Heaven's Gate

6/22/2019

Heaven’s Gate (1980) Barbed wire and women are the two greatest civilising agents in the world. Heaven’s Gate is written and directed by Michael Cimino and stars Kris Kristofferson, Christopher Walken, Isabelle Huppert, Jeff Bridges, John Hurt and Sam Waterston. Music is by David Mansfield and cinematography by Vilmos Zsigmond. Picture is based around the real-life Johnson County War in 1890 Wyoming, where here we have a Sheriff born into wealth attempting to protect immigrant farmers from the rich Stockholders Association. Lets begin by stating that for the clear facts about the financial disaster of Heaven’s Gate, and its impact on studios and film making in general, then research it so I don’t have to write two paragraphs about it. Also it should be known that this is hardly

8/4/2019

***Cimino’s epic Western about the Johnson County War, unjustly lambasted by critics*** With the government’s blessing, cattle barons in Wyoming circa 1890 hire an army of mercenaries to kill claimed rustlers who, in many cases, are innocent settlers. A marshal born into wealth (Kris Kristofferson) sides with the poor immigrants in Johnson County; in his spare time he romances a French madam (Isabelle Huppert) who’s also pursued by a top enforcer of the stockmen (Christopher Walken). “Heaven’s Gate” (1980) is Michael Cimino’s notorious adult-oriented Western that brought down a studio. Cimino’s style is arty with a focus on mundane realism, similar to Francis Ford Coppola. I’m not a fan of Cimino’s previous film, the overrated “The Deer Hunter” (1978), because of the tedious opening

4/30/2020

Has any film undergone the level of critical turnaround afforded HEAVEN'S GATE (1980) since its initial banishment and failure? Nearly four decades removed from the vitriol and scorn heaped upon, not only the film, but the hubris of its director and the perceived wastefulness of an out-of-control production system, what did writer/director Michael Cimino ultimately leave his audience? Well, as with most (but certainly not all) polarizing works of art, the truth is probably somewhere in the middle. At 219 minutes, there is certainly dross; unfortunately, the love triangle at the film's heart constitutes a great deal of it. I'll say it outright: The romance aspect is boring. The picture is much more successful when it focuses on the rancher/immigrant conflict. Even prior to that, the first 3

7/6/2024

"Averill" (Kris Kristofferson) is from wealthy stock, a Harvard graduate, and a decent man who takes up a job as a sheriff in rural Wyoming. Most of the town's population have fled persecution and poverty in Europe, and want to start afresh with their families. They are not afraid of hard work, but that doesn't ease the chagrin of the local cattle ranchers who find them little better than fleas to be swatted. "Averill" tries to keep order as best he can, but when the landowners band together, convince the Governor of the merits of their expansionist plans and then draft in the support of the US army then it looks like the migrants are in for a bumpy ride. As tensions mount, he encounters school colleague-cum-gunslinger "Champion" (Christopher Walken) and their school valedictorian "Irvine"