<P> Jim Averell was another homesteader who lived about 100 miles (160 kilometers) southwest of Johnson County . Two years before the Johnson County War began, he and his common - law wife Ella Watson were murdered by stockmen, who falsely accused Watson of exchanging sexual favors for stolen cattle . There is no evidence that Watson was a bordello madam, as portrayed in the film, nor that Watson or Averell ever knew Nate Champion . </P> <P> In 1971, rising Hollywood film director Michael Cimino submitted an original script for Heaven's Gate (then called The Johnson County War) but the project was shelved when it failed to attract big - name talent . In 1979, after two hit films in a row--1974's Thunderbolt and Lightfoot (filmed in Montana), and on the eve of winning two Academy Awards (Best Director and Best Picture) for 1978's The Deer Hunter--Cimino, now one of the hottest directors in Hollywood, used his "star power" to convince United Artists to resurrect the project with Kris Kristofferson, Isabelle Huppert, and Christopher Walken as the three main characters . He was given an initial budget of $11.6 million, but was also provided with carte blanche . </P> <P> Principal photography began on April 16, 1979, in Glacier National Park, east of Kalispell, Montana, with the majority of the town scenes filmed in the Two Medicine area, north of the village of East Glacier Park . Shooting also included the town of Wallace, Idaho . The project had a December 14 projected release date and $11.6 million budget and promptly fell behind schedule . </P> <P> According to legend, by the sixth day of filming the project was already five days behind schedule . As an example of Cimino's fanatical attention to detail, a street built to his precise specifications had to be torn down and rebuilt because it reportedly "didn't look right". The street in question needed to be six feet wider; the set construction boss said it would be cheaper to tear down one side and move it back six feet, but Cimino insisted that both sides be dismantled and moved back three feet, then reassembled . </P>

Where was the movie heaven's gate filmed
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