Heaven's Gate
Dir: Michael Cimino
1980
****
It's best to ignore everything you've heard about Heaven's Gate before watching it. Why should we care how much money it lost, it wasn't our money! It is beautifully filmed. Every frame is like a beautifully painted avant garde landscape, what you'd expect from an epic western, and this is an epic western my friends. It is epic in all aspects but it's hard to ignore its epic length. It is too long, it is true. Not a bad thing if you've got the time, none of the scenes are particularly boring or pointless, it's just that it seems like the editor has fallen asleep. Of course the editor has not fallen asleep, the director just got a little carried away, and why not I say! (Apart from the fact that he hasn't been able to make his own film since). It is indulgent yes but it is beautiful visually and the performances and the script is awe-inspiring. Hollywood should wake up and give all their money to Michael Cimino before it's too late, I want more of this!