Resurrection (1980)

A woman (Ellen Burstyn) dies on the operating table but is resuscitated. When she returns to the family farm to recuperate, she discovers she has the power of healing which she attributes to the power of love. But the son (Sam Shepard) of a religious fanatic becomes obsessed with the notion that she must acknowledge that her power comes, not from love but is a gift from God. Directed by Daniel Petrie (FORT APACHE THE BRONX). Petrie deserves a lot of credit for making what could have been an impossible piece of hogwash into a moving reflection on the tenuous connection between life and death and miracles. The film doesn’t totally absolve itself of sentimentality (mainly in Eva Le Gallienne’s grandmother) but it’s tastefully restrained. Burstyn is superb here in what is quite possibly her greatest performance. Even Maurice Jarre was sufficiently moved to deliver a gorgeous score (and I’m no Jarre fan). With Lois Smith, Madeleine Sherwood, Roberts Blossom, Richard Farnsworth and Carlin Glynn.