R.I.P. Michael Cimino

[Heksagon]

Michael Cimino is probably the textbook example of a talented artist whose head could not handle getting such a big success so early in his career.

By a huge coincidence, I actually re-watched The Deer Hunter on the very day he died, before the news broke. I felt the film was due a re-visit, having seen it only once, sixteen years earlier. It's still a very impressive film, although it has its definite weaknesses.

[Mister Tee]

Has any other director had the meteoric rise and complete, utter collapse in reputation that Michael Cimino did? He came from essentially nowhere with The Deer Hunter (I couldn't have told you, in 1978, who'd directed Thunderbolt and Lightfoot), got about as much adulation as was possible in the era, then a mere two years later was responsible for a movie still mostly seen (outside small elitist circles) as a symbol of Hollywood failure and the excuse for studios turning their backs on auteur-based projects.

The Deer Hunter is an imperfect film, to put it mildly, but its reach for grandeur is a reminder of how high movies tried to soar back then. In the end, it's kinder to remember Cimino for just the one film, one he should be proud to have made.

[Precious Doll]

https://www.theguardian.com/film/2016/j ... -gate-dies