Diane Keaton’s ‘HEAVEN’ Gets Re-Released in HD

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By Gregory Crofton

Most people interviewed in HEAVEN believe that “yes” there is a better place than Planet Earth. They could be right. Who knows?

The documentary, released in 1987 and directed by the late Diane Keaton, best known for acting in Woody Allen films, is quirky in the best kind of way.

Making a documentary about heaven, 80 minutes long in this case, was an ambitious task even in the hands of someone as creative and accomplished as Ms. Keaton. She pulled it off, and now thanks to Lightyear Entertainment, it is being re-released Feb. 17 in HD on Blu-ray, digital platforms and VOD.

HEAVEN, which grossed $77,886 at the box office, relies on humor, clips from obscure old films and chapter heads like: “Are You Afraid to Die?” and “Is There Love in Heaven?” to build the doc’s loose narrative structure.

Surely Woody Allen got a chance to send Diane some notes and thoughts on the movie before it was finished, as they were close collaborators. There is plenty of quality and imagination on screen. The soundtrack includes Lionel Richie and Diana Ross’s “Endless Love,” and has some cool sets that conjure the look of heaven.

The real draw of the film is its line up of Americans, some with interesting dental work, and the answers they come up with.

“I would imagine the first time you make love, you want that to last forever,” says a 30-something man wearing a bowling shirt and sitting with a six-pack of beer on a white table in front of him. “It’s a great sensation. Of course the gal I was with, she passed out. I tried to revive her.”

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Keaton, who died last year at 79 from pneumonia, led a productive life. One of her first projects behind the camera, according to IMDB, was directing a video for Belinda Carlisle’s “Heaven is a Place on Earth.” She also wrote books, flipped some 50 houses and adopted two children in her 50s.

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