Instant Favorite.

Great visuals, story delivers no surprises

Good films always raise compelling questions, whether the format is fiction or documentary fact.

True to its essence, the characters remain on the same line and manage to entertain the viewer, each highlighting their own distinctive qualities or touches.

This story takes place in 1910 on a ranch near Burntfork, Wyoming, a small town in southwestern Wyoming. Elinore Pruitt (Conchata Ferrell), a strong, adventurous young woman traveled from Colorado with her daughter to Burntfork to be the housekeeper of one Clyde Stewart. Clyde was a tough, taciturn rancher who was not without personal appeal. He is played here by Rip Torn in a role that he inhabits--an outstanding performance. There are also strong performances by minor characters: a hired hand, Jack (Barry Primus); a hardened old German homesteader, Mrs. Landauer (Lilia Skala); Pruitt's daughter, Jerrine (Megan Folsom). The movie details the events from Pruitt's arrival in the spring to the following spring. The events are so realistically presented that I came away feeling that I knew these people and what it was like to live in that place at that time. It was not a place for the weak willed or those averse to hard work. A large part of the movie concentrates on what a triumph it was to just survive a harsh Wyoming winter. Any homesteader meeting the requirements for land ownership (completing five years of continuous residence, for example) deserved their land.I was impressed with the apparent authenticity of the story and later I was not surprised to find that this is based on Elinore's book (still in print), "Letters of a Woman Homesteader." The open landscapes (this was filmed in Montana) played a significant role. I had to wonder what, beyond the will to live, fueled these people to persist in spite of hardship and I think an appreciation of the land had to be a part of it. The reserved filming and score are an appropriate match for the material. The final freeze-frame in the barn provided a particularly satisfying ending to the story of Elinore and Clyde. The background scenes under the end credits should not be missed. The people who made this movie were fully engaged and functioning at the peak of their talents.I came away from this movie with admiration for the characters portrayed-- for their mental and physical toughness and their ability to meet life head on.

I love this movie and have seen it quite a few times over the years. It does get better with every viewing. I agree with all of the positive reviews here. Yes, it's gritty and brutally realistic as life on the prairie was in those days. I found myself doing commentary as I watched it. Someone on here said Rip Torn was miscast. I couldn't disagree more. He is brilliant as the dour, miserly Clyde Stewart who says little and works like a slave/workhorse. Conchatta Farrell is fantastic as the widowed Elinor, whom Clyde hires as a housekeeper/cook (along with her 7 old daughter). Lilia Skala is excellent as distant neighbor called grandma. Also a star is the stark Montana prairie. It is both beautiful and brutal country in which to settle. There are some scenes that are both repulsive and necessary. No special effects here, what you see is real! It even has a terrificly perfect music score and a great script. Once you see Heartland, you'll never forget it. It deserves all the 10s it gets here.

I saw this 25 years ago on PBS. It was very difficult to watch. So real. To watch this small family struggle in the winter was heart rending. No time for courting: fate has thrown us together and we put our shoulders to the grindstone and make it work. This was based on the woman's actual diary, which I read many years later. She said in her diary that her parents died when she was little and all their bothers and sisters had to work the farm to feed themselves. She learned to mow, which was not lady-like. She was afraid that no prince charming would want a woman with sun-browned, calloused hands, but this husband was so happy that his new wife knew how to mow, and she was happy to do it. Both were widowed and together they worked to build a new home. It was so, so sad when the baby died. Of course, if they had it today, I am sure it would have been fine. That only makes the tragedy extra sad. I was crying so hard. But then they went out and successfully pulled out a new calf. Spring is on its way, and life goes on. In her diary, she did have two more boys and they lived.

What more do you need from a movie? Nice slice of Americana is brutal at times but a rewarding film experience. Compares to some of the pain staking, carefully detailed epics of George Stevens (of Giant fame.)Can't get any better than the 2 strong leads. Torn and Ferrell are amazing. Maybe because as one reviewer stated, they don't even appear to be reciting dialogue. Definitely an overlooked jewel, waiting to be discovered on video.