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IMDbPro

Heaven's Gate

  • 19801980
  • RR
  • 3h 39m
IMDb RATING
6.7/10
15K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
3,754
1,030
Heaven's Gate (1980)
Three Reasons Criterion Trailer for Heaven's Gate
Play trailer1:23
2 Videos
99+ Photos
AdventureDramaWestern
During the Johnson County War in 1890 Wyoming, a sheriff born into wealth does his best to protect immigrant farmers from rich cattle interests.During the Johnson County War in 1890 Wyoming, a sheriff born into wealth does his best to protect immigrant farmers from rich cattle interests.During the Johnson County War in 1890 Wyoming, a sheriff born into wealth does his best to protect immigrant farmers from rich cattle interests.
IMDb RATING
6.7/10
15K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
3,754
1,030
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Director
      • Michael Cimino
    • Writer
      • Michael Cimino
    • Stars
      • Kris Kristofferson
      • Christopher Walken
      • John Hurt
    Top credits
    • Director
      • Michael Cimino
    • Writer
      • Michael Cimino
    • Stars
      • Kris Kristofferson
      • Christopher Walken
      • John Hurt
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 257User reviews
    • 140Critic reviews
    • 57Metascore
    • Nominated for 1 Oscar
      • 2 wins & 9 nominations total

    Videos2

    Heaven's Gate: The Criterion Collection
    Trailer 1:23
    Heaven's Gate: The Criterion Collection
    Sneak Previews Season 3 Episode 27
    Video 29:09
    Sneak Previews Season 3 Episode 27

    Photos107

    Isabelle Huppert and Kris Kristofferson in Heaven's Gate (1980)
    Isabelle Huppert and Kris Kristofferson in Heaven's Gate (1980)
    Kris Kristofferson in Heaven's Gate (1980)
    Christopher Walken, Isabelle Huppert, and Kris Kristofferson in Heaven's Gate (1980)
    Christopher Walken, Isabelle Huppert, and Kris Kristofferson in Heaven's Gate (1980)
    Christopher Walken, Isabelle Huppert, and Kris Kristofferson in Heaven's Gate (1980)
    Heaven's Gate (1980)
    Christopher Walken, Isabelle Huppert, and Kris Kristofferson in Heaven's Gate (1980)
    Christopher Walken in Heaven's Gate (1980)
    Christopher Walken in Heaven's Gate (1980)
    Heaven's Gate (1980)
    Heaven's Gate (1980)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Kris Kristofferson
    Kris Kristofferson
    • James Averill
    Christopher Walken
    Christopher Walken
    • Nathan D. Champion
    • (as Chris Walken)
    John Hurt
    John Hurt
    • William C. Irvine
    Sam Waterston
    Sam Waterston
    • Frank Canton
    Brad Dourif
    Brad Dourif
    • Mr. Eggleston
    Isabelle Huppert
    Isabelle Huppert
    • Ella Watson
    Joseph Cotten
    Joseph Cotten
    • The Reverend Doctor
    Jeff Bridges
    Jeff Bridges
    • John H. Bridges
    Ronnie Hawkins
    Ronnie Hawkins
    • Maj. Wolcott
    Paul Koslo
    Paul Koslo
    • Mayor Charlie Lezak
    Geoffrey Lewis
    Geoffrey Lewis
    • Trapper Fred
    Richard Masur
    Richard Masur
    • Cully
    Rosie Vela
    • Beautiful Girl
    • (as Roseanne Vela)
    Mary Catherine Wright
    • Nell
    • (as Mary C. Wright)
    Nicholas Woodeson
    Nicholas Woodeson
    • Small Man
    Stefan Shcherby
    • Big Man
    Waldemar Kalinowski
    • Photographer
    Terry O'Quinn
    Terry O'Quinn
    • Capt. Minardi
    • Director
      • Michael Cimino
    • Writer
      • Michael Cimino
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Sir John Hurt spent so long waiting around for something to do that he made The Elephant Man (1980), then came back to shoot more scenes for this movie.
    • Goofs
      Despite music and a yard full of waltzing couples, several 360-degree panning shots at the Harvard commencement ball show that there is no orchestra.
    • Quotes

      Frank Canton: Mr. Champion, my grandfather was the Secretary of War to Harrison. His brother was the governor of the state of New York. My brother-in-law is Secretary of State. And to you, I represent the full authority of the government of the United States and the President.

      Nathan D. Champion: Fuck him too.

      Billy Irvine: Bravo, sir!

    • Alternate versions
      After its disastrous premiere engagement, the film was heavily edited to 149 minutes for wide release in 1981. Full-length version (228 minutes) later restored for home video and syndicated television.
    • Connections
      Featured in Sneak Previews: Nighthawks/Modern Romance/Heaven's Gate/Excalibur/Napoleon (1981)

    User reviews257

    Review
    Top review
    5/10
    If Cecil B. DeMille made art films...
    ...they'd probably be better than this.

    Towards the end of "Heaven's Gate", it dawned upon me that Michael Ciminio has no idea what his movie is about. Is it an epic adventure, a revisionist western, a character study, a snapshot of a historical period, a love story, a dramatic expose of corruption, an artful meditation on humanity? Cimino has no idea. He tries to make "Heaven's Gate" into all of these things, more or less failing.

    It's not as if he was concerned about the damage this incoherence would do to the plot, characters, pacing, etc. The bottom line is SPECTACLE. The audience is supposed to be overwhelmed; by the epic subtext, cast of thousands, artistic lighting, the sheer money apparent on the screen. But any self-respecting viewer will tell you that being overwhelmed is not the same as being entertained.

    Every scene presents a bare minimum of information to tell the story: There's a guy. We saw him before, I think. Now he's on a train. Now he's talking to somebody. Now he's mad. And so on. We get the gist of what's going on, with little clue why or how. Not that we care anyway, the characters are all constructed as supporting players to spectacle.

    To make matters worse, every shot, scene, sequence, and subplot is about four times too long. There is one exception: the roller skating scene, filled with such energy and cinematic prowess that it seems tacked on from another picture. That alone was worth the price of admission. Almost.

    Cimino has a relatively unimaginative style of direction, which appears standard on prime time TV. Yet Ciminio constantly gets lost in "fetishes", which apparently are dust, trains and horses. Dust is everywhere. Everywhere. Indoors, outdoors, in the middle of grassy fields. Sometimes there's so much dust you can't even see what's going on. Whenever a train appears, we are treated to beautiful, laborious shots that clog up the storyline. There are apparently less people in Johnson County than horses, who repeatedly hog the foreground. Even in the battle sequences. In fact, the dramatic scene at the end of Part I consists of horses riding off a train, obscured by dust. I'm serious.

    This would be a film forgotten by time if it weren't for the titanic production misadventure that bankrupted an established movie studio, bringing the New Hollywood era down with it. Of course, "JAWS" and "Star Wars" are guilty too, but only in the best possible ways.

    But "Heaven's Gate" is a sheer mess. Not a disaster, or an ostracized masterpiece. An unguided, absolute, sheer mess. Like T.S. Elliot, "This is the way the world ends/not with a bang but a whimper." It would feel a lot better if the age of the auteur that included "The Graduate", "Bonnie and Clyde", "2001", "The Godfather", "Taxi Driver", and "Apocalypse Now" had ended with a spectacular bomb.

    But no. "Heaven's Gate" is Hollywood's whimper.
    helpful•67
    29
    • porbeagle_zen
    • Apr 19, 2007

    FAQ5

    • Why was Ella's name on the death list?
    • How could the cattle ranchers' association get permission to create the death list? Wouldn't they have to go through at least some judicial channels?
    • The 1985 first edition of Stephen Bach's book, what was its original title?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • April 24, 1981 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Languages
      • English
      • Serbo-Croatian
      • Russian
      • French
      • Polish
      • German
      • Ukrainian
    • Also known as
      • Michael Cimino's Heaven's Gate
    • Filming locations
      • Kalispell, Montana, USA
    • Production company
      • Partisan Productions
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $44,000,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $3,484,331
    • Gross worldwide
      • $3,484,523
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      3 hours 39 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Aspect ratio
      • 2.39 : 1

    Related news

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