Review of Heaven's Gate (1980) by Frank M — 28 Apr 2008
I really wanted to be the one to declare this a misunderstood masterpiece, but I just couldn't do it. I understand the criticisms against this film completely now, and the experience of watching it was long and boring.
The film opens with a long graduation ceremony, Cimino probably trying to recreate the magic of the wedding sequence in "The Deer Hunter", but unlike that film, there is nothing going on here.
It's simply a long, drawn-out lavish production for the sake of doing it, with nothing in the story motivating the obscene length and tedium. This scene sets up the tone for the rest of the film, and considering there was over 3 hours left, I was not happy.
That being said, the production was pretty impressive, and the cinematography among the best I've seen. That is the only value this film has, and aside from cinematography students, I cannot recommend this to anyone.
This review of Heaven's Gate (1980) was written by Frank M on 28 Apr 2008.
Heaven's Gate has generally received positive reviews.
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