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Features: DVD, Widescreen, Aspect Ratio 1.85:1, Commentary, Theatrical Version
A blockbuster debut feature from director Donna Deitch (Criminal Passion), this "refreshingly lively and poignant" (The Hollywood Reporter) drama, written for the screen by Natalie Cooper, is based on Jane Rule's cult classic novel Desert Of The Heart--a soulful portrayal of relationships between women. With standout performances from Helen Shaver (The Color Of Money) and Patricia Charbonneau (Kiss The Sky), this compelling and profound film is "luminous, tender and memorable" (Update). Leaving behind a loveless 12-year marriage, stressed-out and fed-up university professor Vivian Bell (Shaver) travels to Reno, Nevada, in search of new adventures. And when wild-card, high-voltage casino cash-girl Cay Rivers (Charbonneau) takes a shine to her...it changes her life. But as Vivian succumbs to Cay's spell of carefree and easy living, she wonders whether a mismatched pair of hearts could ever become two of a kind in a high-stakes game of love.
"Startlingly intimate and unabashedly erotic." The Hollywood Reporter
"Daring, erotic, touching." Los Angeles Herald-Examiner
Editor's Note
An east coast English professor travels to Reno intent on dissolving her unfulfilling 12-year marriage and meets up with a fiery yet sensitive lesbian casino worker who forces her to confront emotions she hasn't experienced in years.
Plot Summary
At 35 years of age, literature professor Vivian Bell heads out to Reno for a quickie divorce. But when she gets to Nevada, where she has to wait until her papers come through, a whole new world opens up to Vivian when avowed lesbian Cay Rivers openly begins to seduce her. Vivian at first resists Cay's overtures, but as time goes on, she is forced to admit her attraction.| But as Vivian's days in Nevada come to a close, she faces a quandary: can she actually bring this randy cowgirl into her stodgy, intellectually elite New York life? Or will she have to give up the best love she's ever experienced?
| Features | Scene Access | | Widescreen Version | | Spanish Subtitles | | French Subtitles | | Interactive Menus | | Audio Commentary With Director Donna Deitch | | Original Theatrical Trailer | | Dolby Digital Mono |
| Technical Info
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Release Information
| | Studio: MGM |
| Release Date: 1/11/2005 |
| Running Time: 91 minutes |
| Original Release Date: 1986 | | Catalog ID: 1001448 | | UPC: 00027616857682 | | Number of Discs: 1 |
Audio & Video
| | Original Language: English | | Available Audio Tracks: English [CC], English | | Available Subtitles: French, Spanish | | Video: Color |
Aspect Ratio | | 1.85:1 |
| Cast & Crew
| Awards |
Independent Spirit (1987) | | | Patricia Charbonneau, Nominee, Best Female Lead |
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| | Professional Reviews | Variety
"...[Shaver] does a commendable job....Deitch offers some sound film making..." 08/21/1985Chicago Sun-Times 5 of 10
The movie makes no large statement; it is not a philosophical exploration of lesbianism, just the story of two women and their attraction. It's not a great movie, but it works on its own terms. - Roger Ebert
Find-A-Video 8 of 10
Truly a landmark film in its positive and very realistic depiction of a love affair between two attractive and intelligent women, offering the viewer a human-scale, tender treatment of two women in love... Helen Shaver and Patricia Charbonneau both give warm, expansive performances.
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