Truly Dreadful Film

Simply A Masterpiece

It's entirely possible that sending the audience out feeling lousy was intentional

Excellent characters with emotional depth. My wife, daughter and granddaughter all enjoyed it...and me, too! Very good movie! You won't be disappointed.

Marie Davenport (Theresa Russell) is married with Dr. Alex Davenport (Mark Harmon) and is having a love affair with Dr. Daniel Corvin (James Russo). Marie plans to leave Alex and move in together with Daniel that has just left his wife Anna Corvin (Julie Carmen). Marie believes that the best moment to tell her decision to her husband is in Acapulco, Mexico, where he will go to a medical convention. While sailing with Marie, Alex swims and is hit on the head by a motor boat. He goes to the hospital but dies; however before the autopsy, his body disappears from the morgue. Marie returns to Carmel and out of the blue, she meets Alex alive in her hotel room. Marie, who was raised Catholic but is atheist, recalls a vision that she had one year ago when Virgin Mary pointed out to her the location where a sanctuary should be built and seeks out Monsignor Cassidy (Richard Bradford). Is Alex's resurrection a test of her faith? "Cold Heaven" is a weird film indicated for religious people, more specifically to Catholics. The story about an adulterous woman raised Catholic but that lost her faith in God when her mother passed away is strange and has a moralist conclusion. The plot keeps the mystery until the moment that Marie discloses her vision to the priest. At least, the sexy Theresa Russell is worthwhile watching by her fans. My vote is six.Title (Brazil): "Desejo Selvagem" ("Wild Desire")

All the other reviews panning this flick are fair warning. It is so preposterous you won't believe you are wasting your time until the last 7 minutes. When the Mrs. walks down the hill with the young priest, the whole movie evaporates into a finalé not unlike a B-flat minor version of the Sound of Music. The wrap up is pap. Imagine watching Jaws but at the end, Jesus floats down and lifts everybody out of the boat and whisks them to safety, with the little town becoming the next Shrine to the Ascension. The end was so totally out of character with the story that has been told to that point. And it was as embarrassing to watch as Tammy Faye Baker.

Marie Davenport is an unfaithful wife who plans to tell her surgeon husband Alex that she is going to leave him for her lover Dr. Daniel Corvin. However strangely enough, her husband is conveniently killed in a boating accident. Then his body disappears from the morgue, and this is when plenty of unusual occurrences start to interrupt Marie's life.Every time I watch a Nicolas Roeg, I always find it hard to put it into words. "Cold Heaven" falls somewhere in the latter end of his work, but still it manages to hold your attention because of its unusually haunting and broad ambiance. The unique handling of the metaphoric premise (lifted off Brian Moore's novel) seems to shift back and forth amongst many different moody fields (thriller, supernatural) to eventually play out like a spiritual journey of religious faith, guilt, fate, and redemption. Everything about it works off one's emotions and seldom thoughts, which go on to feel like a ponderously obsessive dream full of miracles. What starts off like torment due to infidelity can suddenly turn into relief, and it shows love doesn't have any boundaries. What seems like an enigmatic and fractured structure to begin with eventually is answered. But I was less impressed and satisfied with the revelation, and the final 10 minutes or so.Roeg's sensual visual style and steady pace has a sterile, but brooding air that seductively pulls you in. His filming techniques like crosscutting editing of the surreal flashbacks and visions can get jaded, but only adds the blurry nature of what to believe. Even the monologues of Russell's character's inner thoughts are well done and at times can really alienate. Dim composition, shading and lighting is pulled of admirably well in displaying a darkly stark atmosphere. The set pieces provide symbolic traits and within the beautiful images are also eerie currents. The exquisite and ever-changing backdrop that's on show is handsomely framed by Francis Kenny's glossy photography. Stanley Myers' bold music score is a oddly lingering mixture of spicy and light n' breezy cues. The performances are strikingly inspired. Theresa Russell is amazing in a very demanding multi-facet role. Mark Harmon and James are equally fine with complex portrayals. There's also highly capable support in the likes of Will Patton, Julie Carmen, Talia Shire and Seymour Cassel.Not one of his greatest, but an interestingly flawed piece nonetheless.

Could this be by the same director as Don't Look Now or Bad Timing? Poorlyacted, clunkily edited. You only have to compare the various accident scenes in this with similar ones in Don't Look Now to see how much Roeg has lost histouch.Even the generally reliable Teresa Russell (looking a bit chunky these days, I'm afraid to report) cannot save this one. The plot is pure pseudo-religious hokum, the acting is wooden and Roeg's attempts at his trademark dislocation of time are pitiful.Avoid this one like the plague.