Gates of Heaven
From The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia
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Gates of Heaven is a 1978 American documentary film produced, directed, and edited by Errol Morris about the pet cemetery business. It was made when Morris was unknown and did much to launch his career.
Production
After a trip to Florida where he tried and failed to make a film about the residents of a small town there, Errol Morris read a San Francisco Times article with the headline: "450 Dead Pets Going to Napa Valley." This story about dead pets being exhumed from one pet cemetery and reburied in another became the basis for Gates of Heaven. For financing Morris borrowed money from family and friends, and the film was shot throughout the spring and summer of 1977, with the total budget estimated at $125,000. Production was difficult at times, with Morris frequently clashing with his cinematographer over the film's visual style. Morris ultimately ended up firing three cinematographers before finally settling on Neil Burgess, with whom he would work again on his second film Vernon, Florida.
