Love his attitude, and his positive reflections on this film. I am one of the people who love the film, but I also admit it is a flawed masterpiece. The one aspect that was truly masterful in every way though, was Zsigmond's cinematography. Every single frame. He's also right it's a shame that UA wouldn't stand by the film for what it was, not for what it wasn't.
Pictorially, one of my favourite movies. Every frame a Rembrandt, as they say. Zsigmond's work on the film is peerless. He was very generous in his view of Cimino; for a slightly more ambivalent take on the director, the book written by the line producer, Stephan Bach, 'Final Cut: Dreams and Disaster in the Making of Heaven's Gate' is well worth a read. The sound track album, if you can find it, is also worth one's attention.
Stephan Bach's book is totally self-serving. The studio itself wanted it both ways. They wanted to have the Cimino auteur reputation from DEER HUNTER, but they abdicated their responsibility for the budget. They should have called Cimino's bluff earlier on -- like within the first week of shooting. They could either have fired him, or made him give up some of the unwarranted expenditure. It was not necessary to have authentic wooden wheels for the roller skates, for example.
@@nitalay5317 Yeah, and Joann Carelli was far from just an enabler of Cimino. She was the one who understood both his artistic vision and where he could go overboard. Charles Elton’s new book on Cimino brings this to light.
@@nitalay5317 True. If you watch the documentary narrated by Wilem Dafoe, this is fairly clear. Dafoe and the filmmakers point one these mistakes, but Dafoe (and many others involved) also defend the final product and Cimino's vision in many ways. Bach seems caught somewhere in between. It's almost like he knew he was as much if not more at fault than Cimino. But he couldn't bring himself to say it or take that responsibility as much as he should. I am pretty sure he and Cimino never spoke again. And Bach died before Cimino re-edited Heaven's Gate for the 2012 BluRay re-release (which has been widely praised for the most part).
Funny how the media and film writers tried to crucify Cimino as this demonic, napoleonic dictator, monster and incompetent liar, while the actual people who worked under him, be it acclaimed cinematographers, actors or simple drivers and extras, have nothing but praise and love for him speak fondly of him, how he treated them with respect and had supreme skill and vision.
Have loved this film & especially Zsigmond's staggering cinematography for 40+ years. However, it still should be pointed out that the movie's depiction of hundreds of Eastern European settlers flooding into 1890s Wyoming is utterly and completely false. The cattle rustlers who were named on the state's Stock Growers Association's "death list" were all native-born Americans.
And the sequencing, and scenes construction, color palette, choreography, editing, writing, and direction, other than those things, yeah, the photography, too.
@@k.e.anderson3485Agreed! They're all connected. The look of a film especially like this one where Cimino commanded every aspect of the film, the cinematographer is usually just following the look that the director wants!
i watched the 2 1/2 hour version, IT WAS AWESOME...
Vilmos seems like a lovely soul
"Everything should be done right. As it should be."
--Vilmos Zsigmond
Master of Light
Love his attitude, and his positive reflections on this film. I am one of the people who love the film, but I also admit it is a flawed masterpiece. The one aspect that was truly masterful in every way though, was Zsigmond's cinematography. Every single frame. He's also right it's a shame that UA wouldn't stand by the film for what it was, not for what it wasn't.
Pictorially, one of my favourite movies. Every frame a Rembrandt, as they say. Zsigmond's work on the film is peerless. He was very generous in his view of Cimino; for a slightly more ambivalent take on the director, the book written by the line producer, Stephan Bach, 'Final Cut: Dreams and Disaster in the Making of Heaven's Gate' is well worth a read. The sound track album, if you can find it, is also worth one's attention.
Qw
Stephan Bach's book is totally self-serving. The studio itself wanted it both ways. They wanted to have the Cimino auteur reputation from DEER HUNTER, but they abdicated their responsibility for the budget. They should have called Cimino's bluff earlier on -- like within the first week of shooting. They could either have fired him, or made him give up some of the unwarranted expenditure. It was not necessary to have authentic wooden wheels for the roller skates, for example.
@@nitalay5317 Yeah, and Joann Carelli was far from just an enabler of Cimino. She was the one who understood both his artistic vision and where he could go overboard. Charles Elton’s new book on Cimino brings this to light.
@@nitalay5317 True. If you watch the documentary narrated by Wilem Dafoe, this is fairly clear. Dafoe and the filmmakers point one these mistakes, but Dafoe (and many others involved) also defend the final product and Cimino's vision in many ways. Bach seems caught somewhere in between. It's almost like he knew he was as much if not more at fault than Cimino. But he couldn't bring himself to say it or take that responsibility as much as he should. I am pretty sure he and Cimino never spoke again. And Bach died before Cimino re-edited Heaven's Gate for the 2012 BluRay re-release (which has been widely praised for the most part).
LoL Rembrandt 😂
He sounds like he could have come right out of the movie.
Legenda :)
❤️❤️
cinematography was excellent....but the movie as a whole has some problems....
Funny how the media and film writers tried to crucify Cimino as this demonic, napoleonic dictator, monster and incompetent liar, while the actual people who worked under him, be it acclaimed cinematographers, actors or simple drivers and extras, have nothing but praise and love for him speak fondly of him, how he treated them with respect and had supreme skill and vision.
Have loved this film & especially Zsigmond's staggering cinematography for 40+ years. However, it still should be pointed out that the movie's depiction of hundreds of Eastern European settlers flooding into 1890s Wyoming is utterly and completely false. The cattle rustlers who were named on the state's Stock Growers Association's "death list" were all native-born Americans.
His photografy is the only real reason worth watching this movie.
Who directs who to get the shots? The director, so wether you like it or not it's a backhanded compliment to Cimino
And the sequencing, and scenes construction, color palette, choreography, editing, writing, and direction, other than those things, yeah, the photography, too.
Wrong
@@k.e.anderson3485Agreed! They're all connected. The look of a film especially like this one where Cimino commanded every aspect of the film, the cinematographer is usually just following the look that the director wants!
Movie sucked balls.