History Film / HeavensGate

Became a BoxOfficeBomb and an infamous CreatorKiller. Michael Cimino, who had been one of Hollywood's hottest young directors following his UsefulNotes/AcademyAward-winning ''Film/TheDeerHunter'', never recovered. He worked sporadically after this film (even serving as the director of ''Film/{{Footloose}}'' before his constant requests to make it more extravagant--and expensive--led him to him being fired and replaced due to fear of another ''Heaven's Gate''), but never enjoyed the success he had prior to it. Kris Kristofferson, who had enjoyed a very successful career as a leading man in TheSeventies, never headlined a film this big again. The film had gone way, way over budget, causing Creator/UnitedArtists to take a bath. UA, which had been in business for sixty years as a distributor for independent filmmakers, went bankrupt, eventually being bought out by Creator/{{MGM}}. It also is regarded as a milestone in the end of the UsefulNotes/NewHollywood era, the period in the late [[TheSixties Sixties]] and TheSeventies in which auteurs enjoyed unprecedented creative freedom and control of their work.

* DiabolusExMachina: [[spoiler: Despite having lost the war]], Averill, Ella, and Bridges live and are about ready to leave Wyoming a start anew together.....[[spoiler: only for [[BigBad Canton]] and his men to suddenly pop up and kill the latter two, with Averill the sole survivor.]] Especially egregious since [[spoiler: Canton had already won and got what he wanted, and he ends up shot dead by Averill as a result of this.]]

In spite of the critical and commercial backlash, the film was saved by independent film channel Z Channel, which was run by a friend of Cimino and who convinced Cimino to restore the original version of the film with an eye towards the cable and home video market. Upon its re-release (and sparked by the notoriety of the film), the director's cut of ''Heaven's Gate'' has seen its reputation rebuilt somewhat amongst film critics outside of the controversy of its genesis.

The film itself takes place during the [[http://www.wyohistory.org/essays/johnson-county-war Johnson County War]], and tells the tale of two Wyoming men, Sheriff James Averill and gunslinger Nathan Champion. Averill's lawful duty is to keep the peace between poor immigrants and rich farmers, while Champion is the farmers' means of [[JudgeJuryAndExecutioner lethal property protection]]. (The immigrants have been stealing cattle, but only to stave off hunger.) Both are in love with the same woman, Ella--a madam who falls on the farmers' "hit list". As a result, they end up opposing the farmers and join the immigrants' side in the subsequent Johnson County War. Let's just say this battle is [[LeaveTheCameraRunning a long one]].

''Heaven's Gate'' is a 1980 American [[TheWestern Western]] film starring Kris Kristofferson, Creator/ChristopherWalken, Creator/JohnHurt, and Creator/JeffBridges, that is best known as the film that destroyed the career of its director and writer Creator/MichaelCimino. Cimino went ''way'' over budget on the movie,[[note]]mainly through directorial perfectionism, but the vast amounts of cocaine consumed by cast and crew--at company expense--played a significant role as well[[/note]] and the movie itself did so poorly at the box office that the combined effect of the high budget and low income sent the studio (Creator/UnitedArtists) into deep financial trouble. It saw a ''very'' limited release in 1980 before going wider in 1981, with Cimino cutting the film down to 149 minutes--at which point it flopped huge.

Became an infamous CreatorKiller. Michael Cimino, who had been one of Hollywood's hottest young directors following his UsefulNotes/AcademyAward-winning ''Film/TheDeerHunter'', never recovered. He worked sporadically after this film (even serving as the director of ''Film/{{Footloose}}'' before his constant requests to make it more extravagant--and expensive--led him to him being fired and replaced due to fear of another ''Heaven's Gate''), but never enjoyed the success he had prior to it. Kris Kristofferson, who had enjoyed a very successful career as a leading man in TheSeventies, never headlined a film this big again. And Creator/UnitedArtists, which had been in business for sixty years as a distributor for independent filmmakers, went bankrupt, eventually being bought out by Creator/{{MGM}}. It also is regarded as a milestone in the end of the UsefulNotes/NewHollywood era, the period in the late [[TheSixties Sixties]] and TheSeventies in which auteurs enjoyed unprecedented creative freedom and control of their work.

''Heaven's Gate'' is a 1980 American [[TheWestern Western]] film starring Kris Kristofferson, Creator/ChristopherWalken, Creator/JohnHurt, and Creator/JeffBridges, that is best known as the film that destroyed the career of its director and writer Creator/MichaelCimino, who was coming off the Best Picture-winning ''Film/TheDeerHunter''. Cimino went ''way'' over budget on the movie,[[note]]mainly through directorial perfectionism, but the vast amounts of cocaine consumed by cast and crew--at company expense--played a significant role as well[[/note]] and the movie itself did so poorly at the box office that the combined effect of the high budget and low income sent the studio (Creator/UnitedArtists) into deep financial trouble. It saw a ''very'' limited release in 1980 before going wider in 1981, with Cimino cutting the film down to 149 minutes--at which point it flopped huge.

''Heaven's Gate'' is a 1980 American [[TheWestern Western]] film starring Kris Kristofferson, Creator/ChristopherWalken and Creator/JeffBridges, that is best known as the film that destroyed the career of its director and writer Creator/MichaelCimino, who was coming off the Best Picture-winning ''Film/TheDeerHunter''. Cimino went ''way'' over budget on the movie,[[note]]mainly through directorial perfectionism, but the vast amounts of cocaine consumed by cast and crew--at company expense--played a significant role as well[[/note]] and the movie itself did so poorly at the box office that the combined effect of the high budget and low income sent the studio (Creator/UnitedArtists) into deep financial trouble. It saw a ''very'' limited release in 1980 before going wider in 1981, with Cimino cutting the film down to 149 minutes--at which point it flopped huge.

[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/hg2_9981.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:1890: The world's first [[TheEighties roller disco]] opens in Johnson County, Wyoming.]]

''Heaven's Gate'', starring Kris Kristofferson, Creator/ChristopherWalken and Creator/JeffBridges, is best known as the film that destroyed the career of its director and writer Creator/MichaelCimino, who was coming off the Best Picture-winning ''Film/TheDeerHunter''. Cimino went ''way'' over budget on the movie,[[note]]mainly through directorial perfectionism, but the vast amounts of cocaine consumed by cast and crew--at company expense--played a significant role as well[[/note]] and the movie itself did so poorly at the box office that the combined effect of the high budget and low income sent the studio (Creator/UnitedArtists) into deep financial trouble. It saw a ''very'' limited release in 1980 before going wider in 1981, with Cimino cutting the film down to 149 minutes--at which point it flopped huge.

-->--'''John L. Bridges'''

''Heaven's Gate'', starring Kris Kristofferson, ChristopherWalken and Creator/JeffBridges, is best known as the film that destroyed the career of its director and writer Michael Cimino, who was coming off the Best Picture-winning ''Film/TheDeerHunter''. Cimino went ''way'' over budget on the movie[[note]]mainly through directorial perfectionism, but the vast amounts of cocaine consumed by cast and crew--at company expense--played a significant role as well[[/note]], and the movie itself did so poorly at the box office that the combined effect of the high budget and low income sent the studio (Creator/UnitedArtists) into deep financial trouble. It saw a ''very'' limited release in 1980 before going wider in 1981, with Cimino cutting the film down to 149 minutes--at which point it flopped huge.

The film itself tells the tale of two Wyoming men, Sheriff James Averill and gunslinger Nathan Champion. Averill's lawful duty is to keep the peace between poor immigrants and rich farmers, while Champion is the farmers' means of [[JudgeJuryAndExecutioner lethal property protection]]. (The immigrants have been stealing cattle, but only to stave off hunger.) Both are in love with the same woman, Ella--a madam who falls on the farmers' "hit list". As a result, they end up opposing the farmers and join the immigrants' side in the subsequent Johnson County War. Let's just say this battle is [[LeaveTheCameraRunning a long one]].

* TrivalTitle: "Heaven's Gate" is the name of the skating rink.

--->'''Creator/RogerEbert:''' The most scandalous cinematic waste I have ever seen, and remember, I've seen ''Film/PaintYourWagon''.

Became an infamous CreatorKiller. Michael Cimino, who had been one of Hollywood's hottest young directors following his UsefulNotes/AcademyAward-winning ''Film/TheDeerHunter'', never recovered. He worked sporadically after this film (even serving as the director of ''Film/{{Footloose}}'' before his constant requests to make it more extravagant--and expensive--led him to him being fired and replaced due to fear of another ''Heaven's Gate''), but never enjoyed the success he had prior to it. Kris Kristofferson, who had enjoyed a very successful career as a leading man in TheSeventies, never headlined a film this big again. And Creator/UnitedArtists, which had been in business for sixty years as a distributor for independent filmmakers, went bankrupt, eventually being bought out by Creator/{{MGM}}. It also is regarded as a milestone in the end of the NewHollywood era, the period in the late [[TheSixties Sixties]] and TheSeventies in which auteurs enjoyed unprecedented creative freedom and control of their work.

* DisasterDominoes: Not only did it kill Michael Cimino's reputation, collapse United Artists, and essentially put an end to the ''Auteur'' era of NewHollywood, but the loss of money also made it impossible for UA to run an Oscar campaign for Creator/MartinScorsese's ''Film/RagingBull'', possibly leading to one of the most notorious [[AwardSnub Best Picture snubs]] of the modern film era. And finished off the already dying {{Western}} genre, for everybody except Creator/ClintEastwood anyway.

''Heaven's Gate'', starring Kris Kristofferson, ChristopherWalken and Creator/JeffBridges, is best known as the film that destroyed the career of its director and writer Michael Cimino, who was coming off the Best Picture-winning ''Film/TheDeerHunter''. Cimino went ''way'' over budget on the movie[[note]]mainly through directorial perfectionism, but the vast amounts of cocaine used by cast and crew - at company expense - played a significant role as well[[/note]], and the movie itself did so poorly at the box office that the combined effect of the high budget and low income sent the studio (Creator/UnitedArtists) into deep financial trouble. It saw a ''very'' limited release in 1980 before going wider in 1981, with Cimino cutting the film down to 149 minutes -- at which point it flopped huge.

The film itself tells the tale of two Wyoming men, Sheriff James Averill and gunslinger Nathan Champion. Averill's lawful duty is to keep the peace between poor immigrants and rich farmers, while Champion is the farmers' means of [[JudgeJuryAndExecutioner lethal property protection]]. (The immigrants have been stealing cattle, but only to stave off hunger.) Both are in love with the same woman, Ella -- a madam who falls on the farmers' "hit list". As a result, they end up opposing the farmers and join the immigrants' side in the subsequent Johnson County War. Let's just say this battle is [[LeaveTheCameraRunning a long one]].

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!!This film provides examples of:

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* RealIsBrown: Especially in some of the earlier scenes. Naturally this doesn't improve the quality of shots where the frame is dominated by dust and smoke. RogerEbert stated that this was one of the ugliest films he had to watch.

* RealIsBrown: Especially in some of the earlier scenes. Naturally this doesn't improve the quality of shots where the frame is dominated by dust and smoke.

''Heaven's Gate'', starring Kris Kristofferson, ChristopherWalken and Creator/JeffBridges, is best known as the film that destroyed the career of its director and writer (and real-life InsufferableGenius) Michael Cimino, who was coming off the Best Picture-winning ''Film/TheDeerHunter''. Cimino went ''way'' over budget on the movie[[note]]mainly through directorial perfectionism, but the vast amounts of cocaine used by cast and crew - at company expense - played a significant role as well[[/note]], and the movie itself did so poorly at the box office that the combined effect of the high budget and low income sent the studio (Creator/UnitedArtists) into deep financial trouble. It saw a ''very'' limited release in 1980 before going wider in 1981, with Cimino cutting the film down to 149 minutes -- at which point it flopped huge.

Became an infamous CreatorKiller. Michael Cimino, who had been one of Hollywood's hottest young directors following his AcademyAward-winning ''Film/TheDeerHunter'', never recovered. He worked sporadically after this film (even serving as the director of ''Film/{{Footloose}}'' before his constant requests to make it more extravagant--and expensive--led him to him being fired and replaced due to fear of another ''Heaven's Gate''), but never enjoyed the success he had prior to it. Kris Kristofferson, who had enjoyed a very successful career as a leading man in TheSeventies, never headlined a film this big again. And Creator/UnitedArtists, which had been in business for sixty years as a distributor for independent filmmakers, went bankrupt, eventually being bought out by Creator/{{MGM}}. It also is regarded as a milestone in the end of the NewHollywood era, the period in the late [[TheSixties Sixties]] and TheSeventies in which auteurs enjoyed unprecedented creative freedom and control of their work.

''Heaven's Gate'', starring Kris Kristofferson, ChristopherWalken and Creator/JeffBridges, is best known as the film that destroyed the career of its director and writer (and real-life InsufferableGenius) Michael Cimino. Cimino went ''way'' over budget on the movie[[note]]mainly through directorial perfectionism, but the vast amounts of cocaine used by cast and crew - at company expense - played a significant role as well[[/note]], and the movie itself did so poorly at the box office that the combined effect of the high budget and low income sent the studio (Creator/UnitedArtists) into deep financial trouble. It saw a ''very'' limited release in 1980 before going wider in 1981, with Cimino cutting the film down to 149 minutes -- at which point it flopped huge.

* FanEdit: Creator/StevenSoderbergh put together [[http://extension765.com/sdr/16-heavens-gate-the-butchers-cut an "immoral and illegal" edit]] that trimmed it to under two hours. He tightens up the narrative and [[spoiler:puts the Harvard scenes at the end as a flashback]].