The Milagro Beanfield War (1988)

Director:

Robert Redford

Writers:

John Nichols (novel)
John Nichols (screenplay)

Release Date:

18 March 1988 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Fantasy | Drama

Tagline:

Milagro, New Mexico. Population 426. Nothing had changed here for 300 years. But there's something about this day...

Plot:

In Milagro, a small town in the American Southwest, Ladd Devine plans to build a major new resort development...

Plot Keywords:

Water | American Southwest | Small Town | Governor | Pig

Awards:

Won Oscar. Another 1 win & 2 nominations

Cast

Rubén Blades	...	Sheriff Bernabe Montoya
Richard Bradford	...	Ladd Devine
Sonia Braga	...	Ruby Archuleta
Julie Carmen	...	Nancy Mondragon
James Gammon	...	Horsethief Shorty
Melanie Griffith	...	Flossie Devine
John Heard	...	Charlie Bloom
Carlos Riquelme	...	Amarante Cordova
Daniel Stern	...	Herbie Platt
Chick Vennera	...	Joe Mondragon
Christopher Walken	...	Kyril Montana
Freddy Fender	...	Mayor Sammy Cantu
Tony Genaro	...	Nick Rael
Jerry Hardin	...	Emerson Capps
Ronald G. Joseph	...	Jerry G

Also Known As:

The Milagro Beanfield War (Australia)

Runtime:

117 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Spanish

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

USA:R (certificate #29090) | Singapore:PG | Iceland:12 | Canada:14A (Ontario) | Finland:K-12 | Sweden:15 | UK:15 | Australia:M

Filming Locations:

Espanola, New Mexico, USA

Company:

Esparza

Trivia:

In a scene at one of the local Milagro stores where John Heard's lawyer character is dropping off his newspapers, a woman is shopping for Newman's Own salad dressing. The store owner tells her, that's no good, buy something else - an obvious in-joke in which director Robert Redford tweaks his longtime friend and frequent co-star Paul Newman.

Goofs:

Continuity: During the scene at the Forest Service station, Jerry G pulls out his service revolver to prevent Joe from taking his cow. The gun is pointed directly at the camera and one can see that the chambers are empty. When Sheriff Montoya intervenes, the revolver is fully loaded.

Quotes:

Nick Rael: Hey, what are you doing? You can't buy bullets with foodstamps grandpa.
Amarante Cordova: It's the same as money.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Thing That Couldn't Die (#9.5)" (1997)

The lost Redford film...

Although I have not seen this film for over a decade, it still resonates in my memory. Given the success of all Redford's other directing projects (yes, I know that The Legend of Bagger Vance did not perform well at the box office relative to the marketing and stars involved, but it was quite a good film-- despite the mediocre reviews), it always astounded me that The Milagro Beanfield War gets little mention even in the recapping of Redford's career. Redford's other three films not aforementioned, Ordinary People, A River Runs Through It, and Quiz

Show, all were critical darlings and each received nominations at the Academy Awards. I know that The Milagro Beanfield War won for its score, but that was its lone nomination.

The film is somewhat obscure relative to its storyline. Yet, there is quite a magical quality to the manner in which the narrative unfolds. It most closely resembles The Legend of Bagger Vance in regards to its tone (not necessarily

its social commentary though). I am constantly surprised that this film is not shown on cable, both basic cable and subscription movie channels. Although

its impact on the viewer is not nearly as emotionally intimate as Ordinary

People, it is almost as good, a little better if you consider the uniqueness of the story. It is far superior in comparison to A River Runs Through It, especially given that A River Runs Through It has serious problems with Craig Scheffer's perfomance and the horrible casting of Emily Lloyd. Of course, I find A River Runs Through It almost unwatchable, with the exception of the beautiful Oscar- winning cinematography by Rousselot, one of the best cinematographers

working today (He has outclassed many of his peers in a variety of films: We're No Angels; Dangerous Liasons; Interview With a Vampire; Mary Reilly; and

Flesh and Bone).

I know very few people who have seen this film and I always try to persuade

them to search it out at their local DVD/video store. If you have not seen this film, check it out. It is not a masterpiece, but Redford is one of the most

consistent filmmakers (in his role as director, not as an actor).