owen35
Second Unit
- Joined
- Oct 14, 2008
- Messages
- 402
- Real Name
- Steve
Ah, fair point (and one that I agree with).
I'm actually reading the recent Cimino biography and finished the section on Heaven's Gate last night. It's a pretty good book, btw. Both the Harvard and Yacht scenes were shot after they completed initial photography. Ciminio submitted a budget of $3m, United started to agree, then he bumped it up to $5.7m, UA said "Nope, come home" and, ta da, he suddenly was able lot pull it off with the original budget of $3m. As to the purpose of those scenes, as many times as I have watched this film (well over a two dozen times), I've never understand the value of the Harvard scene. Beautifully shot and choreographed with the music, but offering zero in understanding the characters or the film's themes. I thought I would miss it in "my version" but that never happens. Cutting them out gets you into the film within about 20 minutes: all the drama, conflict, and intensity of the story. Imagine in the Godfather if you saw the wedding for 25 minutes and THEN you saw the scene with Bonasera, that's what that Harvard sequence does to HG.
If I remember the story correctly (I'm sure I'm not), when RAH was working with Lean on restoring "Lawrence", RAH discovered this amazing shot that was in the original film. Lean saw it and said to cut it, it wasn't needed to tell the story. In many ways Cimino didn't learn this lesson: Never fall in love with your film, it will cloud your judgement.
