MGM Special Editions for 2008

[stwrt]

RE: HEAVEN'S GATE: It has nothing to do with hate and everything to do with money. Home video marketing executives (who were probably in grade school when the film came out and thus not likely to be holding a grudge) are only interested in a title if it will sell. They don't care about art; they don't sit around having meetings debating whether a film is artistically "worthy" of a special edition. HEAVEN'S GATE has never sold very well on video, so they're in no hurry to spend money on it, period.

Maybe so but I still think my version of movie history sounds better.

[Gregory]

Despite the efforts of a few critics and reviewers trying to rescue its reputation, the film's bum rap has lasted ever since the release. This has a lot to do with the low sales because a lot of the catalog-title purchases are blind buys. I remember back when the DVD came out reading comments to the effect of, "Oh, this is that notorious turkey. No way I'm ordering that." At 220 minutes and with a reputation for being a poor film, a lot of people just aren't willing to give it a fair chance or even to watch it. Among those who do see it, a huge number just don't seem to get it at all. On Amazon.com 135 people have reviewed the disc, and the reviews are spread pretty evenly across the board: not overwhelmingly people either loving or hating it but lots of 2-4 star reviews as well. Some of those reviewers were giving demerits for poor picture quality, not the film itself. The number of positive reviews is somewhat encouraging, but back in 2000 I'd hoped the release would lead to a bigger surge in appreciation for the film. It's a film that requires a patient and thoughtful viewing to see what makes it exceptional. The DVD-buying public aside, I'm not even sure the film has found favor with more critics over the last ten years. Really, the only reason I really care much what people think of it is that I wish it had sold well enough to warrant some new release, ideally a Blu-Ray disc including the longer surviving cut.

[videozor]

I'll be waiting for the SE then

Why not try this edition? If the new transfer, mentioned in this thread, was used here, this DVD has enough extras to be qualified as SE. It's not clear only if the extras are English-friendly...