Resurrection (1980)

Intense, gripping, stylish and poignant

Charming and brutal

It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

There is, somehow, an interesting story here, as well as some good acting. There are also some good scenes

Great film, great story, great setting and cast.Ellen Burstyn, though, deserves a few words. She gives line readings like no other actress, or perhaps like other actresses: Myrna Loy, Joan Crawford, Norma Shearer, or many of the early film greats. Burstyn puts a strong American twang into her pronunciation, and she makes acting decisions that surprise and breath life into many scenes that would otherwise be flat.How much of this is direction? How much is her own artistry? Hard to say. Burstyn's career took place through the 60s and into the 80s, a time when film was moving out of the studios and into the world. The gritty film world of the 70s had little room for grace and beauty and finesse, but Burstyn brings a beautiful glamorous charm to her roles. As Edna, she truly inhabits that character and turns in a mindblowingly good performance. I recommend this film to anyone who is fond of supernatural films, 70s film, 70s horror, or quirky stories.

Edna (Ellen Burstyn) experiences the afterlife after a deadly car crash that killed her husband. She's paralysed and returns to her family in rural Kansas. There she finds she has an ability to heal and other supernatural powers. She's lauded for her healing powers. She's hounded by Cal (Sam Shepard) and she falls for him. Cal's father is a firebrand who accuses her the work of the devil. Edna's father calls her trash and whore, and kicks her out. But the biggest blow may come from Cal.Ellen Burstyn is the master of her craft. She embraces this character without any limitations. I wish she had one guy in her life who isn't batcrap crazy. Her character is more compelling than the story. The story meanders as she deals with one crazy outburst after another. The religious tone is interesting but maybe upsetting to some. More balance with a lead character who isn't crazy would help.

Ellen Burstyn is involved in a horrific car accident with her husband. The husband dies. Burstyn does, as well, but she's brought back by the doctors. Her near-death experience gives her the power to heal, which she embraces but doesn't understand. This bothers the local religious folk, who want her to invoke God's name (because if it's not the Christian God giving her the powers, it's the devil). Sam Shepard plays the son of the most belligerent Christian. Shepard, who is saved by Burstyn, is not religious like his father, but, as he becomes more intrigued by her supernatural powers, he starts to believe she might be Jesus resurrected. The film goes in some interesting directions, but, for whatever reason, it always felt a little flat to me. It's like it wants to have a religious edge, but it also really doesn't want to be at all Christian. In the end, it feels kind of New Agey, not unlike Terrence Malick's recent Tree of Life (although that one's far more successful). The one thing to really recommend here is Ellen Burstyn's performance. She's wonderful and received one of her six Oscar nominations for the role. Eva Le Galienne, who plays Burstyn's folksy grandmother, also got a Best Supporting Actress nod, and it's really one of the more ridiculous Oscar nominations I know of. She has almost no screen time, makes almost no impression. She was a very famous stage actress in her day, but she isn't at all a famous screen actress. Shepard is also very good in his role, and Richard Farnsworth has a far-too-small role as a gas station attendant.

The acting, script, and cinematic techniques were superb (for 1980). From Ellen Burstyn through the whole cast, everyone was believable.True healers are quite rare, and it would be very tempting indeed to sensationalize this theme. Instead, the story was beautifully written, and quietly realistic, which made it quite stirring - even haunting. Ellen Burston's performance is absolutely one of her very best. Eva Le Gallienne is magnificent as Grandma Pearl. For some reason Resurrection is passing into obscurity, and I hope it will be rediscovered by more people, especially the younger generation. Consequently, I often tell others about it, and I hope everyone will try to see it.