Director Terrence Malick’s “Days of Heaven” (1978) is a visually stunning evocation of love and murder, set timelessly on a screen as big and beautiful as America’s plains.

Richard Gere plays a steelworker who flees from the law to the Texas plains, where he, his girlfriend (played by Brooke Adams), and his young sister Linda find refuge as laborers on what seems like an earthly paradise, working for the owner, played by Sam Shepard.

However, primal emotions and forces of nature arrive with a vengeance.

Malick’s cinematic storytelling  in “Days of Heaven” took home the Oscar  for cinematography.

Audiences who are thrilled by Malick’s current masterpiece “The Tree of Life” will see a similar scope and ambition in this earlier movie, “Days of Heaven.”

Film starts at 7:00 pm Thursday, August 11. All seats are $8. Get to the Classics early as they are popular — or buy tickets in advance (see right column on the Rialto website). The Thursday evening Classics are very popular, so you may want to buy your ticket in advance at the box office or online. Getting to the theater early is always a good idea–for a choice of seating and to order food and drinks.