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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (May 21, 1981)
Heaven’s Gate Starring Kris Kristofferson, Isabelle Huppert, Christopher Walken and John Hurt Directed by Michael Cimino Playing at Springfield Cinema Hollywood loves a winner, and in 1979 that’s what director Michael Cimino was. He was in the glowing spotlight of critical and popular acclaim for his film The Deer Hunter, which won five Academy Awards, including Best Director and Best Picture. But Hollywood often forgets the fact that a winning director can produce a turkey of a film. Enter Heaven’s Gate. Cimino is described as being visionary, egotistical and a per fectionist, all of which can be seen in Heaven's Gate, but the latter characteristics eventually infect the vision. The film is a study in overindulgence by Cimino: He got all he wanted from a studio that had faith in his artistic abilities. For example, when Cimino said he needed a thousand extras for a scene instead of a hundred, United Artists said yes, and all extras were outfitted with period cos tumes. The original budget for the film was $7.5 million. When shooting began it was $11.6 million, and by the time it was screened that figure had nearly quadrupled. Yet while the filming proceeded on remote locations in Montana and Idaho, no one expected the damning reviews that were to come. The studio liked what Cimino was showing them, and Cimino liked what he had done. Both agreed there was a good film to be had in the five hour rough cut. The edited version first released to the critics was over three hours long. The length was the least of their com plaints. Cimino was taken aback by the intensity of the critical dis taste for his film. He wrote a letter to United Artists’ president Andy Albeck, saying in part that “So much energy, time and money have gone into the mak ing of Heaven's Gate that I am asking you to withdraw the film from distribution temporarily to allow me to present to the public a film finished with the same THE PAPER CAPER Photo Copies Free Parking 410 E. 11th Ave Eugene, OR ^ 97401 2f.lf.W3f.WW care and thoughtfulness with which we began it." Again the studio backed its director’s vision. Heaven's Gate was yanked from circulation to allow Cimino to cut it down and tighten it up. Cutting done, Heaven's Gate has opened once again, but what the public has been hand ed is a movie that remains in flated, dull, confusing, and ill paced. One wonders if Cimino, having been given the chance to bring his vision into sharp focus, ever knew what he was after. Apparently, Cimino has been so engrossed in the task at hand, that he lost track of what the end to his means was sup posed to be From a technical point of view Heaven's Gate has much to offer. The locations, sets, and costumes are meticulously de tailed — as if to advertise auth enticity. During scenes like one at a cock fight where both Rus sian and English are spoken, we're provided with subtitles for the Russian when it’s hard to understand what’s spoken in English. The cinematography of Vil mos Zsigmond is impressive: His frequent use of the magic hour between sunset and night fall in outdoor shots is especial ly noteworthy. Yet, even the photography seems overdone at times: over-nostagically dif fused, and over-mustily sepia toned, making for a murkiness that seems accidental and ul timately bothersome. The opening scenes at the 1870 Harvard graduation fes tivities are the best in the film because they appear to accomplish what they attempt: To introduce James Averill (Kris Kristofferson), and Billy Irvine (John Hurt), in a jousting, spirit ed, and yet Victorian exhibit of youthful exuberance. Unfortun ately, they also have little to do with the rest of the movie. Kris tofferson pipes in with the film’s only voice-over narration, drawling a comment about the injustice of the world. The next thing we know it's 20 years later and he’s on a train to Casper, Wyo. Here, as marshall, he deals with the central conflict: A large association of rich cattle ranchers with connections in high places, has decided to protect its interests against im migrant encroachment by simp ly killing off the immigrants. The resulting battle of the Johnson County War, a major part of the story, is filled with all the graphic details we've come to expect from directors like Cimino. We even get treated to the over-killing of a character, gunned into swiss cheese a la Sonny Corleone in The God father. But the audience has little • empathy with the characters, despite the amount of time devoted to them and their rela tionships. Who cares if they get shot? Kristofferson’s Averill is, for all purposes, a typical Western hero — hard drinking, fast-fist ed, and basically a loner. The only thing that distinguishes him is his Ivy League past. Hurt's Irvine, who overshadows Kris tofferson in the first scenes, later falls flat and eventually dies. The French whore Ella Watson (Isabelle Huppert) is by far the most endearing and courageous figure in the film. Her story would seem more in teresting than Averill's, but hers isn't the story we're told. There's no doubt that Heaven's Gate had potential. There are some good scenes in it, but they are fragments of a vision unguided by the omnis cience required of a director with an epic tale to tell. — Richard Laliberte THE UNTOLD STORY OF THE MAN BEHIND THE MASK AND THE LEGEND BEHIND THE MAN. ' L ' ■ ' The loyal friend he trusted. The woman fate denied him. The great silver stallion he rode. And his consuming love of justice. 8 LORD GRADE and JACK WRATHER Present A MARTIN STARGER Production "THE LEGEND OF THE LONE RANGER Starring KLINTON SPILSBURY MICHAEL HORSE CHRISTOPHER LLOYD and JASON ROBARDS as PRESIDENT ULYSSES S. GRANT Executive Producer MARTIN STARGER Screenplay by IVAN GOFF & BEN ROBERTS and MICHAEL KANE and WILLIAM ROBERTS Adaptation by JERRY DERLOSHON Original Music by JOHN BARRY Director of Photography LASZLO KOVACS. A S C Produced bv WALTER COBLENZ Directed by WILLIAM A FRAKER distributed by universal puti-res and associated hi m distribution corporation PAXAVISK >N K c ITU'Wrather Productions 11 c 191*1 UNIVERSAL CITY STUDIOS. INI The Man in the Mask Sung by MERLE HAGGARD Original Soundtrack Available on MCA Records PG PARENTAL GUIDANCE SUGGESTED SOME MATERIAL MAY NOT BE SUITABLE FOR CHILDREN STARTS FRIDAY MAY 22ND AT SPECIALLY SELECTED THEATRES
