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An inside look at the hectic production of Heaven's Gate (1980), the media circus that turned it into a synonym for movie flop and how it added to the tectonic change that occurred in Hollyw... Read allAn inside look at the hectic production of Heaven's Gate (1980), the media circus that turned it into a synonym for movie flop and how it added to the tectonic change that occurred in Hollywood film studios after it infamously flopped.An inside look at the hectic production of Heaven's Gate (1980), the media circus that turned it into a synonym for movie flop and how it added to the tectonic change that occurred in Hollywood film studios after it infamously flopped.
Steven Bach
- Self
- (as Stephen Bach)
Sandy Berke Jordan
- Self
- (as Sandra Jordan)
Richard Burton
- Self - Mark Anthony
- (archive footage)
Joann Carelli
- Self
- (archive footage)
Kathleen Carroll
- Self
- (archive footage)
Charles Chaplin
- Self
- (archive footage)
Michael Cimino
- Self
- (archive footage)
Francis Ford Coppola
- Self
- (archive footage)
Willem Dafoe
- Self - Narrator
- (voice)
Dick Deats
- Self
- (as Dicky Deats)
Douglas Fairbanks
- Self
- (archive footage)
William Friedkin
- Self
- (archive footage)
D.W. Griffith
- Self
- (archive footage)
Isabelle Huppert
- Self - Ella Watson
- (archive footage)
- Director
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
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Featured reviews
Chronicling the making of Cimino's misunderstood masterpiece
An absorbing chronicle of the fabled history of the landmark film, HEAVEN'S GATE. The documentary is fairly well researched and clever in its technique (particularly the imaginative use of the extensive production stills taken - most never seen before.) The interviews with two of the film's stars (Kristofferson and Bridges) are great in that they are still on good terms with and champion Michael Cimino. Interviews with cinematographer, Vilmos Zsigmond and Penelope Shaw are also wonderful and give you a taste of what it must have been like to work alongside Cimino. Even the interviews with former UA executives, Bach & Field - who hired and later rued the day they engaged Cimino are fascinating and surprisingly balanced. One major disappointment is that of the hundreds of hours of film that was shot - and which is talked about and discussed extensively - no actual rushes or outtakes are shown (The terrible rumor is that they were scrapped at some later point.) Also - it's maddening for a fan of this film to hear Steven Bach speak of the 5+ hour rough cut that Cimino originally showed him - and that this version is unavailable for screening or study (if it even still exists.) Interestingly, the second cut of the film, released in 1981 is not just shorter but markedly different in many places (placement of scenes - different takes, etc.) and is now very hard to see or get access to (a little known DVD of this version is available in Europe and is well worth tracking down -- the transfer has a very different look and a much clearer dialog mix.)
This one is HIGHLY recommended!
This is a brilliant doc! Very captivating.
As I understand this "making of" has only been shown on TV (so far). I would guess a doc as good as this would warrant it's own release on DVD. If not that, it should at least be included in a future special edition of Heaven's Gate (which I'm sure we'll get someday).
All the interviews are very interesting. The stories that were told was funny, shocking, sad, mind-boggling, informative and captivating. It's funny that Willem Dafoe (who was fired from the set of heaven's gate, as an extra) is the narrator. He does a great job.
The craftsmanship that went into this making of is breathtaking. It's not often you see movie related documentaries done as well as this. Most of them are rush-jobs. This one was absorbing all the way through and is highly recommended to any movie fan interested in movie history.
As I understand this "making of" has only been shown on TV (so far). I would guess a doc as good as this would warrant it's own release on DVD. If not that, it should at least be included in a future special edition of Heaven's Gate (which I'm sure we'll get someday).
All the interviews are very interesting. The stories that were told was funny, shocking, sad, mind-boggling, informative and captivating. It's funny that Willem Dafoe (who was fired from the set of heaven's gate, as an extra) is the narrator. He does a great job.
The craftsmanship that went into this making of is breathtaking. It's not often you see movie related documentaries done as well as this. Most of them are rush-jobs. This one was absorbing all the way through and is highly recommended to any movie fan interested in movie history.
Widespread audience for this tremendous doc
I have never seen Ishtar. I have not seen Gigli or Hudson Hawk either. I haven't even seen Battlefield Earth. I have stayed away from many of the great flops successfully. But above all those, and the many other classic failures that have come before and since, I have never seen Heaven's Gate. I should state that at the beginning.
Michael Cimino's Heaven's Gate should stand alongside The Birth of a Nation, Bonnie & Clyde, Pulp Fiction and a short list of other films that have changed the way cinema operates. Final Cut: The Making and Unmaking of Heaven's Gate is a bombastic, cutting, and thorough look at the long evolution and quick death of a film that murdered a motion picture studio.
It is understandable, yet disappointing, that Cimino would not discuss the film that ruined him. Instead, the filmmakers employ the help of assorted actors and crew members to discuss the plight. But most interesting is the inclusion of two United Artists executives, both of whom were inexperienced at film-making at the time of shooting Heaven's Gate. They discuss their faults as well as the director's honestly and often humorously.
The audience for documentaries are often small, but this one is different. Even for those of you who do not care much for film or film history; even for those of you who have never seen Heaven's Gate and never want to; the film is about failure, personal and financial, on a grand scale. Though seeing someone flounder miserably is not often fun, shaking your head in hindsight can be. ***.5 out of ****
Michael Cimino's Heaven's Gate should stand alongside The Birth of a Nation, Bonnie & Clyde, Pulp Fiction and a short list of other films that have changed the way cinema operates. Final Cut: The Making and Unmaking of Heaven's Gate is a bombastic, cutting, and thorough look at the long evolution and quick death of a film that murdered a motion picture studio.
It is understandable, yet disappointing, that Cimino would not discuss the film that ruined him. Instead, the filmmakers employ the help of assorted actors and crew members to discuss the plight. But most interesting is the inclusion of two United Artists executives, both of whom were inexperienced at film-making at the time of shooting Heaven's Gate. They discuss their faults as well as the director's honestly and often humorously.
The audience for documentaries are often small, but this one is different. Even for those of you who do not care much for film or film history; even for those of you who have never seen Heaven's Gate and never want to; the film is about failure, personal and financial, on a grand scale. Though seeing someone flounder miserably is not often fun, shaking your head in hindsight can be. ***.5 out of ****
10tavm
Final Cut: The Making and Unmaking of Heaven's Gate was a fascinating look at the way that production unravelled for the late Michael Cimino
Having never seen the movie Heaven's Gate itself, I've always been fascinated by the tale of woe concerning the studio involved-United Artists-and especially the director who made it-the now-late Michael Cimino. He declined to an interview here so what we see of him is from his interview with Gene Shalit on the "Today" show. Among the actors interviewed from the movie are Brad Dourif, Kris Kristofferson, and Jeff Bridges who now owns some of the sets from the Montana location. Willem Dafoe made his debut (uncredited) in the movie and does the narration here. Of the UA executives interviewed, the most fascinating was from Steven Bach who eventually wrote the book about the thing called Final Cut which I read and thought was fascinating if longish. Of Cimino's other films, I've seen and liked The Deer Hunter and Year of the Dragon. I also have a DVD of Thunderfoot and Lightfoot which I hope to watch and review next...
The Making of a Disaster
Final Cut: The Making and Unmaking of Heaven's Gate (2004)
**** (out of 4)
Jeff Bridges, Brad Dourif, Kris Kristofferson and Vilmos Zsigmond are just some of the people involved with HEAVEN'S GATE who are in this documentary to discuss the making of the movie. In case you're not familiar, United Artists pretty much gave director Michael Cimino everything and anything, which ended up costing a lot of people their jobs when the budget went out of control and this was followed by some very bad press and even worse box office.
This documentary does a fantastic job at discussing one of the biggest disasters in Hollywood history. Thankfully it does feature interviews with so many people involved with the production so this gives a terrific look at what was going on behind-the-scenes and what Cimino was actually doing. It rather remarkable to hear this story because it's just shocking to think that there was a time when something like this could have happened. Various options are discussed about what the studio could have done to the director or should have done to it and the reasons why nothing happened.
If you're a film buff then you'll certainly love this documentary because it's perfect at showing what can go wrong when a director is given full control of everything on a film. There are some great archival materials dealing with the release of the picture and how everything pretty much fell apart until the studio was left with a disaster. The only negative thing is that Cimino refused to be interviewed for the film as it would have been great getting his side of everything.
**** (out of 4)
Jeff Bridges, Brad Dourif, Kris Kristofferson and Vilmos Zsigmond are just some of the people involved with HEAVEN'S GATE who are in this documentary to discuss the making of the movie. In case you're not familiar, United Artists pretty much gave director Michael Cimino everything and anything, which ended up costing a lot of people their jobs when the budget went out of control and this was followed by some very bad press and even worse box office.
This documentary does a fantastic job at discussing one of the biggest disasters in Hollywood history. Thankfully it does feature interviews with so many people involved with the production so this gives a terrific look at what was going on behind-the-scenes and what Cimino was actually doing. It rather remarkable to hear this story because it's just shocking to think that there was a time when something like this could have happened. Various options are discussed about what the studio could have done to the director or should have done to it and the reasons why nothing happened.
If you're a film buff then you'll certainly love this documentary because it's perfect at showing what can go wrong when a director is given full control of everything on a film. There are some great archival materials dealing with the release of the picture and how everything pretty much fell apart until the studio was left with a disaster. The only negative thing is that Cimino refused to be interviewed for the film as it would have been great getting his side of everything.
Did you know
- TriviaUnbeknownst to the public (and showbiz industry), United Artists was afforded legitimate opportunity to put the project into turnaround (approximately 3 to 4 weeks into pre-production), when Michael Cimino insisted on casting an unknown, European for the female lead role. At a stalemate, United Artists' executives David Field and Steven Bach alerted Cimino they were returning to their offices to ratify his $3M pay-or-play contract stipulation; He had 48 hours to discharge Huppert, otherwise the director would be paid-out, the project placed in turnaround, and the studio would just eat the hundreds-of-thousands of dollars already invested in development).
David Field supposedly believed there'd been no bluff-posturing. This wasn't their first hassle with the director, so Field felt it was fortunate they could discharge the fickle project and its increasingly dishonest director at an affordable fee; Moreover, he was certain his east coast counterpart, Steve Bach, was on the same page (Bach had been particularly invective towards Cimino's casting, repeatedly likening Huppert's on-screen appeal to "a potato" and "Pillsbury Doughboy"). That's why Field was reportedly "blown away" to learn Bach had gone behind his back, not only reversed his stance on Huppert, but his total allegiance now laid with Team Cimino. With the "Huppert decision," Cimino had essentially gained complete creative control. He'd soon demand UA agree to a revised contract, affording him total financial control. Field has maintained, for decades, this was the single worst decision for the project and Transamerica/United Artists.
Fields reportedly relayed this anecdotal to Final Cut producers (during his on-camera interview). In a 2022 Cimino monograph, the former U/A exec acknowledged later seeing a rough cut of the finished documentary (with his revelatory pre-production story utilized to introduce him on-camera); Yet, when he attended a premier screening the segment had been redacted entirely. Bach (who also authored the behind-the-scenes tell-all this documentary is adapted on) reportedly "had a fit" when he saw Field's aforementioned intro and demanded it be excised from the finished cut.
- Quotes
Brad Dourif: I'm not used to doing fifty takes. I'm really not. I'm not used to doing a minimum of thirty-two takes.
- Alternate versionsThe DVD and blu-ray release of HEAVEN'S GATE in the UK by the label, Second Sight, contains a "DVD version" of the documentary which has been reworked, edited and shortened from it's original TV broadcast length, to 55 minutes.
- ConnectionsFeatures Queen Kelly (1929)
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
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- Also known as
- Final Cut: The Making of 'Heaven's Gate' and the Unmaking of a Studio
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
- Runtime
- 1h 18m(78 min)
- Color
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