Product Details

• Actors: Annabeth Gish, Jon Voight, JoBeth Williams, Ellen Barkin, Jay Underwood
• Format: Anamorphic, Closed-captioned, Color, DVD, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
• Language: English (Dolby Digital 2.0)
• Subtitles: English, French
• Region: Region 1 encoding (US and Canada only)
  PLEASE NOTE: Some Region 1 DVDs may contain Regional Coding Enhancement (RCE). Some, but not all, of our international customers have had problems playing these enhanced discs on what are called "region-free" DVD players. For more information on RCE, click here.
• Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Studio: Sony Pictures
• DVD Release Date: March 11, 2003
• Run Time: 105 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B000085EFF
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #33,259 in Movies & TV (See Bestsellers in Movies & TV)

  Popular in these categories: (What's this?)

  #83 in	Movies & TV > Drama > Family Life > Fathers & Daughters
  #92 in	Movies & TV > Drama > Family Life > Mothers & Daughters

• For more information about "Desert Bloom" visit the Internet Movie Database (IMDb)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

A quartet of fine performances support this bittersweet story about coming of age in the shadow of the atomic bomb. Rose Chismore (Annabeth Gish, in her movie debut) is a shy girl measuring out her teenage days in Las Vegas, Nevada, circa 1950. Both Rose and Las Vegas are on the cusp of change--the girl is experiencing the first awkward pangs of maturity thanks to a local boy, while the town is suddenly abuzz with scientists en route to the nuclear testing facilities at nearby White Sands and Alamogordo. But at Rose's home, life is at a standstill. Her stepfather (Jon Voight) is a traumatized World War II vet whose drinking and nightmares are leading to physical abuse, and her mother (JoBeth Williams) labors under a gambling addiction that threatens to tear down her sunny veneer. Rose finds herself sitting at both a physical and emotional ground zero. All that's needed is a spark to set off an explosion--which comes in the curvy form of Aunt Starr (Ellen Barkin), a brassy former beauty queen who's come for a quickie divorce and, hopefully, a new husband, just in time for the first A-bomb test. Desert Bloom is a gently moving film about growth, change, and maturity, for better and worse. It's buoyed by the strength of its leads; Gish, in particular, is a revelation. A fine sleeper for the whole family, with only a smattering of language and violence. Corr later wrote the similarly unsung Prefontaine. --Paul Gaita

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Walking Wounded, April 26, 2004

By	Douglas Doepke (Claremont, CA United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Desert Bloom [VHS] (VHS Tape)

Sensitively told coming-of-age film set against Las Vegas and the early years of atomic testing. Rose (Annabeth Gish) is thirteen and very much wants to connect with stepdad Jack (Jon Voight), an alcoholic WWII veteran still possessed by the demons of combat. Trouble is, she's operating on one track, while he's operating on two, such that just when they seem at last to converge, he goes off on a delusionary binge. Movie is notable for the exceptionally fine performances of these two actors. Gish, tottering atop two gawky legs and peering out from the cosmetic curse of horned-rim glasses, is the very real, aching embodiment of adolescent angst. Hers has to be one of the finest, least mannered renderings of teen-age yearning and self-doubt in many, many years, and made even me, a hardened old curmudgeon, feel kindly toward the hopelessly pubescent. Voight's character is less sympathetic and more complex. Victimized by the evils of war and beset by alcohol and impotence, he's having trouble with his masculinity in a house full of women. He wants to fulflill a positive role for his wife and stepdaughters, but the inner turmoil keeps erupting unpredictably.You want Jack and Rose to connect, to heal one another's emotional wounds, but circumstance is against them. Movie leaves off on suitably ambiguous note as atomic test parallels emotional family blowup. We know time will take care of Rose's problems, but what of Jack. Film is not so much about dysfunction as it is about adolescence and the walking wounds of war, such that you'll remember the characters long after the various plot complications have subsided. What a fine piece of non-commercial movie making this is thanks to Sundance Productions and writer-director Eugene Corr. Their work along with that of the entire cast shows once again why "the obscure little movie with something to say" continues to be one of our finest film traditions.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A good movie about growing up, November 3, 2000

By	"veyebjc" (Oklahoma) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Desert Bloom [VHS] (VHS Tape)

This is a very good movie about growing up in a disfunctional family. It shows that things can happen and that hope was not given up. Annabeth gish shows early on in her career that she will become a great actress. Also stars Ellen Barkin as her drunken down-on-luck aunt. Also see Radio Flyer. Coming of age film.

5.0 out of 5 stars For Voight Fans, January 2, 2010

By	Michael Gooch "Author of Wingtips with Spurs:... (Texas, USA) - See all my reviews

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If you are a Jon Voight fan, this is a must-see movie. Having grownup in one of America's few functional families, I found it hard to relate to. However I have watched it with others that were blown away by its mirror image of real life in an abusive household.

I appreciated the film for exercising restraint in the acting and not going over- the-top. It could have been so easy to do. This is due to the chemistry and fine acting of the cast. Different people I watched it with have their favorites. For me, Voight really stands out which is incredible as the entire cast should have won awards.

Don't expect this movie to be light fare on a boring Saturday afternoon. It will stick with you for awhile. The story builds like a slow burn and will leave some scars.

I hope you find my opinion helpful.

Michael L. Gooch
Author of Wingtips with Spurs.