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
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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