THE MILAGRO BEANFIELD WAR (1988) C 118m dir: Robert Redford

w/Ruben Blades, Robert Bradford, Sonia Braga, Julie Carmen, John Heard, Melanie Griffith, Chick Vennera, Carlos Riquelme, Daniel Stern, Christopher Walken

A sunny, spirited fable about a group of New Mexican villagers trying to reclaim their water rights when a rapacious development company moves to turn the town into a golf course. Set against a backdrop of stunning Southwestern vistas and brimming with cheer and good intention, this should delight everyone but hardcore cynics.

From Variety's review of the film: "The Milagro Beanfield War is a charming, fanciful little fable built around weighty issues concerning the environment, the preservation of a cultural heritage and the rights of citizens versus the might of the dollar.

"The director and his screenwriters, who adapted John Nichols's 1974 novel, adeptly juggle at least a dozen major characters in telling the story of how one man's decision to cultivate his land, which is coveted by outside developers intent upon building a resort, leads to a standoff between natives of the area and the big boys.

"Redford and company have put a quirky twist on the material, investing it with a quasi-mythical aspect as well as some raw comedy."