{ "id": "epaa0bja0b", "slug": "the-milagro-beanfield-war", "title": "The Milagro Beanfield War", "updated": "2026-11-01", "topic_path": [ { "id": "culture", "label": "Arts and culture", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture" }, { "id": "culture.performance", "label": "Screen and stage", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen", "label": "Film and television", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.films", "label": "Films and standalone screen works", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.films" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works", "label": "Individual films by title and year", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.comedy-romance", "label": "Comedy and romantic films (individual works)", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.comedy-romance" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.comedy-romance.comedies-of-the-1980s", "label": "Comedies of the 1980s", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.comedy-romance.comedies-of-the-1980s" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.comedy-romance.comedies-of-the-1980s.comedy-dramas-of-the-1980s", "label": "Comedy-dramas of the 1980s", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.comedy-romance.comedies-of-the-1980s.comedy-dramas-of-the-1980s" } ], "geo": [ { "id": "geo.us.t1946.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.comedy-romance.comedies-of-the-1980s.comedy-dramas-of-the-1980s", "label": "United States · 1946 to 2000: Comedy-dramas of the 1980s", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.us.t1946.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.comedy-romance.comedies-of-the-1980s.comedy-dramas-of-the-1980s", "path": [ { "id": "geo.us", "label": "United States", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.us" }, { "id": "geo.us.t1946", "label": "United States · 1946 to 2000", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.us.t1946" }, { "id": "geo.us.t1946.culture", "label": "Arts and culture", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.us.t1946.culture" }, { "id": "geo.us.t1946.culture.performance", "label": "Screen and stage", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.us.t1946.culture.performance" }, { "id": "geo.us.t1946.culture.performance.screen", "label": "Film and television", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.us.t1946.culture.performance.screen" }, { "id": "geo.us.t1946.culture.performance.screen.films", "label": "Films and standalone screen works", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.us.t1946.culture.performance.screen.films" }, { "id": "geo.us.t1946.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works", "label": "Individual films by title and year", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.us.t1946.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works" }, { "id": "geo.us.t1946.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.comedy-romance", "label": "Comedy and romantic films (individual works)", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.us.t1946.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.comedy-romance" }, { "id": "geo.us.t1946.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.comedy-romance.comedies-of-the-1980s", "label": "Comedies of the 1980s", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.us.t1946.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.comedy-romance.comedies-of-the-1980s" }, { "id": "geo.us.t1946.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.comedy-romance.comedies-of-the-1980s.comedy-dramas-of-the-1980s", "label": "Comedy-dramas of the 1980s", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.us.t1946.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.comedy-romance.comedies-of-the-1980s.comedy-dramas-of-the-1980s" } ] } ], "excerpt": "The Milagro Beanfield War is a 1988 Robert Redford comedy-drama, adapted from John Nichols's 1974 novel, about a Chicano farmer's beanfield triggering a New Mexico water-rights conflict; it won Dave Grusin the Oscar for Best Original Score.", "snippet": "The Milagro Beanfield War is a 1988 Robert Redford comedy-drama, adapted from John Nichols's 1974 novel, about a Chicano farmer's beanfield triggering a New Mexico water-rights conflict; it won Dave Grusin the Oscar for Best Original Score.", "node": "culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.comedy-romance.comedies-of-the-1980s.comedy-dramas-of-the-1980s", "markdown": "# The Milagro Beanfield War\n\n**The Milagro Beanfield War** is a 1988 American comedy-drama film directed by [Robert Redford](https://www.edgepedia.org/robert-redford), adapted from John Nichols's 1974 novel of the same title. Set in the fictional town of Milagro, New Mexico, it follows a Chicano handyman and farmer, Joe Mondragon, whose impulsive act of irrigating his beanfield from a ditch reserved for a large resort development triggers a small-scale water-rights conflict between local farmers and developers. The film was distributed by [Universal Pictures](https://www.edgepedia.org/universal-pictures), opened on March 18, 1988, and won the Academy Award for Best Original Score for Dave Grusin's music.[1](https://catalog.afi.com/Catalog/MovieDetails/58845) • [2](https://kinolorber.com/film/the-milagro-beanfield-war) • [3](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/milagro_beanfield_war)\n\n| Key fact | Detail |\n|---|---|\n| Director / source | Robert Redford; based on the novel *The Milagro Beanfield War* by John Nichols (New York, 1974)[1](https://catalog.afi.com/Catalog/MovieDetails/58845) |\n| Release | March 18, 1988 (wide, Universal); benefit premiere in Universal City, CA on March 14, 1988[1](https://catalog.afi.com/Catalog/MovieDetails/58845) • [4](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Milagro-Beanfield-War-The) |\n| Runtime / rating | 117 minutes; rated R; Dolby Stereo in selected theaters[1](https://catalog.afi.com/Catalog/MovieDetails/58845) |\n| Principal cast | Chick Vennera, Sônia Braga, Rubén Blades, Richard Bradford, Christopher Walken, Melanie Griffith, John Heard, Daniel Stern, M. Emmet Walsh, Freddy Fender[2](https://kinolorber.com/film/the-milagro-beanfield-war) |\n| Award | Academy Award for Best Original Score (Dave Grusin)[2](https://kinolorber.com/film/the-milagro-beanfield-war) |\n| Domestic box office | $13,825,794 (The Numbers); Rotten Tomatoes lists a $12.7M USA gross[4](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Milagro-Beanfield-War-The) • [3](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/milagro_beanfield_war) |\n| Reception | 61% Tomatometer from 33 reviews; 74% Popcornmeter from 2,500+ ratings[3](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/milagro_beanfield_war) |\n\n## Spoilers\n\n### Plot and themes\n\nThe story opens when Joe Mondragon, frustrated, kicks at the gate of an irrigation ditch running past his dry field and water flows into it; he decides on the spot to grow beans there.[5](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-milagro-beanfield-war-1988) Everyone in town knows the water belongs to a big land development corporation, and tensions between the outsiders and the longtime local Chicanos make the situation delicate, particularly for the sheriff, who sees everyone's point of view.[5](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-milagro-beanfield-war-1988)\n\nThe developer Ladd Devine (Richard Bradford) has conceived a glitzy resort that would ultimately siphon off the water from the neighboring crop-fields, and Mondragon's broken valve sets off the conflict between farmers and developers.[3](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/milagro_beanfield_war) Roger Ebert, reviewing the film in April 1988, described it as using Mondragon's small act of rebellion to explore the dilemma of regional cultures in the United States, pockets of language, custom, and heritage threatened by developers who want to turn everything into one homogeneous mall, hotel, and resort; he called the result a wonderful fable while noting that some characters know it is a fable and others do not.[5](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-milagro-beanfield-war-1988) Critics have also noted the film's touches of magical realism and a quasi-mystical aspect mixed with raw comedy.[3](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/milagro_beanfield_war)\n\n### Cast and characters\n\nChick Vennera plays Joe Mondragon; [Sônia Braga](https://www.edgepedia.org/sonia-braga) plays Ruby Archuleta; [Rubén Blades](https://www.edgepedia.org/ruben-blades) plays Sheriff Bernabe Montoya; and Richard Bradford plays Ladd Devine.[6](https://tv.apple.com/us/movie/the-milagro-beanfield-war/umc.cmc.3a8sb8xyozc4s6rzwzg6ktwhr) The supporting cast includes Julie Carmen as Nancy Mondragon, James Gammon as Horsethief Shorty, Melanie Griffith as Flossie Devine, John Heard as Charlie Bloom, Carlos Riquelme as Amarante Cordova, Daniel Stern as Herbie Platt, and [Christopher Walken](https://www.edgepedia.org/christopher-walken) as Kyril Montana, along with M. Emmet Walsh, Freddy Fender, and Trinidad Silva.[6](https://tv.apple.com/us/movie/the-milagro-beanfield-war/umc.cmc.3a8sb8xyozc4s6rzwzg6ktwhr) • [2](https://kinolorber.com/film/the-milagro-beanfield-war)\n\n## Production\n\nThe film took more than a decade to reach the screen. A January 29, 1975 Variety report said Nichols's novel would be adapted by Dalsa Films; six months later it was to be produced by Robert W. Christiansen and Rick Rosenberg through Chris/Rose Productions in association with [Paramount Pictures](https://www.edgepedia.org/paramount-pictures), with Tracy Keenan Wynn attached as writer. In January 1978 the production had moved to Lorimar, with Leonard Gardner writing the script and Michael Wadleigh hired to direct. Producer Moctesuma Esparza obtained the book's rights in December 1979, and the following month Robert Redford became attached to direct.[7](https://catalog.afi.com/Film/58845-THE-MILAGROBEANFIELDWAR?cp=1&cxt=Filmography3&pos=7&sid=02d619fa-2b1e-4ad8-8f89-7cd2ad1cc6b2&sr=1.4528939) A June 1985 Hollywood Reporter item noted distribution through Tri-Star Pictures, though the finished film was released by Universal.[7](https://catalog.afi.com/Film/58845-THE-MILAGROBEANFIELDWAR?cp=1&cxt=Filmography3&pos=7&sid=02d619fa-2b1e-4ad8-8f89-7cd2ad1cc6b2&sr=1.4528939) • [1](https://catalog.afi.com/Catalog/MovieDetails/58845)\n\n**Casting and shooting.** Actor Richard \"Cheech\" Marin was considered for a lead role, but the Los Angeles Times reported on September 6, 1987 that he lost the part after Redford changed his mind.[7](https://catalog.afi.com/Film/58845-THE-MILAGROBEANFIELDWAR?cp=1&cxt=Filmography3&pos=7&sid=02d619fa-2b1e-4ad8-8f89-7cd2ad1cc6b2&sr=1.4528939) [Principal photography](https://www.edgepedia.org/principal-photography) ran from early August to late November 1986, with retakes in mid-October 1987.[1](https://catalog.afi.com/Catalog/MovieDetails/58845) The credits include Robbie Greenberg as cinematographer, Dede Allen and Jim Miller as editors, and Joe Aubel as art director; the screenplay is credited to John Nichols and David Ward.[1](https://catalog.afi.com/Catalog/MovieDetails/58845) • [8](https://www.festival-cannes.com/f/the-milagro-beanfield-war/) An Associated Press review noted that magazine articles about the making of the film had outlined problems including multiple script changes and wholesale reshooting.[3](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/milagro_beanfield_war)\n\n## Release and reception\n\nThe film premiered as a benefit in [Universal City, California](https://www.edgepedia.org/universal-city-california) on March 14, 1988, with openings in Los Angeles, New York, and Toronto on March 18, 1988.[1](https://catalog.afi.com/Catalog/MovieDetails/58845) It was shown out of competition (Hors Compétition) at the 1988 Cannes Film Festival.[8](https://www.festival-cannes.com/f/the-milagro-beanfield-war/)\n\n**Box office.** The Numbers records a domestic theatrical gross of $13,825,794, entirely domestic, with an inflation-adjusted figure of $38,046,161; Rotten Tomatoes lists a USA gross of $12.7M.[4](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Milagro-Beanfield-War-The) • [3](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/milagro_beanfield_war) A home video release followed on May 31, 2005 from Universal Home Entertainment.[4](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Milagro-Beanfield-War-The)\n\n**Critical response.** On Rotten Tomatoes the film holds a 61% Tomatometer from 33 reviews (20 fresh, 13 rotten) and a 74% Popcornmeter from more than 2,500 user ratings; the site's critics consensus calls it arguably Robert Redford's most inchoate work, with plenty of beautiful moments that do not quite add up to a worthwhile whole.[3](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/milagro_beanfield_war) Reviewers have been divided in emphasis: Variety described the quirky treatment with its quasi-mystical aspect and raw comedy, Jonathan Rosenbaum of the Chicago Reader found it choked with good intentions, whimsy, and cardboard liberal stereotypes, and the Epoch Times called it hilarious, warm, and a tribute to a fading culture.[3](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/milagro_beanfield_war) On IMDb the film carries a 6.8 rating from about 7,400 users.[9](https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/the-milagro-beanfield-war)\n\n## Music and legacy\n\n[Dave Grusin](https://www.edgepedia.org/dave-grusin)'s original score won the [Academy Award for Best Original Score](https://www.edgepedia.org/academy-award-for-best-original-score), the film's Oscar.[2](https://kinolorber.com/film/the-milagro-beanfield-war) Kino Lorber, which handles theatrical and educational bookings, lists the film among Redford's directorial works alongside *Ordinary People*, *A River Runs Through It*, *Quiz Show*, *The Horse Whisperer*, and *[The Legend of Bagger Vance](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-legend-of-bagger-vance)*.[2](https://kinolorber.com/film/the-milagro-beanfield-war)\n\n## References\n\n1. [The Milagro Beanfield War, AFI Catalog](https://catalog.afi.com/Catalog/MovieDetails/58845)\n2. [The Milagro Beanfield War, Kino Lorber Theatrical](https://kinolorber.com/film/the-milagro-beanfield-war)\n3. [The Milagro Beanfield War, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/milagro_beanfield_war)\n4. [The Milagro Beanfield War (1988), The Numbers](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Milagro-Beanfield-War-The)\n5. [The Milagro Beanfield War movie review (1988), RogerEbert.com](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-milagro-beanfield-war-1988)\n6. [The Milagro Beanfield War, Apple TV](https://tv.apple.com/us/movie/the-milagro-beanfield-war/umc.cmc.3a8sb8xyozc4s6rzwzg6ktwhr)\n7. [The Milagro Beanfield War, AFI Catalog filmography notes](https://catalog.afi.com/Film/58845-THE-MILAGROBEANFIELDWAR?cp=1&cxt=Filmography3&pos=7&sid=02d619fa-2b1e-4ad8-8f89-7cd2ad1cc6b2&sr=1.4528939)\n8. [The Milagro Beanfield War (Milagro), Festival de Cannes](https://www.festival-cannes.com/f/the-milagro-beanfield-war/)\n9. [The Milagro Beanfield War streaming, JustWatch](https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/the-milagro-beanfield-war)\n\n---\n*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Individual films by title and year › Comedy and romantic films (individual works) › Comedies of the 1980s › Comedy-dramas of the 1980s*\n\n*Initially written Oct 3, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*\n\n*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*\n\nLicense: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license\n", "same_as": [], "url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/the-milagro-beanfield-war", "markdown_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/the-milagro-beanfield-war.md", "license": { "name": "Edgepedia Community License 1.0", "url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license", "summary": "Free with credit, commercial use included. AI training is open to everyone. For other uses, organizations over USD 100M in revenue or 100M monthly users license separately.", "spdx": "LicenseRef-Edgepedia-Community-1.0" }, "credit": "\"The Milagro Beanfield War\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), https://www.edgepedia.org/the-milagro-beanfield-war. Edgepedia Community License 1.0.", "credit_md": "\"[The Milagro Beanfield War](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-milagro-beanfield-war)\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), [https://www.edgepedia.org/the-milagro-beanfield-war](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-milagro-beanfield-war). [Edgepedia Community License 1.0](https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license).", "credit_html": "\"The Milagro Beanfield War\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), https://www.edgepedia.org/the-milagro-beanfield-war. Edgepedia Community License 1.0.", "speakable": "The Milagro Beanfield War is a 1988 Robert Redford comedy-drama, adapted from John Nichols's 1974 novel, about a Chicano farmer's beanfield triggering a New Mexico water-rights conflict; it won Dave Grusin the Oscar for Best Original Score." }