Gates of Heaven - Take 1

Yesterday, my wife and I watched Errol Morris' first documentary, "Gates of Heaven". While he was a film student, Morris often talked about making this movie. Eventually, noted film director Warner Herzog challenged Morris to make the film. Herzog said that he would eat his shoe if the movie got made. After Morris released this movie in 1978, Herzog actually made a film of the preparation and consumption of his shoe!

"Gates of Heaven" is a movie about pet cemeteries, the people who run pet cemeteries and pet lovers. It is clear that this is Morris' first film. The movie largely consists of extended headshots of people talking. The camera or the people rarely move. It is not very visually exciting. Like Morris' other movies, there is no narration, just the characters telling stories. As I watched the movie, I was not very engaged. I thought the movie was just ok. There were some amusing parts, but not laugh-out-loud funny. I was disappointed; I have always enjoyed Morris' films. One reviewer could only watch half of the movie, before saying "I felt my time would be better spent digging a hole than watching this film."

About 1 hour after viewing the film, my wife and I started talking about the movie. Both of us wanted to read our books, but we could not stop talking about the film. We became animated and laughing out loud at various scenes from the movie. We discussed the deeper meaning of various stories. This went on for about an hour, almost as long as the entire movie. How did this happen? How could I be so uninspired while watching the movie, but so engaged an hour later?

Here are some quotes from Roger Ebert on this film:

"I have seen this film perhaps 30 times, and am still not anywhere near the bottom of it: All I know is, it's about a lot more than pet cemeteries."

"The film they made has become an underground legend, a litmus test for audiences, who cannot decide if it is serious or satirical, funny or sad, sympathetic or mocking."

"He has made a film about life and death, pride and shame, deception and betrayal, and the stubborn quirkiness of human nature."

"But 'Gates of Heaven' remains in a category by itself, unclassifiable, provocative, tantalizing."

"When I put it on my list of the 10 greatest films ever made, I was not joking; this 85-minute film about pet cemeteries has given me more to think about over the past 20 years than most of the other films I've seen."

Wow! Top 10 films ever made! The reviewer above, who felt that he would rather be digging a hole, went back and watched the whole movie. Like me, he admits that his initial impression was wrong. It takes some getting used to, but it can be a very engaging film.

Last night, my wife and I decided that "Gates of Heaven" is a really good movie and we plan to watch it again today. It will be interesting to see what the second viewing brings.

Notes: Roger Ebert's quotes can be found here. His top 10 list of movies can be found here. Note that this list was made in 1991. Of course, he may have made later lists that do not include this movie. The hole digger's review can be found here.

Warning: You should realize that Ebert gives away a fair amount of the movie in his review. If you plan to watch the film, you might want to read his review afterwards rather than before.