Desert Hearts (1985)

Easily the biggest piece of Right wing non sense propaganda I ever saw.

While it doesn't offer any answers, it both thrills and makes you think.

The acting is good, and the firecracker script has some excellent ideas.

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

I think this is the best underrated lesbian film I've ever came across and it's still great for over 30 years like! Helen Shaver had such a beautiful voice and by god, she is so stunning! The same for Patricia Charbonneau, she really was sexy and provide such a great role as Cay Rivvers! You really wouldn't know she was pregnant like she hid the bump pretty well! She probably got married pretty young by the looks of her!In the film, I even loved Audra Lindley as Frances Parker who let Vivian stay at her place while she was going through the divorce. I honestly wish they didn't make her character into such a control freak because she doesn't look like the person who would shout at your face!This movie should really have deserved more awards because really, this movie has great tastes in music and of course, 80's love ;)

While awaiting her divorce on a dude ranch outside Reno, a stiff and humorless New York City professor learns to appreciate life from the usual assortment of Silver State oddballs, finally letting her hair down for a young, uninhibited employee of one of the local casinos. It might have been just another routine romantic comedy but for the fact that the two lovers are both women, and the novelty value alone is enough to lift the film out of the ordinary. There's enough charm and offhand humor to match any mainstream, hetero romance, but make no mistake: this movie doesn't regard its lesbianism lightly, and there's an explicit bedroom interlude to prove it. The scene stops the film dead in its tracks, but director Donna Deitch (making her feature debut) has to be commended for approaching the subject with such candor and optimism (some of it a bit forced, to be sure), leaning only slightly on the awkward self-awareness usually found in a Hollywood coming-out story.

I first saw this film in its theatrical release in Toronto. I knew it was a pretty special movie back then. We talked about it with our friends, and then it quietly slipped away, replaced by more recent fare. Years later I found the video tape on a table for $5 and I bought it, remembering that I had liked it ten years earlier. This time around I liked it even more and began to re-appreciate how special some of the performances were.Now, 15 years later, during a purge of video tapes, I've rediscovered DESERT HEARTS. I find I like it even more this time. Frankly, I couldn't care less about gay politics. I acknowledge that North America (the US and Canada, anyway) hasn't been real great in dealing with minority groups (race, religion, sexual orientation) during the past century. But I don't even see this film in terms of sexual politics. It's just a great love story dealing with the painful steps it takes to cross over any barrier. The sexual tension is palpable. Ms. Charbonneau is both gorgeous and a natural actress. The scene in the hotel room where she waits in bed for Helen Shaver is just spectacular. The supporting cast and the settings are also excellent.I like the vintage music (when is the last time you heard Johnny Cash sing "Get Rhythm" on a soundtrack?) My one criticism concerns the abrupt fade-to-black style at the end of each brief scene. For me, it got in the way of the story telling and continuity.Although I've discounted politics in writing this review, I have to admit that DESERT HEARTS was surely a brave film in its time. Maybe in this time, too. Kudos to those involved for taking those risks.

Before Ellen, kd lang, and Chastity Bono came out, there was this Lesbian genre classic, and classily done, I might add. The storyline was unique to movies at the time it was filmed, but the story is not. Anyone who has been in love with a supposed "straight" person, knows how real this movie can seem. The flirtation, the backing away, the come-hither looks, and finally the conquest all will bring back good (and painful) memories. In my opinion, the lesbian love scene between the two female leads is still the best yet on film - it sizzles without being too graphic. I'm giving it only an 8 because the acting is a little stilted at times (mostly from the star Patricia Charbonneau and her former on-screen love interest Dean Butler). If you can overlook that, and see the movie for what it was (lesbian/gay history) and what it is today (a great love story), you will enjoy it. The clothes, music, sets, (and the hair-dos!) are great and correct for the period. Sit back, enjoy, and make sure your girlfriend is watching with you!