How did this movie ruin Cimino's career?

'Heaven's Gate' was not just a commercial failure, but it was BLASTED by the critics, and I do mean BLASTED! Also, the Republican party did what they could to stop it from being released because it showed them in a 'truthful' light. The Association in the film was merely a metaphore for Republicans. (As we have seen lately, Republican's respond to TRUTH like vampyres to the sun light, the cross or Holy water.)
Then, it got the worst press ever when it was reported that animals were hurt and some horses were killed during the filming. This was the final 'nail in it's coffin'.
However, because of this not another animal has been hurt during the production of any American movies/films...except documentaries.

Andrew Roberts Voice
"Keep the change, Bob"

I worked on a film in the mid 80's, and the editing room was dominated by this huge Steenbeck flatbed. On the front were bronze plates identifying films that had been edited on it, including "Tootsie," "The Natural" and a half dozen other luminaries. But one of the plates was heavily disguised with duct tape. When I asked the editor why the tape was there, he leaned over and pulled it aside - and, yes, it was "Heaven's Gate." He said that no one wanted to deal with the "bad mojo"......

This was mentioned briefly in another post, but I think the problem with Heaven's Gate (far moreso than the overblown budget etc) was the charges of animal cruelty. On the plus side, this did help to lead to an overhaul in the 1980's of animal use in movies. See: http://www.americanhumane.org/protecting-animals/programs/no-animals-w ere-harmed/ . There is also a list available of movies and their known or suspected treatment of animals (positive and negative).http://www.ahafilm.info/movies/search.phtml




Here is the AHA listing for Heaven's Gate:

HEAVEN'S GATE

Produced By: Partisan Productions, United Artists
Starring: Kris Kristofferson, Christopher Walken, John Hurt
Director: Michael Cimino
Producer(s): Denis O’Dell, Charles Okun, William Reynolds II, Joan Carelli
Distributor: United Artists
Animal Coordinator: Rudy Ugland
Released: 1980
Produced: 1980
Rating: Unacceptable [emphasis added]






The following AHA film review was compiled from archival information and documentation and may not reflect AHA’s current criteria for animal action review and rating procedures.

Director Michael Cimino's bleak western is based on events in Montana during the late 1800s. Sheriff James Averill (Kris Kristofferson) attempts to protect immigrant farmers from wealthy cattle interests and clashes with another man over the woman they both love, Ella Watson. Both men find themselves questioning their roles in a heated conflict between wealthy landowners and European immigrants attempting to build new lives on the American frontier.

The animal action in the film includes an actual cockfight, several horse trips, and a horse being blown up with a rider on its back. People who worked on the set verified more animal abuse, such as chickens being decapitated and steer being bled in order to use their blood to smear on the actors instead of using stage blood.

A lawsuit was filed by the owner of an abused horse on the set, against the producers, director, Partisan Productions, and the horse wrangler. The owner cited wrongful injury and breach of contract for willfully depriving her Arabian gelding of proper care. The suit also cited “the severe physical and behavioral trauma and disfigurement” of the horse. The case was settled out of court. AHA, which was barred from monitoring the animal action on the set, protested the film by distributing an international press release detailing the animal cruelty in Heaven’s Gate and asking people to boycott the film. AHA organized picket lines outside movie theaters in Hollywood while local humane societies did the same across the country.

The controversy surrounding the animal action in Heaven’s Gate prompted the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) and the Alliance of Motion Picture & Television Producers (AMPTP) to contractually authorize AHA oversight of animals in filmed media.

The ongoing expansion of the AHA Guidelines for the Safe Use of Animals in Filmed Media has raised the standard of care for animal actors worldwide. In addition, technological advancements have created safe alternatives to risky action, enabling filmmakers to maintain their creative vision without compromising the welfare of animal actors. AHA continues to be a vigilant watchdog for animals in film and television and acknowledges the groundbreaking history of this program while expanding and refining procedures to reflect increased knowledge and new challenges.

In Michael Cimino's ''Heaven's Gate,'' it says, horses died in some of the action scenes.

...

''Heaven's Gate'' seems different. ''Cruel Camera,'' which was originally presented by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, says the 1981 production practiced more cruelty to animals than any film in decades. The producers of ''Heaven's Gate'' deny any intentional cruelty, but Carmelita Pope, the president of the humane association, declares that the blood and gore smeared over the actors came from animals bled and eviscerated for that purpose.

''Cruel Camera'' interviews a Canadian actor who appeared in the film. He speaks of mounting a horse while explosive charges were detonated around him. His horse took the force of a blast and died the next day. Was it an accident, or had someone been trying for an especially gripping picture? ''Who knows?'' the actor says.

It's the truth told in the movie that ruined his career.

Everything else mentioned here was only a mean of destroying. The one mustn't review "American Dream". That's how I see it.