It had been a long time since I was in the same room with director Michael Cimino. My first job out of Nyu Cinema Studies was in the publicity department at United Artists in New York, where I witnessed the long delays on Cimino’s follow-up to his Oscar-winning 1978 anti-war diatribe “The Deer Hunter,” the period western “Heaven’s Gate.”
The director got caught up in chasing authenticity in the myriad details of the production, training for weeks the cast led by Kris Kristofferson and Isabelle Huppert to roller-skate for one scene — and demanding endless retakes until he shot more feet of film, over 1 million, than even Francis Coppola did on another memorably out-of-control UA movie, “Apocalypse Now.” The original $11 million budget bloated to $32 million (Cimino’s figure), as recounted in Steven Bach’s “Final Cut: Art, Money and Ego in the Making of ‘Heaven’s Gate.’
“Heaven’s...
The director got caught up in chasing authenticity in the myriad details of the production, training for weeks the cast led by Kris Kristofferson and Isabelle Huppert to roller-skate for one scene — and demanding endless retakes until he shot more feet of film, over 1 million, than even Francis Coppola did on another memorably out-of-control UA movie, “Apocalypse Now.” The original $11 million budget bloated to $32 million (Cimino’s figure), as recounted in Steven Bach’s “Final Cut: Art, Money and Ego in the Making of ‘Heaven’s Gate.’
“Heaven’s...
- 7/2/2016
- by Anne Thompson
- Thompson on Hollywood
It had been a long time since I was in the same room with director Michael Cimino. My first job out of Nyu Cinema Studies was in the publicity department at United Artists in New York, where I witnessed the long delays on Cimino’s follow-up to his Oscar-winning 1978 anti-war diatribe “The Deer Hunter,” the period western “Heaven’s Gate.”
The director got caught up in chasing authenticity in the myriad details of the production, training for weeks the cast led by Kris Kristofferson and Isabelle Huppert to roller-skate for one scene — and demanding endless retakes until he shot more feet of film, over 1 million, than even Francis Coppola did on another memorably out-of-control UA movie, “Apocalypse Now.” The original $11 million budget bloated to $32 million (Cimino’s figure), as recounted in Steven Bach’s “Final Cut: Art, Money and Ego in the Making of ‘Heaven’s Gate.’
“Heaven’s...
The director got caught up in chasing authenticity in the myriad details of the production, training for weeks the cast led by Kris Kristofferson and Isabelle Huppert to roller-skate for one scene — and demanding endless retakes until he shot more feet of film, over 1 million, than even Francis Coppola did on another memorably out-of-control UA movie, “Apocalypse Now.” The original $11 million budget bloated to $32 million (Cimino’s figure), as recounted in Steven Bach’s “Final Cut: Art, Money and Ego in the Making of ‘Heaven’s Gate.’
“Heaven’s...
- 7/2/2016
- by Anne Thompson
- Indiewire
Top 10 Ryan Lambie 27 Mar 2014 - 05:42
We look back at one of the most infamous film productions in history. Here are 10 stories of excess from Michael Cimino's Heaven's Gate...
In 1979, director Michael Cimino was at the height of his powers. Having just won five Oscars for his finely-honed, controversial Vietnam film The Deer Hunter, Cimino suddenly found himself in the enviable position of being able to make just about any project he wanted. The film he chose to pursue was based on the Johnson County War, a moment in 19th century American history where the conflict between settlers and wealthy landowners was at its height.
United Artists, with a reputation for fostering creativity and Oscar-winning films, eagerly agreed to make what would become Heaven's Gate, and set aside a generous budget of $11.6m to make it. Anxious to have the film in cinemas by the winter of 1979, making it legible...
We look back at one of the most infamous film productions in history. Here are 10 stories of excess from Michael Cimino's Heaven's Gate...
In 1979, director Michael Cimino was at the height of his powers. Having just won five Oscars for his finely-honed, controversial Vietnam film The Deer Hunter, Cimino suddenly found himself in the enviable position of being able to make just about any project he wanted. The film he chose to pursue was based on the Johnson County War, a moment in 19th century American history where the conflict between settlers and wealthy landowners was at its height.
United Artists, with a reputation for fostering creativity and Oscar-winning films, eagerly agreed to make what would become Heaven's Gate, and set aside a generous budget of $11.6m to make it. Anxious to have the film in cinemas by the winter of 1979, making it legible...
- 3/26/2014
- by ryanlambie
- Den of Geek
By Allen Gardner
Killer Joe (Lionsgate) William Friedkin’s film of Tracy Letts’ off-Broadway hit about a family of Texas trailer park cretins (Emile Hirsch, Juno Temple, Thomas Haden Church, Gina Gershon) who hire a cop-cum-hitman (Matthew McConaughey) to take out their troublesome mother, then foolishly cross him, is a stinging satire, given double-barreled audacity by Friedkin’s sure, and fearless, directorial hand. Earning its Nc-17 rating in spades, “Killer Joe” reminds us that daring, frank material like this is why movies exist in the first place. McConaughey gives the performance of his career, hopefully redefined after this. Also available on Blu-ray disc. Bonuses: Featurettes; Commentary by Friendkin; Trailer. Widescreen. Dolby and DTS-hd 5.1 surround.
The Dark Knight Rises (Warner Bros.) Christopher Nolan’s coda to his “Batman” trilogy finds Christian Bale returning as a brooding Bruce Wayne/Caped Crusader, this time faced with a hulking villain (Tom Hardy) with respiratory...
Killer Joe (Lionsgate) William Friedkin’s film of Tracy Letts’ off-Broadway hit about a family of Texas trailer park cretins (Emile Hirsch, Juno Temple, Thomas Haden Church, Gina Gershon) who hire a cop-cum-hitman (Matthew McConaughey) to take out their troublesome mother, then foolishly cross him, is a stinging satire, given double-barreled audacity by Friedkin’s sure, and fearless, directorial hand. Earning its Nc-17 rating in spades, “Killer Joe” reminds us that daring, frank material like this is why movies exist in the first place. McConaughey gives the performance of his career, hopefully redefined after this. Also available on Blu-ray disc. Bonuses: Featurettes; Commentary by Friendkin; Trailer. Widescreen. Dolby and DTS-hd 5.1 surround.
The Dark Knight Rises (Warner Bros.) Christopher Nolan’s coda to his “Batman” trilogy finds Christian Bale returning as a brooding Bruce Wayne/Caped Crusader, this time faced with a hulking villain (Tom Hardy) with respiratory...
- 1/8/2013
- by The Hollywood Interview.com
- The Hollywood Interview
Chicago – Michael Cimino’s “Heaven’s Gate” remains one of the most controversial films of the modern age. Some would go as far as to say that the film’s financial failure in 1980 ushered in an era of studio control in that decade that killed the American auteur movement of the ’60s and ’70s that so redefined the form. It’s not much of a stretch given the historical reputation of a movie that got out of control in the hands of a director who couldn’t manage his own vision. Or is history wrong? Is it an underappreciated classic? Check out the gorgeous new Criterion Blu-ray and decide for yourself.
Rating: 4.5/5.0
The truth is that “Heaven’s Gate” is nowhere near the disaster that the history books would have you believe. It’s also not exactly the artistic success that its studio wanted in 1980 from the director of the Oscar-winning “The Deer Hunter.
Rating: 4.5/5.0
The truth is that “Heaven’s Gate” is nowhere near the disaster that the history books would have you believe. It’s also not exactly the artistic success that its studio wanted in 1980 from the director of the Oscar-winning “The Deer Hunter.
- 12/14/2012
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
A Planet Fury-approved selection of notable genre releases for November.
Rites of Spring (2011) Mpi Home Video DVD Available Now
After abducting the daughter of a wealthy socialite, a group of kidnappers seek refuge in an abandoned school in the middle of a wooded nowhere. Little do they know that they’ve chosen the hunting grounds of a ravenous creature that can only be sated by ritualistic sacrifices every spring. Writer/director Padraig Reynolds’ crime thriller/slasher hybrid received mixed reviews during its short festival run, but it’s a solidly crafted piece with some good performances and impressive cinematography by Carl Herse. The one-sheet art is a thing of beauty.
Heaven’s Gate (1981) Criterion Blu-ray and DVD Available Now
Michael Cimino’s critically panned revisionist western has slowly gained a reputation as an overlooked gem. While it’s no masterpiece, his director’s cut is far better than the confusing...
Rites of Spring (2011) Mpi Home Video DVD Available Now
After abducting the daughter of a wealthy socialite, a group of kidnappers seek refuge in an abandoned school in the middle of a wooded nowhere. Little do they know that they’ve chosen the hunting grounds of a ravenous creature that can only be sated by ritualistic sacrifices every spring. Writer/director Padraig Reynolds’ crime thriller/slasher hybrid received mixed reviews during its short festival run, but it’s a solidly crafted piece with some good performances and impressive cinematography by Carl Herse. The one-sheet art is a thing of beauty.
Heaven’s Gate (1981) Criterion Blu-ray and DVD Available Now
Michael Cimino’s critically panned revisionist western has slowly gained a reputation as an overlooked gem. While it’s no masterpiece, his director’s cut is far better than the confusing...
- 11/28/2012
- by Bradley Harding
- Planet Fury
Hopefully you've been keeping track of the daily Black Friday Deals Week posts I've been featuring each morning, if not here is today's, but of course there are also new releases to consider and today we have a few that may be of interest. Tarantino Xx: 8-Film Collection This eight-film Quentin Tarantino collection includes True Romance (which Tarantino wrote and Tony Scott directed), Kill Bill: Volume One, Kill Bill: Volume Two, Inglourious Basterds, Jackie Brown, Reservoir Dogs, Pulp Fiction and Tarantino's Death Proof from the Grindhouse double feature. All of these were previously available on Blu-ray before this collection was put together, but it does include a couple of newly produced special features of its own which include: Critics Corner: The Films of Quentin Tarantino - In-depth critics' discussion piece exploring Tarantino's films that redefined cinema and the impact of one of the most influential writers/directors of our time.
- 11/20/2012
- by Brad Brevet
- Rope of Silicon
I mentioned watching Michael Cimino's Heaven's Gate for the first time this past Sunday. The film's legacy is unparalleled in this industry, marring the career of its director, credited with bankrupting United Artists and, fairly or unfairly, signalling the end of what is looked at as being the greatest decade of filmmaking in the history of Hollywood. Yes, the history of Heaven's Gate is well-documented and a search around the Internet will offer up a variety of reactions, most of which begin by quoting Vincent Camby's now-famous New York Times review as the film continues to be judged not for what's on screen, but more for the turmoil of its existence. Initially budgeted in the realm of $10-12 million, costs on the picture ultimately rose to $35-44 million, though Cimino recently told the New York Times it was more like $32 million all-in. Based on the rate of inflation, we are...
- 10/4/2012
- by Brad Brevet
- Rope of Silicon
Blu-ray & DVD Release Date: Nov. 20, 2012
Price: DVD $39.95, Blu-ray $49.95
Studio: Criterion
Heaven’s Gate by writer/director Michael Cimino (The Deer Hunter), the 1980 western drama-romance whose unprecedented high cost ($44 million) and poor box office performance ($3 million in the U.S.) led to the demise of both its studio (United Artists) and its maker’s reputation, arrives on Criterion DVD and Blu-ray as a director’s cut for the first time.
Clocking in at 216 minutes, Cimino’s uncut film is praised by fans as a visionary critique of American expansionism and is rightfully considered one of Hollywood’s most ambitious and unorthodox epics.
Set in 1870, the film stars Kris Kristofferson (Dolphin Tale) as a Harvard graduate who has relocated all the way to Wyoming as a federal marshal, where he learns of a government-sanctioned plot by rich cattle barons to kill the area’s European settlers for their land. The resulting skirmish...
Price: DVD $39.95, Blu-ray $49.95
Studio: Criterion
Heaven’s Gate by writer/director Michael Cimino (The Deer Hunter), the 1980 western drama-romance whose unprecedented high cost ($44 million) and poor box office performance ($3 million in the U.S.) led to the demise of both its studio (United Artists) and its maker’s reputation, arrives on Criterion DVD and Blu-ray as a director’s cut for the first time.
Clocking in at 216 minutes, Cimino’s uncut film is praised by fans as a visionary critique of American expansionism and is rightfully considered one of Hollywood’s most ambitious and unorthodox epics.
Set in 1870, the film stars Kris Kristofferson (Dolphin Tale) as a Harvard graduate who has relocated all the way to Wyoming as a federal marshal, where he learns of a government-sanctioned plot by rich cattle barons to kill the area’s European settlers for their land. The resulting skirmish...
- 8/18/2012
- by Laurence
- Disc Dish
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