This week we look at a star-studded take on a classic novel, the last laugh for "The Big Bang Theory," and a Netflix movie that puts a sci-fi twist on a tragic reality.
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Title: Heaven's Gate (1980)
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| Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
| Kris Kristofferson | ... | James Averill | |
| Christopher Walken | ... | Nathan D. Champion (as Chris Walken) | |
| John Hurt | ... | William C. Irvine | |
| Sam Waterston | ... | Frank Canton | |
| Brad Dourif | ... | Mr. Eggleston | |
| Isabelle Huppert | ... | Ella Watson | |
| Joseph Cotten | ... | The Reverend Doctor | |
| Jeff Bridges | ... | John H. Bridges | |
| Ronnie Hawkins | ... | Maj. Wolcott | |
| Paul Koslo | ... | Mayor Charlie Lezak | |
| Geoffrey Lewis | ... | Trapper Fred | |
| Richard Masur | ... | Cully | |
 |
Rosie Vela | ... | Beautiful Girl (as Roseanne Vela) |
|
|
Mary Catherine Wright | ... | Nell (as Mary C. Wright) |
| Nicholas Woodeson | ... | Small Man | |
Wyoming, 1890. James Averill is the Sherriff of Johnson County, a county largely inhabited by foreign immigrants. The wealthy cattle owners view the immigrant farmers as a nuisance and hindrance to them enlarging their own land. The cattlemen's association, the Wyoming Stock Growers Association, effectively declares war on the immigrant farmers, and gets the state government's blessing. They assemble an army of guns-for-hire, and, backed by the U.S. Cavalry, set out to rid the state of the immigrants. James Averill's heart is with the immigrants, but he is not sure they have a chance of winning the inevitable war. Written by grantss
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I'm only one of a very few people who has actually seen BOTH versions of "Heaven's Gate". A frequently asked question is "Why was it ripped apart so badly?" The answer lies in this story here:
In 1984 I rented "Heaven's Gate" in order to show a friend of mine who had wanted to know if the film was as bad as he had heard. About 50 or so minutes into the film, Averill walks into Casper, Wyoming, which at the time this scene takes place is 1890. The town is filled with many meticulously dressed pedestrians, and the streets are filled with horses and buggies. My friend starts laughing uncontrollably. I asked, "Did I miss something?" He pulls himself together and says, "You gotta be kidding. There ain't even that many people in Casper, Wyoming NOW."
That in a nutshell can easily describe what went wrong. The film reeks of a director desperately trying to convince us that this movie is very important and cries for us to think he's an absolute genius. Actors take long breaths between sentences as though they were going to choke on what they are saying (man, just wait till you get to the scene where the deathlist is read out - you truly believe he'll read all 125 names), while every shot is filled with either smoke or dust in order to give us the feeling that this is ART. Camino's intentions were honorable as I truly believed that he believed he was making a masterpiece. This is what happens when you go out to make a masterpiece. I had only wished he tried to go out and make a good western. Then this film might have worked.