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Rating: "I Cancelli del Cielo" is undoubtedly a problematic work. The excessive ambition, the titanic duration, the management of the budget imperiously overshot by Cimino that reached 44 million dollars (from a starting base of 8.5) in 1980, which is an enormity (with inflation today it would have cost like a superhero movie, like "Avengers" and stuff like that). Cimino had his faults, but the blow was dealt by critics and newspapers, effectively killing a "Great Film", decreeing an unjust commercial failure and the bankruptcy of "United Artists", later acquired by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. The director's courage to go against his own nation evidently did not make him popular with the American critics, bigoted and hypocritical in boycotting the personal vision of a morally far from flourishing society. Cimino destroys the "American Dream" and do you think this is possible in a state like the USA? With this film, Cimino disproves another reputation he had in his career, that of being a fascist and nationalist. Obviously, whoever says so has never seen "Heaven's Gate".
But how can you not admire the lavish and happy prologue of a youth full of hope, a sequence that contrasts with the bitter reality of reaching adulthood? Adulthood is also the time for important decisions and the two friends will take different paths, one with the immigrants, the other with the landowners. The "Johnson County War" will break out in Wyoming. In the middle, the Averill-Ella-Champion triangle, with its contradictions and choices that will compromise their lives forever.
The technical level is absurd. Direction, photography, set design, soundtrack. An extraordinary staging and an unprecedented spectacle. And I don't care if Cimino takes his time to show what happens; after all, I understand it. If he made all that money spent, at this point why not show it as much as possible? Immersing in the film's atmosphere is not easy, but those who succeed will be rewarded with dramatically moving moments. Memorable cast: Kris Kristofferson, John Hurt, Isabelle Huppert, Jeff Bridges, Sam Waterston, but the best is a great Christopher Walken. In small roles, there's also Terry O'Quinn from Lost and a very young Mickey Rourke.
Scandalously, the film will be nominated for the Razzie Awards and the director will win the award for worst direction. A shame without equal. Was Cimino a megalomaniac? Yes, but also courageous and passionate, he managed to make Cinema with a capital "C". "Heaven's Gate" is art, which may or may not be liked, but Cimino tried to say something and in my opinion, he succeeded. It is no coincidence that in Europe the film is much more appreciated, while on the other side of the world they prefer to idolize Marvel superhero movies. Mysteries of cinema.
After many years, I rewatched it in the version of more than 3 and a half hours in original language with subtitles. My advice is to take a day (or evening) to watch it; it's worth it. I once thought that "Heaven's Gate" was a good movie (perhaps I had seen the cut version), now I believe it’s a (half) masterpiece.
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