Rating: 
Summary: Couldn't put it down - compelling story still relevant
Review: Steven Bach's account of the "Heaven's Gate" fiasco has never been more relevant than now. With weed-like conglomerate corporate growth each day and the Dilbert-like stupidity spawned in most corporate environments, this book should serve as a lesson to many of us. His compelling story of divided responsibility, group thinking and diluted control goes a long way to explaining the excesses of Cimino and the movie. Bach writes beautifully and directly. He covers the machinations of the story from the corporate side only. I wished for more of the on-the-set stories - the book would have been improved with a few chapters by someone who witnessed the on-set story. One hilarious on-set story I heard about "Heaven's Gate" before reading this book described how the director needed more space in the street and wanted sets on both sides of the street destroyed and rebuilt 6 feet back. Someone suggested destroying and rebuilding one side only, 12 feet back, and saving half the cost. Cimino told him that it wouldn't have the same feel, and they commenced destroying and rebuilding the entire set! Although these sorts of on-set anecdotes aren't in the book, many other incredibly good ones from the management side are there. The book describes the history of UA, the history of the skirmish the movie is based on, and the entire before, during and after of the film's development from the viewpoint of Transamerica and UA. I read it cover to cover in just a few days, and laughed often. A great book!
Rating: 
Summary: Studio vs. Artist-no winners here.
Review: This book offers the reader a snapshot of the worst excesses of moviemaking, in a dated sort of way. There were no winners in the making of Heaven's Gate; not the artist who's arrogance destroyed his own picture, or the weak studio execs who could not contain him. I was amazed at how far things got out of hand! I would like to have had a more rounded perspective on the events surrounding the picture, but Bach does a pretty decent job of describing things from his own. Recommended.
Rating:
Summary: One of the Best Hollywood Books Ever
Review: This book, first published in the 1980s, is a classic textbook example of why Hollywood so often pours tens of millions of dollars into projects that ultimately go haywire. In this book, Bach, who as production head had information and sources only an insider could have, shows how a director, Michael Cimino, was given a virtual blank check on making a film United Artists hoped would duplicate the success of his Oscar-winning film, "The Deer Hunter." This new project was based on a script Cimino had written, called "The Johnson County War." It was based on an obscure event in 19th century Wyoming, but the moguls were impressed enough with the script to go forward with it. It wasn't long, though, before the project went awry. Bach provides the reader with many, many reasons why this was so. There was plenty of blame to go around, though certainly director Cimino deserves a large share of the blame. He reminds the reader of another self-destructive director, Erich von Stroheim, in that he couldn't stay within a budget and was obsessed with detail. Millions and millions of dollars were thrown into this project, now called "Heaven's Gate." By the time the film was released in 1980, it had become the biggest bomb in Hollywood since the 1963 flop "Cleopatra." It helped sink United Artists. Not surprisingly, Cimino has yet to duplicate the success of "The Deer Hunter." Bach is an excellent writer, and the book makes one almost nostalgic for the days of the old studio system of pre-1960s Hollywood.
Rating:
Summary: One of the Best Hollywood Books Ever
Review: This book, first published in the 1980s, is a classic textbook example of why Hollywood so often pours tens of millions of dollars into projects that ultimately go haywire. In this book, Bach, who as production head had information and sources only an insider could have, shows how a director, Michael Cimino, was given a virtual blank check on making a film United Artists hoped would duplicate the success of his Oscar-winning film, "The Deer Hunter." This new project was based on a script Cimino had written, called "The Johnson County War." It was based on an obscure event in 19th century Wyoming, but the moguls were impressed enough with the script to go forward with it. It wasn't long, though, before the project went awry. Bach provides the reader with many, many reasons why this was so. There was plenty of blame to go around, though certainly director Cimino deserves a large share of the blame. He reminds the reader of another self-destructive director, Erich von Stroheim, in that he couldn't stay within a budget and was obsessed with detail. Millions and millions of dollars were thrown into this project, now called "Heaven's Gate." By the time the film was released in 1980, it had become the biggest bomb in Hollywood since the 1963 flop "Cleopatra." It helped sink United Artists. Not surprisingly, Cimino has yet to duplicate the success of "The Deer Hunter." Bach is an excellent writer, and the book makes one almost nostalgic for the days of the old studio system of pre-1960s Hollywood.
Rating: 
Summary: Maybe this book should be titled: The Last Days of UA?
Review: This is a book I can't put down once I start reading it, and I re-read it every few years. It starts when a new management team takes over United Artists. They have to put together a slate of films. "Heaven's Gate" is one of their choices, and we see how this film moves from one choice among many to the behemoth that wrecks the studio. Contrary to some of the reviewers who say the book doesn't get to "Heaven's Gate" soon enough, I think the book is well-structured. I also like the way Bach displays three different directors: Cimino, Scorsese and Woody Allen. Cimino is obviously the egomaniac out of control. Allen comes across as the "good director," always conscious that he is working with somebody else's money. Scorsese comes out between the two extremes. Hey, if this book were only about "Heaven's Gate," I wouldn't like it so much, but we also get some insight into "Manhattan" and "Raging Bull," two much better movies.
Rating:
Summary: Watching a Studio Wreck
Review: This is a book I can't put down once I start reading it, and I re-read it every few years. It starts when a new management team takes over United Artists. They have to put together a slate of films. "Heaven's Gate" is one of their choices, and we see how this film moves from one choice among many to the behemoth that wrecks the studio. Contrary to some of the reviewers who say the book doesn't get to "Heaven's Gate" soon enough, I think the book is well-structured. I also like the way Bach displays three different directors: Cimino, Scorsese and Woody Allen. Cimino is obviously the egomaniac out of control. Allen comes across as the "good director," always conscious that he is working with somebody else's money. Scorsese comes out between the two extremes. Hey, if this book were only about "Heaven's Gate," I wouldn't like it so much, but we also get some insight into "Manhattan" and "Raging Bull," two much better movies.
Rating:
Summary: Watching a Studio Wreck
Review: This is a book I can't put down once I start reading it, and I re-read it every few years. It starts when a new management team takes over United Artists. They have to put together a slate of films. "Heaven's Gate" is one of their choices, and we see how this film moves from one choice among many to the behemoth that wrecks the studio. Contrary to some of the reviewers who say the book doesn't get to "Heaven's Gate" soon enough, I think the book is well-structured. I also like the way Bach displays three different directors: Cimino, Scorsese and Woody Allen. Cimino is obviously the egomaniac out of control. Allen comes across as the "good director," always conscious that he is working with somebody else's money. Scorsese comes out between the two extremes. Hey, if this book were only about "Heaven's Gate," I wouldn't like it so much, but we also get some insight into "Manhattan" and "Raging Bull," two much better movies.
Rating:
Summary: The mother of all Hollywood Insider Books
Review: This is the first and still by far one of the best insider books ever written about the Hollywood studio system, and the ugly battle that takes place behinde the facade. Steven Bach tells the story of the new Wünderboy Michael Cimino, that won Oscars and what have you for is breakthrough film "Deer Hunter". And Bach tells what happens when there's no one controling the action anymore. Murphy's Law: Everything that can go wrong will go wrong, and for "Heaven's Gate" it most curtainly did. Read this book, and trust me you'll enjoy every moment of it. . .
Rating:
Summary: The Mother of all Hollywood Insider Books
Review: This is the first and still by far one of the best insider books ever written about the Hollywood studio system, and the ugly battle that takes place behinde the facade. Steven Bach tells the story of the new Wünderboy Michael Cimino, that won Oscars and what have you for is breakthrough film "Deer Hunter". And Bach tells what happens when there's no one controling the action anymore. Murphy's Law: Everything that can go wrong will go wrong, and for "Heaven's Gate" it most curtainly did. Read this book, and trust me you'll enjoy every moment of it. . .
Rating:
Summary: Nice book but was this edited by Cimino?
Review: Without question this book gives you an insider's look at Hollywood and how movies are made. Unfortunately, the editing of this book is virtually nonexistent. It could easily have been called, "A History of United Artists". That dates back to the 20s and therefore you must invest about 100 pages before you get to the story of Heaven's Gate. But once you get to the Heaven's Gate section, the old story of Hollywood excess, greed and ego takes over. Cimino may take the prize for egos and that's saying a lot. I enjoyed this book and bought it for the historical significance it has in modern Hollywood history. I was not disappointed but be prepared for a long read.
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