Michael Cimino, The Deer Hunter / Heaven's Gate Director, Dead at 77

I wish the Criterion had the full version Cimino wanted, just so we could see it.

 

Here's an article that appeared in today's Hollywood Reporter about what a strange guy Cimino was, how he often exaggerated and changed his complex past, and some of what went wrong on Heaven's Gate:

Peter Biskind on Michael Cimino's Twisted, Tortured Legacy: "A Mystery in Death as He Was in Life" - Hollywood Reporter »

 

Could someone answer a question for me please. I just watched this for the first time, and while I enjoyed it, I couldn't tell who were the people in the b&w photo that was shown several times. It was a framed photo and at the end when Kristofersen's character is on the boat, he looks at it for a bit. It looked like John Savage in the photo, but that doesn't make sense. So who were those two?

 

Thunderbolt& Lightfoot ⚡️
Is my favorite.
Deer Hunter
Sadly lost its appeal for me, a drAma wrapped in Russian roulette.
Heavens Gate.
Few good bits in it, not enough though.

 

*bump* - can anyone clear this up for me? I tried a few web searches and wasn't able to find an explanation. If only there were something like an IMDB forum to ask at...

 

IMDb message board?
Sore point with me.
Good luck in your explanation query.

 

Thunderbolt ⚡️& Lightfoot
has held up pretty good.

Warsaw Exit 250

 

Actually most of his early films have. There was a lot excess and insanity behind the scenes on two(“The Deer Hunter” and “Heaven’s Gate”) both are flawed but brilliant. The latter in particular got slammed much more for what it wasn’t and for what it did to,the studio. There was of course the issue of Cimino’s ego as well. I saw the director’s cut back in 1981and thought it was an excellent if unwieldy film. Still feel the same way.

 

T&L looks more like a Clint Eastwood movie, than a Cimino film. Old Clint out acted by rest of the cast, Lewis,Kennedy, Bridges.

 

Cimino had a few good movies and several bombs. A wildly inconsistent director. Still, the movies that were good were very good.

 

in a Film Comment interview, Christopher Walken (who pointed out he was normal) observed that the Heavens Gate locations required such lengthy travel most days that the film's production just went on and on. He said you can tell in the films that the actors in earlier shot scenes had more commitment and energy, and he later scenes that was all drained away. I know the film had issues besides poor 'planning' but it was interesting to read that from an actor's perspective. all too bad, as I thought Cimino was skillful in developing sequences that built nicely. Year of the Dragon is a very good movie imo

 

HEAVEN'S GATE was a big, beautiful mess of a film and I was obsessed with the full cut videotape that was eventually released. It's a staggeringly pretty film to look at.

But a big budget anti-Western where the calvary arrives just in time to save the bad guys wasn't timed well for a nation about to elect Ronald Reagan in a landslide.

The recent Criterion Blu-ray shifts between HD and DVD picture quality, indicating some sections of the original film could not be salvaged. Also, Cimino appeared to have altered the film's color palette, completely so in the dance sequence which gives the film its name.

 

The Deer Hunter = Should Be In More Top Tens.


Best Viet Nam War Movies:

Apocalypse Now
The Deer Hunter
Platoon

 

I thought Kristofferson was quite good in HEAVEN'S GATE. It's clearly his best work.

Oddly, I thought Walken was a weak spot. But his character seemed undeveloped, so the actor may not have had much to work with.

 

Plastic surgery. Oh why? Who looks better with it? NO ONE.

 

You mean that Cimino was normal? Yeah but his perfectionism and ego would sometimes get in the way such as after the town was built. He asked to have a building three feet but it turned out he wasn't asking for the building but the entire side of the town to be moved three feet because he felt they were too close. Steve Bach's book provides some interesting context for what occurred with Cimino on location, the issues they had about the town (which you mentioned), the quest for perfection that drove the film over budget, etc. Final Cut is an excellent book about an excellent movie that ended up being buried in bad rumors, the collapse of a studio and outrageous expectations. The restored version of the film excels.

 

I was a little underwhelmed by Platoon especially given that De Palma directed it and it stands in the shadow of AN and TDH IMHO.

 

I agree with you 100% about the film. The problem with Walken is that his character plays more as a cipher that needs to be better developed especially considering his role in the film. He sure looks dapper though!

 

That's because the original negative may have been tossed when the studio was purchased (either deliberately or not) for those scenes that were cut and, later, restored.

 

Huh? PLATOON is Oliver Stone's movie. Are you thinking of CASUALTIES OF WAR?

 

Yeah, sorry. Brain fart moment. I was thinking of "Casualties of War". "Platoon" certainly deserves to be up there although I do have some minor issues with Sheen in the role. "Casualties of War" wasn't the best film. I expected more from it.

 

R.I.P. I enjoyed his movies...

 

Isn’t it an Oliver Stone script?

 

Naw it was written (or credited to) David Rabe.

 

A little goes a long way. There are a few Hollywood celebrities where I can see they did a little bit of plastic surgery, great makeup, great hair, they have a good stylist, and the whole package goes together well. Kathy Kennedy at Lucasfilm/Disney is a little bit older than me and looks like a million bucks. I'm not saying she's a beauty, but she looks very good for a woman in her 60s.