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

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

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: When Armarante is in the bar in the morning, he is served a shot of whiskey. He drinks it and says, "I'm not saying it's good. I'm not saying it's bad." In the next shot, his shot glass is full again and he drinks the whiskey again. I was not refilled by the bar tender.

Quotes:

Joe Mondragon: You beat Luis Armijo by two votes.
Sheriff Bernabe Montoya: That's because Domingo and Gusdorf were out of town.
Joe Mondragon: So, you would have won by four.
Sheriff Bernabe Montoya: Hell no man, those guys vote six, seven times apiece.

Movie Connections:

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

Great movie!

Milagro Bean Field War is a truly great film, one of the must see list. Terrific casting and well filmed. It may have been neglected by viewers and critics because it is about a class of people and time and place we often do not take seriously, but it is a sincere and genuine story, well told. The use of the ghost and the pig as foils are delightful, and it is remarkable what a good movie can be like without gratuitous violence, nudity or foul language. However, it should not be assumed that is intended to say this is a bland movie, far from it. It is tasty and spiced well with action, language, and phrasing, not to mention filming. And it is funny, good fun all around. Enjoy!