MovieChat Forums > Heaven's Gate (1981) Discussion > What Did the Cast Think of the Film?

What Did the Cast Think of the Film?

posted 13 years ago by CalvinValjean
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I know that both Kris Kristofferson and Jeff Bridges defend the movie, and from what I think Isabelle Huppert does too. Considering that Kristofferson is in nearly every scene, I imagine he must have felt a lot of the brunt of that hectic shoot, so the fact that he defends the films certainly says a lot. Mickey Rourke apparently liked it enough to work with Cimino again a few more times.

However, I get the impression Brad Dourif didn’t have a good time on set. During his interview portions on the Final Cut documentary, while he never actually says this, he does come off very bitter towards the film. Christopher Walken has never talked about the movie in any interview I’ve seen, and I don’t think he ever worked with Cimino again, despite winning an Oscar on their first outing together. I also suspect Willem Dafoe does not care for the movie since he agreed to narrate Final Cut, which does not portray Cimino very well (Yes, I realize that Dafoe does not control what narration he’s given to read, but just the fact that he agreed to do it at all is very telling).

I’ve heard is that a lot of background extras loved the movie, not because it was good but because it gave them six months worth of steady work, which is a lot more than usual for a background extra.

Does anyone know what other members of the cast thought of the film?

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[–] bstephens21 13 years ago

Huppert is a staunch defender of the film. She spearheaded the French premiere of the director's cut in the early 80s, and did a lot of publicity for the film during the recent re-release.

Dourif has trashtalked the film, but that just might be his usual self-deprecation.

John Hurt has been harsh towards the film over the years, but there was a recent interview (I can't remember which) where he sounded much more sympathetic to what Cimino was trying to do, and while it didn't sound like he liked it, he at least seemed to admire the film for being different.

Dafoe probably dislikes the film simply for being fired.

Christopher Walken is actually still friends with Cimino, and still holds his talent in high esteem, although I've never heard him say whether he liked this particular film or not.