Resurrection (1980)

A woman enters the afterlife briefly after a car crash that kills her husband. But she survives - and finds herself possessing strange powers.

Director:

Daniel Petrie

Writer:

Lewis John Carlino

Stars:

Ellen Burstyn, Sam Shepard, Richard Farnsworth

Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 3 wins & 6 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Ellen Burstyn	...	Edna
Sam Shepard	...	Cal
Richard Farnsworth	...	Esco
Roberts Blossom	...	John Harper
Clifford David	...	George
Pamela Payton-Wright	...	Margaret
Jeffrey DeMunn	...	Joe
Eva Le Gallienne	...	Grandma Pearl
Lois Smith	...	Kathy
Madeleine Sherwood	...	Ruth (as Madeleine Thornton-Sherwood)
Richard Hamilton	...	Earl Carpenter
Carlin Glynn	...	Suzy Kroll
Lane Smith	...	Don
Penelope Allen	...	Ellie
Ebbe Roe Smith	...	Hank Peterson

Storyline

Edna Mae Macaulay experiences the afterlife for a brief time after a car accident that kills her husband. As she begins her long process of physical healing, she discovers that she has the ability to heal physical infirmities. While most people simply accept her gift, her lover (Sam Shepard) becomes mentally unbalanced and dangerous because she does not place the healings within a religious context.

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Plot Keywords:

spiritual healing | psychotronic film | nosebleed | paraplegic | kansas | 

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Taglines:

It's not supposed to happen. So be there when it does.

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Genres:

Drama | Fantasy

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

26 September 1980 (USA)

Also Known As:

Resurrección

Filming Locations:

Goliad, Texas, USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$308,068, 28 September 1980

Gross USA:

$3,910,019

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$3,910,019

Company Credits

Production Co:

Universal Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

103 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Martin Scorsese was reportedly healed from asthma by the real life healer who inspired this film.

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Quotes

Edna Mae McCauley: [Turning down an offer to have her healing ability tested] What's going on here has to do with people and feelings and not wires and machines. I dunno, it just doesn't feel right to me".

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Crazy Credits

Stills of different portions of the movie are shown during the credits. The final still is a part not previously seen and it shows the rock garden behind the gas station which is referenced earlier in the movie.

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Alternate Versions

ABC edited 8 minutes from this film for its 1983 network television premiere.

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Connections

Referenced in Northern Exposure: Mud and Blood (1993)

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Soundtracks

Old Chisholm Trail (Come a Ti Yi Yippee Yippee Yay)
(uncredited)
Traditional
Sung a cappela by Richard Farnsworth

User Reviews

Feel the power

Like numerous stories dealing with the (supposedly) supernatural, this one requires the audience to take on faith that which cannot be justified "scientifically." So there are loose ends, and matters that will leave some of us asking, "How could that happen - even in this story?" But to accept the premise and the events on their own terms is to provide oneself with a powerful emotional experience of the sort that few pictures even try to create.

Especially effective was the Ellen Burstyn character remaining her low-key, unassuming self even after she becomes aware of her power. Along the same lines is her admission that she fails about a third of the time, and her altogether plausible attempt to explain it.

Less convincing was her inability to resist romance with someone obviously unsuitable. Was this to show us that she was, after all, only human? That she would want a man in her life we can easily accept. But him? She turns away repeatedly until his sheer persistence overcomes her better judgment. It doesn't ring true.

The performances are excellent throughout. And could anyone have come up with a more appropriate, satisfying ending?