Cheap Gates of Heaven (Video) (Errol Morris) Price

Related Products

Customer Reviews of Gates of Heaven

Birth of Genius
In one of Errol Morris' first films, the master of interview via the interratron (unique v ideo monitor setup whereby interviewees look themselves in the eye) captures unbelievably strange, and unquestionably real moments from a wide range of people. Centering upon a pet cemetary, Morris investigates attitudes and lifestyles surrounding our relationships with animals and inevitably, each other. Best known for the pivotal film "The Thin Blue Line" which resulted in the exoneration of Texas death row in mate Randall Adams from murder charges , other equally remarkable films by Morris include "Vernon, Florida" (originally intended to be a documentary on "nubbies," or folks who commit insurance fraud via self mutilation-abandoned when crew members were nearly run down by the "king of the nubbies"), and the more recent "Fast, Cheap and out of Control." You will not go wrong viewing and supporting this truly original artist's vision.

---

The film is more about human beings, rather than pets.
'Gates of Heaven' is a film by Errol Morris that deals with an ambitious pet cemetery in California. What makes this documentary so facinating has nothing to do with the actual animals, but rather the people who love and care for them. As the film progresses, one will realize it is actually a study of human nature and psychology. With the central focus of giving pets a secure resting place, the film incredibly shows human frailty, ambition, and sadness.
For those who have never had pets, this film can be hard to relate to. My family has never owned any pets, but I've had friends who have had pets. They are very attached to the pets, and the pets are like family memebers. One has to watch this movie with an open heart, or they will never understand the feelings of the people in this documentary. To some of these people, a pet is more of a friend than a human being will ever be, and there is some real truth behind that.
People might get different interpertations of what Morris is trying to show here. To me, 'Gates of Heaven' uses the pet cemetary business as a backdrop to show a much deeper aspects of human nature.

---

best documentary I have seen
What is most impressive about this film is that it manages to get ordinary people talking about extraordinary subjects without the speakers' ever even realizing the depths of their observations.

By asking people to speak of their deceased and beloved pets, Errol Morris has coaxed out of them deeply moving reflections about heavy philosophical issues. There are few films that combine humor, sympathy, and thought in so stirring a fashion.