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HEAVEN'S GATE PRODUCTION NOTES (Press Release October 20, 1980) Michael Cimino's Heaven's Gate, a shattering drama of the American West, was written and directed by Academy Award-winner MICHAEL CIMINO and produced by JOANN CARELLI, for United Artists release. The film is Cimino's first since receiving the Academy Award as Best Director for his widely-acclaimed Vietnam epic, The Deer Hunter. Previously, Cimino made his directorial debut with Thunderbolt and Lightfoot, starring Clint Eastwood and also for release by United Artists. In developing Heaven's Gate, Cimino based his script on a true incident in American history, the Johnson County War of the 1890s, when a group of zealous cattlemen attempted to kill off the immigrants residing in Johnson County, Wyoming, whom they saw as a threat to their "land grab" plans. In their brilliantly realized effort to capture the flavor of the American West and its people at the turn of the century director Cimino and producer Carelli were greatly aided by their success in assembling an impressive cast of distinguished performers to portray the diversified and complex characters in Heaven's Gate.
KRIS KRISTOFFERSON was signed to play the role of Averill, the Federal Marshal whose job is to keep the peace and who, ultimately, must make some extremely tough professional and personal decisions. A superstar in the musical world, Kristofferson made his film debut in Cisco Pike, followed by a series of well-received performances, culminating in his magnetic star performance opposite Barbra Streisand in A Star Is Born.
CHRISTOPHER WALKEN, fresh from winning an Academy Award as Best Supporting Actor for his portrayal of a steelworker who undergoes an incredible change in character as a result of the war in The Deer Hunter, was selected for the role of Champion, a tough but compassionate gunfighter. A trained dancer, Walken first appeared in musicals throughout the country until he was cast as King Philip in the original production of The Lion in Winter. His performance earned him the Clarence Derwent Award and since that time he has concentrated his talents on drama, appearing on Broadway, off-Broadway, and in films, including Next Stop, Greenwich Village, Roseland, Annie Hall, and the forthcoming Dogs of War, also for UA.
JOHN HURT was cast in the role of Irvine, the sarcastic, hard-drinking member of the Stock Growers Association. One of England's most accomplished actors, he received an Academy Award nomination for his portrayal of the English prisoner who survived seven savage years in a Turkish prison in Midnight Express. For this performance he won the British Academy Award. Hurt's wide range of screen successes include A Man for All Seasons, and the blockbuster space horror film, Alien. On television, he received international acclaim for his portrayal of Caligula in the BBC series, I, Claudius, seen in the United States on PBS. He also starred in The Naked Civil Servant and was seen in the BBC-Time/Life production of Crime and Punishment via PBS' Masterpiece Theatre this fall.
SAM WATERSTON was chosen to portray Canton, the vicious leader of the Stock Growers Association. This marks the first time in Waterston's professional career that he has played an unsympathetic role and he delighted in it. Educated at Groton Prep School and at Yale University, he later acquired a solid stage background. In recent years, he also has been receiving favorable attention as a motion picture actor, initially as Robert Redford's next door neighbor in The Great Gatsby. After appearing in several other films including Woody Allen's Interiors, Waterston played writer C.D.B. Bryan in the highly-acclaimed TV hit special, Friendly Fire, the true story of an Iowa family who lost a son in the Vietnam War, starring Carol Burnett and Ned Beatty. Prior to Heaven's Gate he completed two other films -- Eagle's Wing and Sweet William.
To JEFF BRIDGES went the role of John H. Bridges, the saloon owner who tries to prevent the wanton killing of the immigrants. This marks the second teaming for Bridges and director Cimino. In their previous film, Thunderbolt and Lightfoot, starring Clint Eastwood, Bridges received his second Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor. Born into a theatrical family, the son of veteran actor Lloyd Bridges and the brother of actor Beau Bridges, he made his acting debut at age eight in his father's long-running TV series Sea Hunt, and has continued acting ever since. His portrayal of Duane Jackson, the defeated football jock in The Last Picture Show, earned him his first Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor. His film credits also include Fat City, Bad Company, The Last American Hero, King Kong, and Winter Kills.
The starring female role, that of the young owner of the local bordello, went to the beautiful and talented French actress, ISABELLE HUPPERT. One of the most intriguing actresses to emerge from France in recent years, she is also one of the busiest. Her performance as the vulnerable wallflower in The Lacemaker in 1977 caused a sensation at the Cannes Film Festival, and the following year, her interpretation of a remorseless murderer in Violette won her the Best Actress Award at Cannes. In her brief screen career she has exhibited a range and diversity remarkable for such a young actress. In addition to Heaven's Gate, she also recently completed Loulou and Jean Luc Godard's Every Man for Himself.
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