'' Days of Heaven '' was finally released in 1978 to mostly positive responses from critics . Its cinematography was widely praised , although some found its story lackluster . In '' The New York Times '' , Harold C. Schonberg wrote that it " is full of elegant and striking photography ; and it is an intolerably artsy , artificial film . " However , it later won the Academy Award for Best Cinematography and the prize for Best Director at the 1979 Cannes Film Festival . '' Days of Heaven '' has since grown in stature , having been voted one of the 50 greatest American films ever made in a 2015 critics ' poll published by BBC
1979 Cannes Film Festival
1979 Cannes Film Festival
Terrence Malick