Heaven’s Gate

Saturday, August 3 - Saturday, August 10, 2024

Heaven’s Gate tells the story of a Harvard graduate lawyer, Averill, and his attempts to help a community of European immigrants out West in their struggle with a brutal cattle owners’ association, depicting the real-life bloody conflict of the Johnson County War in 1892. At its heart lies a fraught love story between rogue Federal Marshal Averill, local madam Ella and association mercenary Nate, all led by fantastic performances.

Vilmos Zsigmond’s cinematography provides as much dramatic pull, capturing a spectacular dust-filled, snow-peaked setting that evokes not only the enormity of Cimino’s Western tale but the awesome nature of America’s landscape and its historical significance in the film’s post Civil War era.

Screening as part of our series Defamed to Acclaimed

See more and save! Get a Defamed to Acclaimed Pack (3-ticket pack: $30 for IFC Center members and $45 for non-members). Ticket packs are good for any shows in the series lasting from August 2-15, 2024.

• Country USA
• Year 1980
• Running Time 217 minutes
• Format DCP
• Distributor Park Circus
• Director Michael Cimino
• Cast Kris Kristofferson, Christopher Walken, John Hurt, Sam Waterson, Brad Dourif
• Accessibility Assistive Listening, T-Coil

IFC Center does not generally provide advisories about subject matter or potentially triggering content in films, as sensitivities vary from person to person. In addition to the synopses, trailers and other links on our website, further information about content and age-appropriateness for specific films can be found on Common Sense Media, IMDb and DoesTheDogDie.com as well as through general internet searches.