Final Cut : Art, Money, and Ego in the
Making of Heavens Gate, the Film
That Sank United Artists by Steven
Bach
Entertaining And Wonderfully Written
Back in print with a new introduction and epilogue by the author, this
modern classic is one of the few indispensable books about Hollywood.
--Jack Kroll, Newsweek. What altered Hollywood irrevocably was the
notorious 1980 film Heavens Gate. --Irwin Winkler, The New York Times,
1/14/99. Heavens Gate is probably the most discussed, least seen film in
modern movie history. Its notoriety is so great that it has become a generic
term for disaster, for ego run rampant, for epic mismanagement, for
wanton extravagance. It was also the watershed film of the 80s--not for its
cinematic qualities, but for its effect on Hollywood and the way movies
were and were not made for years afterward. For Michael Ciminos
Heavens Gate did not merely fail; the film did the unthinkable: it sank a
studio. Less than a month after the pictures second release, United
Artists--the company founded in 1919 by Douglas Fairbanks, Mary
Pickford, D. W. Griffith, and Charlie Chaplin--for all practical purposes
ceased to exist. What happened? Why? How? In answering these
questions, combining wit, extraordinary anecdotes, and historical
perspective, Steven Bach has produced a landmark book on Hollywood
and its people, and in so doing, tells a story of human absurdity that would
have made Chaplin proud.
Personal Review: Final Cut : Art, Money, and Ego in the Making
of Heavens Gate, the Film That Sank United Artists by Steven
Bach
I picked this book up due to a recent interest in film history, and while the
content is wonderful, I will let the other reviewers focus on that. Instead, I
just wanted to say that this book is so beautifully and cleverly written that
even people who aren't particularly interested in United Artists or Heaven's
Gate will likely enjoy it.
One thing that can be fun (or frustrating, depending on how you look at tit)
is that Bach often coyly avoids mentioning names of specific people or
films that aren't directly related to the Heaven's Gate fiasco- particularly if
failure or controversy are involved. He leaves enough breadcrumbs for
knowledgeable readers to figure out what he's talking about, but I admit to

being stumped several times. It can be rewarding to solve these little
insider puzzles though, when you figure them out.
I'm very sad to learn that mister Bach has passed away because he was a
true literary talent. I am adding the rest of his books to my wish list as soon
as I'm finished with this mini review!
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