“Heaven’s Gate” is a western drama about disputes between poor European immigrants and wealthy cattle ranch owners in Wyoming in the 1890’s. Director-screenwriter Michael Cimino (“The Deer Hunter” 1978) was so obsessive to detail and control that lead to numerous retakes, especially of large crowd scenes, that the film went over-budget by millions of dollars. It was a notorious box office bomb costing United Artists around $37 million dollars, which lead its owner, Transamerica Corporation, to sell it to Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.
The film was also heavily out of favor with critics, with many observers stating that this was the end of the director-driven “New Hollywood” era, which began in 1967 with Warren Beatty’s “Bonnie and Clyde.” Studios were already in the habit of releasing summer and Christmas holiday blockbusters in the tradition of “Jaws” (1975) and “Star Wars” (1977), which is heavily favored by the movie-going public. In the succeeding years, many director-driven films have been consigned to art house cinemas.
However, “Heaven’s Gate” has had some reevaluation recently, with several recuts, reedits, and rereleases improving the film’s watchability. Cimino did employ some good production values, including the location filming in the beautiful scenery of Montana and Idaho, with excellent cinematography by Vilmos Zsigmond. The story was based on Wyoming’s Johnson County War of 1892, the typical cattlemen vs. homesteaders conflict. Viewers can expect a running time of nearly four hours on DVD for “Heaven’s Gate.”
The cast includes Kris Kristofferson, Christopher Walken, John Hurt, Sam Waterson, Brad Dourif, Jeff Bridges, Geoffrey Lewis, Terry O’Quinn, Richard Masur, Paul Koslo, Isabelle Huppert, and Joseph Cotton as The Reverend Doctor. This was one of Cotton’s final movie roles. Mickey Rourke and William Dafoe were employed in uncredited roles early in their careers.
“Heaven’s Gate,” from Partisan Productions and United Artists, was nominated for one Academy Award for Best Art Direction. Michael Cimino also won the Worst Director awards for both the Golden Raspberry Awards and the Stinkers Bad Movie Awards. He was also nominated for the Palme d’Or (Best Director) award at the Cannes Film Festival.
Heaven’s Gate (1980)
cinema
My Review
“Heaven’s Gate” is a western drama about disputes between poor European immigrants and wealthy cattle ranch owners in Wyoming in the 1890’s. Director-screenwriter Michael Cimino (“The Deer Hunter” 1978) was so obsessive to detail and control that lead to numerous retakes, especially of large crowd scenes, that the film went over-budget by millions of dollars. It was a notorious box office bomb costing United Artists around $37 million dollars, which lead its owner, Transamerica Corporation, to sell it to Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.
The film was also heavily out of favor with critics, with many observers stating that this was the end of the director-driven “New Hollywood” era, which began in 1967 with Warren Beatty’s “Bonnie and Clyde.” Studios were already in the habit of releasing summer and Christmas holiday blockbusters in the tradition of “Jaws” (1975) and “Star Wars” (1977), which is heavily favored by the movie-going public. In the succeeding years, many director-driven films have been consigned to art house cinemas.
However, “Heaven’s Gate” has had some reevaluation recently, with several recuts, reedits, and rereleases improving the film’s watchability. Cimino did employ some good production values, including the location filming in the beautiful scenery of Montana and Idaho, with excellent cinematography by Vilmos Zsigmond. The story was based on Wyoming’s Johnson County War of 1892, the typical cattlemen vs. homesteaders conflict. Viewers can expect a running time of nearly four hours on DVD for “Heaven’s Gate.”
The cast includes Kris Kristofferson, Christopher Walken, John Hurt, Sam Waterson, Brad Dourif, Jeff Bridges, Geoffrey Lewis, Terry O’Quinn, Richard Masur, Paul Koslo, Isabelle Huppert, and Joseph Cotton as The Reverend Doctor. This was one of Cotton’s final movie roles. Mickey Rourke and William Dafoe were employed in uncredited roles early in their careers.
“Heaven’s Gate,” from Partisan Productions and United Artists, was nominated for one Academy Award for Best Art Direction. Michael Cimino also won the Worst Director awards for both the Golden Raspberry Awards and the Stinkers Bad Movie Awards. He was also nominated for the Palme d’Or (Best Director) award at the Cannes Film Festival.