10 Things to Know About Places in the Heart 1984

Places in the Heart stars Sally Field as a mother of two young children Depression Era Texas. After the death of her husband, Field's Edna Spaulding struggles to keep her family farm. She's aied by a Mose (Danny Glover) who arrives looking for work and Mr. Will (John Malkovich), a blind man who becomes Edna's boarder.

10 Things to Know About Places in the Heart

10 Fifteen Rewrites!

Despite a career of terrific reviews for his work, by 1984, Robert Benton still didn’t have much confidence in his own writing. Speaking to columnist Mike Henderson ahead of the October release of Places in the Heart, the humble writer-director of Kramer vs. Kramer stated that he takes a while between his movies because

“...I’m not a very good writer. I get by by rewriting. So I go through 15 drafts on a script where most might go through two or three.”

9 Loosely Based on a True Story

Robert Benton began writing what would become Places in the Heart in 1975. It began as a violent story about his uncles in the violent world of Texas bootlegging in the 20s and 30s. But not finding himself interested in the violence, Benton began to write about his mother’s side of the family and slowly but surely, mom pushed the bootleggers out of the story and the struggles of a mother raising kids during the depression became the story.

Benton says the story isn’t completely auto-biographical. However, it’s based on his loose collection of memories from being a kid in Texas and the recollections of his family.

8 Sally Field Got the Movie Made

Despite multiple Oscars for Kramer vs Kramer, Benton still faced an uphill battle getting Places in the Heart made. Studio executives were waiting for his bootlegging picture, violence always being a good sell with audiences. When they received a heartfelt story about a struggling family, studios suddenly lost interest.

Luckily for Benton, a star was interested. Sally Field read Places in the Heart and eagerly agreed to play the lead. With Field attached, Tri-Star Pictures took on the project.

7 A Familiar Scent

The first day on set was a little surreal for director Robert Benton. Back in his hometown of Waxahachie, Texas, old friends all around, and memories pouring in from everywhere, had Benton a little emotional. And then, his star Sally Field arrived on set and the things became strangely more familiar. That day, Sally Field had applied a perfume that her own mother had worn years ago.

And in a twist of fate, it happened to be the same perfume worn by Benton’s grandmother, adding to the flood of sense memories already at play.

6 Part of a Mini-Trend in 1984

Places in the Heart was one of three films to come from the perspective of struggling farm families. The others were Country starring Jessica Lange and The River starring Sissy Spacek and Mel Gibson.

5 Danny Glover’s First Leading Role

Before landing the crucial part of Moses "Moze" Hadner, Danny Glover’s career consisted entirely of brief television appearances and minor film bits. This project marked a major milestone for the actor, serving as the definitive breakthrough that established him as a legitimate leading man on the big screen.

4 The Beginning of a Real Life Love Story

When Amy Madigan won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress, one of the most emotional moments was seeing her husband, Ed Harris, beaming with tears in his eyes, seeing his wife achieve this much deserved moment in her career. That story began on the set of Places in the Heart where Harris and Madigan met and fell in love and have remained together for 42 years.

3 The Unusual but Brilliant Ending Was Always in the Story

Though the movie was deeply grounded in a realistic time and place, the dreamlike, ethereal, and poignant ending was always part of the story. Robert Benton had the dreamlike church communion scene (featuring living and dead characters in reconciliation) in mind before finishing the screenplay. He noted that certain ideas work better as images than words, though he anticipated it might confuse audiences.

2 A Big Hit Movie

Places in the Heart looks like a tough sell, a dusty drama recalling a period of American history many were eager to forget. But thanks to the endless appeal of Sally Field and an effective marketing campaign, along with a big Oscar push, turned Places in the Heart into a big hit. Made for $9.5 million dollars, the film earned nearly $35 million dollars.

1 That Oscar Speech Mandela Effect

The celebrated Best Actress acceptance speech delivered by Sally Field is frequently misquoted as, “You like me—you really like me!” In truth, her actual words followed a different path. She reflected on her past win, stating, “The first time I didn’t” feel the connection, but proclaimed that “this time I feel it” completely. She added that she couldn't “deny the fact that you” held those feelings, famously concluding the moment with, “Right now, you like me!” This milestone marked her second Academy Award victory, following her initial success with Norma Rae.