Rent Desert Hearts (1985)
3.5 of 5 from 76 ratings
1h 27min
- General info
- Available formats
- Synopsis:
Director Donna Deitch makes a strong impression in her first feature film, a simple story of a lesbian love affair, based on Jane Rule's 1964 novel 'Desert of the Heart'. Helen Shaver stars as Vivian Bell, an uptight 35-year-old Columbia University professor who travels to Reno to get a divorce. She arrives in Reno on her way to Frances Parker's (Audra Lindley) ranch, where she is staying to establish six weeks of residency in order to obtain the divorce. Once at the ranch, Vivian catches the fancy of Frances's adopted daughter Cay (Patricia Charbonneau), a casino worker ten years younger than herself. Vivien tries to remain unruffled as Cay makes unabashed overtures to her. Cay thinks that all Vivian needs is the love of another woman, and soon enough the two are in each other's arms. - Actors:
- Helen Shaver, Patricia Charbonneau, Audra Lindley, Andra Akers, Gwen Welles, Dean Butler, James Staley, Katie La Bourdette, Alex McArthur, Tyler Tyhurst, Denise Crosby, Antony Ponzini, Brenda Beck, Sam Minsky, Patricia Frazier, Sheila Balter, Tom Martin, Joan Mankin, Frank Murtha, Dave Roberts
- Directors:
- Donna Deitch
- Producers:
- Donna Deitch
- Writers:
- Jane Rule, Natalie Cooper
- Studio:
- Final Cut Entertainment
- Genres:
- Drama, Lesbian & Gay, Romance
- Collections:
- A Brief History of Lesbian Cinema
- Awards:
- BBFC:
- Release Date:
- 20/11/2017
- Run Time:
- 92 minutes
- Languages:
- English LPCM Mono
- Subtitles:
- English Hard of Hearing
- Formats:
- Pal
- Aspect Ratio:
- Widescreen 1.85:1
- Colour:
- Colour
- BLU-RAY Regions:
- B
- Bonus:
- Audio commentary from 2007 featuring director Donna Deitch
- New conversation between Deitch and actor Jane Lynch
- New interviews with actors Helen Shaver and Patricia Charbonneau
- Remembering Reno, a new program featuring Deitch, Elswit, and production designer Jeannine Oppewall
- Excerpt from Fiction and Other Truths: A Film About Jane Rule, a 1994 documentary about the author of Desert of the Heart, the 1964 novel on which the film is based
- An essay by critic B. Ruby Rich
