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Gates of Heaven

Documentary and Nonfiction Film

Gates of Heaven is a 1978 American documentary directed by Errol Morris, his first feature film, centered on the story of a failed pet cemetery in Los Altos, California and a successful rival cemetery in Napa Valley that later reburied the original cemetery's disinterred animals. Built from static, deadpan interviews with pet owners, cemetery operators and their families rather than any conventional narrative structure, the film uses its ostensibly small subject to draw out much larger reflections on love, failure, family and mortality. It became an early and influential example of Morris's distinctive interview-driven documentary style and helped establish his reputation as a major American nonfiction filmmaker.

Facts
Release Year
1978 1
Country
United States 1
Classification
Original Language
English 1
Connections

Created By

Errol Morris, Figures
Source Gates of Heaven - Wikipedia

In Medium

Film, Media Forms
Source Gates of Heaven - Wikipedia
In the Other Atlases
Sources
1. Gates of Heaven - Wikipedia
  • Lead paragraph, first sentence (release year)
    Gates of Heaven is a 1978 American independent documentary film produced, directed, and edited by Errol Morris about the pet cemetery business.
  • Lead paragraph, first sentence (country)
    Gates of Heaven is a 1978 American independent documentary film produced, directed, and edited by Errol Morris about the pet cemetery business.
  • Gates of Heaven, Description, original language
    Gates of Heaven is a 1978 American documentary directed by Errol Morris, his first feature film, centered on the story of a failed pet cemetery in Los Altos, California and a successful rival cemetery in Napa Valley that later reburied the original cemetery's disinterred animals.
  • In Medium: Film, Article lead sentence
    Gates of Heaven is a 1978 American independent documentary film produced, directed, and edited by Errol Morris about the pet cemetery business.
  • Created By: Errol Morris, Article lead sentence
    Gates of Heaven is a 1978 American independent documentary film produced, directed, and edited by Errol Morris about the pet cemetery business.
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