6) Heaven’s Gate (1980) (Dir. Michael Cimino)
After the success of The Deer Hunter, Michael Cimino became the toast of the Hollywood scene. Everybody wanted to get in on his next film, and so United Artists agreed to fund the young director’s dream project: a western called Heaven’s Gate. Though Cimino’s visions and talent were sound, his ego was an incredibly dangerous factor that United Artists could have never prepared themselves for: Michael Cimano actually destroyed the studio.
So dedicated to his vision was Cimino, that he’d frequently defy United Artists at every turn. The budget soared from $7.5 million to $36 million when he insisted on everything in the movie looking exactly as it did during the period it was set. He would wait hours to get the “perfect shot”, even if it meant sitting by randomly until a certain cloud appeared in the sky. Somehow the entire project got away from United Artists until they could just sit by and wait for the results: Cimino wouldn’t even let the people who paid for it view the finished film until opening night.
The film was a critical bomb, a motion picture that Roger Ebert called “the most scandalous cinematic waste.” UA was forced to close down as a result of the madness. Nowadays, Heaven’s Gate has found itself somewhat reappraised, with many critics calling it a lost masterpiece. But this is the flick that ended the auteur-driven 70s. Studios would never trust directors in the same way again. Cinimo’s ambition got the better of him. Still, for all his shortcomings, the man had one hell of a vision – the film remains one of most visually stunning pictures you’ll ever see.
