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Cimino's initial budget for the film was
supposed to be around $7.5 million,
which was still an enormous amount
in the late seventies. But Cimino had
brought The Deer Hunter in at around
$15 million, which was about double
what the studio had originally allocat-
ed. People forgive a lot when you win
five Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Director.
United Artists had also become accustomed to this routine, hav-
ing just gone through it with Coppola while he tried to get Apoc-
alypse Now in the can.
Nobody would blame the failure of either of these films on Jo-
seph Cotten, of course. But it's interesting to ponder whether
Cimino's choice to open what was supposed to be an epic fol-
low-up to his most successful film wasn't a bit of an omen. Espe-
cially considering that the first words Cotten speaks—the first
words of the film—are: "My friends, if it be not a mere farce you
are enacting…"
It must have been an exciting time to live in Kalispell in 1974
when Mr. Cimino decided to shoot Heaven's Gate in that town of
around 10,000 people. As a testament to Cimino's workmanlike
approach, he showed up to start shooting in Kalispell the day
after he won his Oscars, but the crew had been there for several
months, building sets.
