Gates of Heaven
Gates of Heaven | |
---|---|
Directed by | Errol Morris |
Produced by | Errol Morris |
Starring | Floyd McClure Cal Harberts Florence Rasmussen |
Cinematography | Ned Burgess |
Edited by | Errol Morris |
Distributed by | New Yorker Films |
Release date |
|
Running time | 83 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Gates of Heaven is a 1978 American independent[1] documentary film produced, directed, and edited by Errol Morris about the pet cemetery business. It was made when Morris was unknown and did much to launch his career.
Production
After a trip to Florida where he tried and failed to make a film about the residents of the town of Vernon, Errol Morris read a San Francisco Chronicle article with the headline: "450 Dead Pets Going to Napa Valley." This story about dead pets being exhumed from one pet cemetery and reburied in another became the basis for Gates of Heaven. For financing Morris borrowed money from family and friends, and the film was shot throughout the spring and summer of 1977, with the total budget estimated at $125,000. Production was difficult at times, with Morris frequently clashing with his cinematographer over the film's visual style. Morris ultimately ended up firing three cinematographers before finally settling on Ned Burgess, with whom he would work again on his second film Vernon, Florida.[2] Morris had a falling out with his sound-woman when one of his subjects, Florence Rasmussen, said "Here today, gone tomorrow, right?" and she said "Wrong." Morris couldn't decide which had offended him more, that his sound-woman had interrupted Rasmussen or that she had said she was "Wrong."[3]
Release
Gates of Heaven had its premiere at the 1978 New York Film Festival, and would play at various other festivals around the world before being picked up for a limited theatrical run by New Yorker Films in 1981.[2]
Synopsis
The film, like Morris's other works, is unnarrated and the stories are told purely through interviews. It is divided into two main sections. The first concerns Floyd "Mac" McClure and his lifelong quest to allow pets to have a graceful burial. McClure's business associates and his competitor, a manager of a
Reception and legacy
Noted director
In an interview on the Criterion DVD, Morris recalls that he showed Gates of Heaven to Douglas Sirk at the Berlin Film Festival. Sirk warned Morris that "There's a danger that somebody might find this movie to be ironic." People are often unsure of the film's tone: is it sincere or satirical? Morris says he "loves the absurd" and that "to love the absurdity of people is not to ridicule them, it's to embrace, on some level, how desperate life is for each and every one of us, including me."
Gates of Heaven launched Morris's career and is now considered a classic. In 1991, film critic
Home media
The film was initially released on DVD by MGM in 2005.[9] In 2015 The Criterion Collection made it available as part of a new special edition DVD and Blu-Ray that also included Morris's second film Vernon, Florida.[10]
References
- ^ Doty, Meriah (December 29, 2017). "Daniel Talbot, Iconic Indie Film Distributor and Exhibitor, Dies". TheWrap. Retrieved January 8, 2024.
- ^ ISBN 9780819575333.
- ^ "Q&A With Errol Morris on "Gates of Heaven"". YouTube.
- Metroactive. Retrieved November 28, 2010.
- ^ "Gates of Heaven: Filmmaker Interview with Errol Morris". POV. Season 1. PBS. Retrieved January 8, 2024.
- ^ Ebert, Roger (April 1, 1991). "Ten Greatest Films of All Time". Roger Ebert's Journal. Retrieved March 1, 2015 – via RogerEbert.com.
- ^ Buried Treasures, 1981 - Siskel and Ebert Movie Reviews
- ^ Ebert, Roger (November 9, 1997). "Gates of Heaven". Chicago Sun-Times – via RogerEbert.com.
- ^ "Gates of Heaven/Vernon, Florida: Criterion Collection (Blu-Ray)". DVD Talk.
- ^ "Gates of Heaven". The Criterion Collection.
External links
- Gates of Heaven from ErrolMorris.com
- Gates of Heaven at IMDb
- Gates of Heaven at AllMovie
- Gates of Heaven at Rotten Tomatoes
- Bubbling Well Pet Memorial Park.
- Gates of Heaven and Vernon, Florida: Bullshitting a Bullshitter an essay by Eric Hynes at the Criterion Collection
- POV trailer of Gates of Heaven on PBS