Chicago" steel mill. Everything I've found indicates locations were in Canada, but it doesn't get more specific.

[Vincent Sweeney]

Buy the new Criterion (BluRay) release, there is some wonderful commentary that may lead to answers. I can not recall if they mentioned that spot specifically.

 

This release is worth buying for anyone on this forum.

[Karel Bata]

Yes, shot in Canada. Read Nestor Almendros book A Man with a Camera. It has tons of info on the film, like that it was the first film to use the Panaglide, or that he used hand held propane gas lamps to light the exterior night scenes.

 

Hmm.. I remember our Underground maintenance workers used to use propane lamps, and I always thought they'd they make an interesting prop. A quick google...

 

 

well, there you are. The exterior night scenes in Days of Heaven were lit with something like these... :lol:

[Mitch Gross]

The steel mill scenes were shot by Haskell Wexler. Memory tells me that they were shot in Pittsburgh, but it's been a very long time so I could be mistaken.

[JD Hartman]

The steel mill scenes were shot by Haskell Wexler. Memory tells me that they were shot in Pittsburgh, but it's been a very long time so I could be mistaken.

 

Thanks Mitch. I'm trying to find this informations for someone else. Never saw the film myself, but depending on the clarity of the scenes in the mill, the location could be determined by the design of the stoves (furnaces).

[Karel Bata]

Watched the film again last night. Superb. But it does seem a little dated. Some of the shots look like the cheats they are, and Richard Gere's haircut is all wrong! Love the child's voiceover that gives an 'innocent' commentary and is rarely accurate - rather like that in Badlands.

 

And plenty of propane lamps! :lol:

 

"the location could be determined by the design of the stoves" :huh: Why didn't I think of that..?

[JD Hartman]

The location in question was in Fontana, California, Kaiser Steel. Parts of T-2 and Black Rain were also filmed there.

[James Steven Beverly]

AAAHHHH, where did you find the info? It was on TMC again today and every time I see it again, I become more enamored of it. The story is decent but the cinematography is almost too good for the the plot. The visuals overwhelm the story, in fact EVERYTHING, the music, the acting, the production design, ALL seem too good for this rather simple story of deception, betrayal and revenge. If the plot had been up to the production quality, it probably would have been more successful and been know for more than even, arguably, the best cinematography in film history. B)

[James Steven Beverly]

The location in question was in Fontana, California, Kaiser Steel. Parts of T-2 and Black Rain were also filmed there.

 

Apparently so was Mortal Combat (1995) and Robocop.

 

Interestingly enough and somewhat telling, Pearl Harbor was denied permission to film there because the Japanese owned part of it, which, much like the their condemnation of the nuclear attack when their own imperial government refused to surrender and end the war of aggression they had started even though they knew knew it was lost and the fact that it would have cost millions of American and Japanese lives for the Allies to have forcibly ended it using conventional weapons, seems to show their refusal to take responsibility for all the pain and suffering cause by the Japanese Empire.

 

I mean it's a small thing, you can't film here because depictions of our attack on Pearl Harbor makes Japan look bad, but maybe they should have had the balls to own up to it and just let them shoot there.

[Karel Bata]

Oh come on James!

 

Suppose a Vietnamese production company wanted to make a film about Mi Lai, helmed by a director with a track record for hung-ho crowd-pleasing films, and they asked to film on a piece of land owned by an American company in Vietnam. Do you think they'd let them..? And you would hardly argue that it's up to such an American company to spearhead some kind of 'apology', would you?

 

Anyway, this isn't the forum to be posting anti-Japanese sentiments.

[James Steven Beverly]

Maybe they wouldn't, but damn well should. Mi Lai was a dis-honorable and dark point in American history that we MUST own. I'm not anti-Japanese at all, I'm anti-refusing to take responsibility for your actions. Humanity can never live up to it's potential so long as the evil that we do is not recognize as evil by those who perpetrate or are complacent with these acts.

 

Film is a one of the most powerful influences on humanity there is. Movies have been quoted by presidents and cited as examples for the best and worst of what lies within the human soul. To quote a movie, with great power comes great responsibility. The world has changed a lot since 1941 but we all are the sum of our past and must acknowledge everything that brought us to where we are now, both good and bad and it is our responsibility as film makers to acknowledge the truth lest we go the way of Leni Riefenstahl.

[Karel Bata]

You are completely right. How could any one disagree?

 

But I don't think it's any surprise that a company will refuse filming rights to a production that's likely to stoke up negative sentiment towards it's home country, regardless of whether the film-makers have a valid case or not. That will apply to most nations. And it was pretty clear too what the tone of this film was going to be.

 

Maybe I read the tone of your post wrong, in which case I apologize.

[Leo Anthony Vale]

 

Film is a one of the most powerful influences on humanity there is. Movies have been quoted by presidents and cited as examples for the best and worst of what lies within the human soul. To quote a movie, with great power comes great responsibility. The world has changed a lot since 1941 but we all are the sum of our past and must acknowledge everything that brought us to where we are now, both good and bad and it is our responsibility as film makers to acknowledge the truth lest we go the way of Leni Riefenstahl.

 

Steve:

 

Check out 'Japan's Longest Day', 1968 in B/W TohoScope. Directed by K.Okamota who also made

'Sword of Doom', 'Kill', 'Zatoichi vs. Yobimbo' and 'Blue Christmas'.

 

Saw the last one in LA at the Kokusai in the late 70s. Not really a good movie, not I remember parts of it more vividly than some criticly acclaimed movies I saw last month.

One of Okamata's teachers was Ishiro Honda, Kurosawa's BFF, director of 'Gojira' 'Atragon' & 'Attack of the Mushroom People' & co-director of Kurosawa's last movies.

 

JLD is about the last day of WWII, the Big One & an attempted coup by a group of junior staff officers trying to prevent the Emperor from surrendering; no honor in that better to fight to the death.

[JD Hartman]

AAAHHHH, where did you find the info? It was on TMC again today and every time I see it again, I become more enamored of it. The story is decent but the cinematography is almost too good for the the plot. The visuals overwhelm the story, in fact EVERYTHING, the music, the acting, the production design, ALL seem too good for this rather simple story of deception, betrayal and revenge. If the plot had been up to the production quality, it probably would have been more successful and been know for more than even, arguably, the best cinematography in film history. B)

 

James,

Got the answer from the "horses mouth". Sorry, I've never seen the movie, I'll add it to my netflix queue. This site has some interesting info: http://www.movie-locations.com/films.html