Spring 2010
March 8
 Desert Hearts
USA
1985, 96 minutes, drama
Director: Donna Deitch
Based on the novel, Desert of the Heart, by Jane Rule, and set in 1950s Reno,
Nevada, Desert Hearts tells the story of a 35-year-old uptight New York literature
professor Vivian (Helen Shaver) who comes to town to file for divorce and ends
up falling in love with free-spirited 25-year-old casino worker Cay (Patricia
Charbonneau).
Although Vivian left her husband because she had “drowned
in still waters,” she is not prepared for the tidal wave that is Cay. Eventually
they end up in bed in what remains one of the most tender lesbian love scenes
on film. But can Vivian bring this rowdy cowgirl into her stodgy, intellectually
elite New York life?
Desert Hearts marked the feature debuts of Charbonneau and director Donna Deitch.
"Though it may hold a timeless appeal, Desert Hearts was ahead
of its time when it was released. 'It was well before lesbian chic,'
Shaver pointed out, 'and it was considered very risqué by a lot
of people. And it was the first lesbian love story that didn't end up in suicide
or ménage à trois.
It was just a true love story.'"
— Helen Shaver, interviewed on the release of the DVD edition in 2007.
LINKS
» Review
of "Desert Hearts", by Sara Warn, at AfterEllen.com
» Interview
with Donna Deitch, June 3, 2007, at AfterEllen.com.
» Where
Are They Now? The Women of "Desert Hearts". inteviews, June 3,
2007, from AfterEllen.com.
» Trailer on
YouTube.
SPONSOR
Alison Sawyer Law Office
1 - 539 Cruice Lane,
Gibsons, BC
(604) 886-3125
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