Winston T. Boogie
Senior HTF Member
Yes, I agree with this being the key moment in terms of what would unfold with Heaven's Gate but I think you and I differ on how we see this moment. First, I don't see this as Cimino told a lie, and Field does not describe it that way he says Cimino broke his word because Cimino agreed to a deal where if Bach and Field could not understand her English they would try to cast another actor in the part. Two things I would say about this are:The key moment is when Albeck declined to back up David Field (using the misguided information from Auerbach) after Cimino lied over the casting of Huppert, that Cimino had agreed they would keep looking if he couldn't convince them in Paris to agree to her casting. He reneged on this promise, and as Field states in the documentary, they no longer could trust the word of Cimino. Their wildest speculation led to the budget reaching $20M.
1. Cimino fighting for an actor he wants is no big deal and the number of times this same situation has occurred when making a picture is probably close to the same number of times a lie has been told in Hollywood...meaning this is in no way unique nor does it make Cimino a boogie man because it happens over and over every day. This is a creative decision and seriously how many of those are made on a picture? Field can't seriously think nor would it make him look too swift to say a director being a pain in the ass about something he wanted on the creative side was the moment he knew that director could no longer be trusted...really? The story goes the list of actresses they had an interest in had all passed and Cimino still wanted Huppert...Field was surprised by this? I won't buy that for a second and if Field was surprised and this was a game changer for him this really does look like a place where a rookie got played like a fiddle. This is not at all a major obstacle to have to work around at this stage of the production...director being stubborn about actress he wants...wow, if you can't work with that you should not be in the film business.
2. When Huppert appears in the film her English is just fine and I don't have any issue understanding her and she gives a very good performance. So, what did Field and Bach hear when they had her read in France? So to me Cimino was correct here, her English was fine and her performance was good. He stuck by his actor and was correct.
So the casting of Huppert to me is a non-issue.
Here is what I see as the major issue--In the conversation between Field, Albeck, and Auerbach a budget of $20 million is approved by Albeck. Field indicates he has no idea what the budget could end up being and pulls $20 million out of the air. My bet is that all three of these men knew that Cimino ran over on The Deer Hunter and brought that film in at double what the budget was. Cimino lied and drove people nuts when he was making The Deer Hunter, ran over on time shooting for 6 months, and turned what was going to be a 7 million dollar film into a 15 million dollar film...this was no secret.
When Albeck says they are in for $20 million without so much as a hiccup...here is where the real truth is on the table...Albeck just blew Field and the $12 million proposed budget out of the water and now Field knows that the picture is really at $20 million so trying to keep Cimino from going over a now phony $12 million is a moot point. The whining after the fact that Cimino went over budget looks pretty disingenuous when you know in truth UA through Albeck had said $20 million was no big deal and was fine before Cimino even shot a frame.
What I see as the truth in that is that at the end of the 70s approving a $20 million dollar picture was a big deal...a giant deal in fact...but Field's description of Albeck doing just that was like he asked him to validate his parking ticket. So, it seems likely that knowing Cimino was a guy that would run long and over that Albeck, Field, and Auerbach figured well if we are in for $20 million we are all in and will cover it if he runs over that.
And there it is in all its ugly glory...Albeck saw $20 million as no big deal at that moment in time.
So, if Field at that point had real concerns with Cimino and making the picture why did he not say:
"No, Andy, I don't think we should do this."
"If $20 million is no big deal to you Mr. Albeck what number would be because $20 million was just a wild guess on my part?"
"Do you really think a $20 million dollar western is a good idea at this time?"
Lots of things could have been said or done in that office right then and there but rather than setting any kind of reasonable number or goals the end result was "$20 million, so what's the problem?"