HEAVEN'S GATE, Written and directed by Michael Cimino, opens to unprecedented critical pillorying prompting the studio to pull it from release. A substantially re-edited, shorter version is released five months later. The sweeping, loosely historical Western features Kris Kristofferson, Christopher Walken, Jeff Bridges & Isabelle Huppert in key roles. The film's failure bankrupts United Artists asnd effectively derails Cimino's career.