- Actors: Kris Kristofferson, Christopher Walken, John Hurt, Sam Waterston, Brad Dourif
- Directors: Michael Cimino
- Writers: Michael Cimino
- Producers: Charles Okun, Denis O'Dell, Joann Carelli, William Reynolds
- Language English
- Classification: 18
- Studio: Warner
- VHS Release Date: 18 May 1998
- Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
- ASIN: B00004CJ7G
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 4,701 in Video (See Top 100 in Video)
Product details |
Product Description
From the Back Cover
Richly textured and visually compelling, this lavish, epic western retells the true story of Wyoming's infamous Johnson County War - a brutal conflict during which wealthy cattlemen, backed by the U.S government hired mercenaries to murder 125 immigrant settlers.
From the incredible beauty of the magnificent landscapes to the explosive violence of the bloody battle itself, Heaven's Gate combines breathtaking cinematography, Oscar-nominated Art Direction and memorable performances by Kris Kristofferson, Christopher Walken, Isabelle Huppert and Jeff Bridges in a spectacular, panoramic and ultimately haunting look at the reverse side of the American dream.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
16 of 16 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
I should have done my homework first! This is one of my favourite movies...a much under-rated classic. However, the full length version comes in at 209 minutes, whilst this version is only 144 minutes (the first cinema release). Michael Cimino never liked the first version and re-relesed the movie at full length some years later, to much better critical aclaim. The full length version is available at a similar price elsewhere, so look arounbd before you buy. Otherwise the delivery etc were all perfect.
68 of 72 people found the following review helpful
Format:VHS Tape
Michael Cimino's film would be held up as the archetypal Hollywood film that went vastly over-budget & failed to recoup the costs. Deemed a failure, jounalists gathered like vultures and books like The Final Cut (Stephen Bach) appeared- this would spell the end of New Hollywood- an era that had been ushered in with Bonnie & Clyde and Easy Rider would come to a close with this film- and Beatty's Reds (and perhaps Schrader's Lucas/Coppola produced Mishima). Art cinema would be off the menu- Bogdanovich & Coppola would have money problems, Scorsese would become a director for hire & Cimino would never recover. The High Concept would dominate the 80's- movies like Top Gun, Flashdance & Rambo would replace the possibilities offered up by auteurs like Cimino and Coppola. Our loss.
Heaven's Gate has dated wonderfully, this full-length 3hours 28 minutes version is much more satisfying than the edited take previously released (the 1980's would see many works cut to bits- such as Dune and Once Upon a Time in America). This is a far more satisfying Western than many that have followed it, such as Pale Rider, Dances with Wolves, Wyatt Earp, Tombstone & Ride with the Devil (but not Unforgiven or Dead Man). Cimino's epic ambition is all evident on-screen (photographer Vilmos Zsigmond captures a stunning world). As with Reds, you can see where the money went- a stunning recreation of an era in terms of art direction, design & costume.
This easily ranks next to Thunderbolt & Lightfoot and The Deer Hunter (whose epic vision was leading towards this epic-epic) and can a film with a cast including Kris Kristofferson, Isabelle Huppert, John Hurt, Christopher Walken, Jeff Bridges, Sam Waterson, Joseph Cotton & Brad Dourif be anything less than wonderful?
As Peter Biskind notes in Easy Riders, Raging Bulls- it could have been any of the late films of New Hollywood that broke the studio- Raging Bull, Reds, the projected 1983 version of Last Temptation of Christ, One from the Heart etc. Heaven's Gate has an appalling reputation, but in time I believe people will watch it and see that Cimino's vision is one of the great works of late 20th century American cinema.
35 of 37 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
I only saw this film once a quarter of a century ago, yet it's impact has never left me and I can still remember even now my reactions to it.I was mesmerised by the breadth and the sheer beauty of so much of the photography. I was astounded that an American studio could produce such a European film with it's slow pace and its unfocused plot. The lack of any strong characters felt like a flaw but I raged at the completely unnecessary ending on the yacht which seemed as though it was bolted on to give some kind of plot cohesion and which was entirely at odds with the style of the rest of the picture.It was also refreshing to see a western which made no pretence about the brutality and exploitation that so often was the unfortunate detritus of the American Dream.The western scenes and sets also had an authenticity which was entirely new to me and which prefigured the recent Deadwood series.The film was massively cut for the American audience and its my very real wish that in these days of Director's Cuts that Michael Cimino is given the opportunity of a fresh edit in the light of reflection - a cut which could turn this ill fated movie into the masterpiece it had the potential to become
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Heaven's Gate--a flawed masterpiece....
Michael Cimino destroyed his own career and setback that of many of his cast--with this "infamous" western-a movie that brought down a studio, costing a reputed $44million dollars... Read more
Published 10 months ago by sam lowry
A memorable but flawed masterpiece.
I only saw this film once a quarter of a century ago, yet it's impact has never left me and I can still remember even now my reactions to it. Read more
Published 11 months ago by Roger Boon
Is This The 209 Minute Version?
I have not seen this film for some years and would buy it but is this the 144 minute or the 209 minute version ? It is not listed.
Published on 30 May 2010 by Mr. Colin Barber
An unique movie (You have been warned)
Some people might like this movie for its anti-western and realistic view of the Far West. Others might just hate or won't stand its long sequences, its 220 minutes (while Once... Read more
Published on 5 Mar 2010 by Omnes
Heaven's Gate
After reading 'Final Cut' by Steven Bach I had to watch this film again. The first time I saw it on video I was a teenager and I thought I may have been too young to appreciate it. Read more
Published on 6 Oct 2009 by Duncan Wellaway
Depends on where you come from
I think there's two kind of reviewers. Normal ones - and those who have read Steve Bach's FINAL CUT. For them, every name in the credits spells a meaning and a story. Read more
Published on 17 April 2009 by Eduard Habsburg
A thing of rare Beauty
"Heavens Gate" stands like some long abandoned monolith to a strange long extinct race. Its beauty is undeniable but all understanding of its reason for existence gone. Read more
Published on 8 Feb 2009 by Bob Salter
Heavens Gate
Heaven's Gate Well, first off, the reason I've given this 1 star is because after it arrived through my door it has remained in its sealed cellophane wrapper. Read more
Published on 30 Dec 2008 by Cynical John
A time and a place...
No, it NOT accurate from a historical perspective but I don't believe it was ever the intention to be a history lesson. Read more
Published on 11 Nov 2008 by S. Kemp
Cimino's epic is a tough movie to judge...
After the critical and financial success of Oscar darling The Deer Hunter, Michael Cimino had Hollywood, the majority of the media and more importantly, United Artists' executives... Read more
Published on 6 Aug 2004 by Luisito Joaquín González
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