Editing Heaven's Gate (film) (section)

=== Accusations of cruelty to animals ===
The film was marred by accusations of cruelty to animals during production.  The [[American Humane Association]] (AHA), barred from monitoring the animals on set, issued press releases detailing the abuses and organized boycott picket lines.  The outcry prompted the [[Screen Actors Guild|Screen Actors Guild (SAG)]] and the [[Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers|Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP)]] to contractually authorize the AHA to monitor the use of all animals in all filmed media afterward.<ref name="AHA-review">{{cite web | url = https://humanehollywood.org/production/heavens-gate/ | title = Heaven's Gate (1980) | work = No Animals Were Harmed: Certified Productions | publisher = [[American Humane]] | location = Washington, D.C. | access-date = 2021-03-21 | archive-date = June 26, 2015 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150626141144/http://www.humanehollywood.org/index.php/movie-archive/item/heaven-s-gate | url-status = dead }}See also rating of "Unacceptable" in earlier version of the web page:</ref>

One assertion was that steers were bled from the neck without giving them pain killers so that their blood could be collected and smeared upon the actors in a scene.<ref name="mauiwatch.com">{{Cite web|date=2020-11-10|title=A-Ron's Film Rewind Presents: Heaven's Gate – The 40th Anniversary|url=https://mauiwatch.com/2020/11/a-rons-film-rewind-presents-heavens-gate-the-40th-anniversary/|access-date=2021-09-07|website=MAUIWatch|language=en-US}}</ref> The AHA asserted that four<ref name="latimes.com">{{Cite web|date=1987-03-12|title=Group Acts as Protector of Animal Stars in Movies|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1987-03-12-gl-9087-story.html|access-date=2021-09-07|website=Los Angeles Times|language=en-US}}</ref> horses were killed and many more injured during a battle scene, along with accusations that one of the horses was blown up with dynamite.<ref name="AHA-review"/><ref name="mauiwatch.com" /><ref name="latimes.com"/>

According to the AHA, the owner of an abused horse filed a lawsuit against the producers, director, Partisan Productions and the horse [[Wrangler (profession)|wrangler]]. The owner cited wrongful injury and breach of contract for willfully depriving her Arabian [[gelding]] of proper care. The suit cited "the severe physical and behavioral trauma and disfigurement" of the horse. The case was settled out of court.<ref name="AHA-review" />

There were accusations of actual [[cockfight]]s, decapitated chickens, and a group of cows disemboweled to provide "fake intestines" for the actors.<ref name="AHA-review" />

The film is listed on AHA's list of unacceptable films.<ref name="AHA-review" /> The AHA protested the film by distributing an international press release detailing the assertions of animal cruelty and asking people to boycott it. AHA organized [[picketing (protest)|picket lines]] outside movie theaters in Hollywood while local humane societies did the same across the USA. Though ''Heaven's Gate'' was not the first film to have animals killed during its production, it is believed that the film was largely responsible for sparking the now-common use of the "No animals were harmed ..." disclaimer and more rigorous supervision of animal acts by the AHA, which had been inspecting film production since the 1940s.<ref>[http://www.cbc.ca/fifth/cruelcamera/ "Cruel Camera"]. ''[[The Fifth Estate (TV program)|The Fifth Estate]]''. [[CBC Television]]. May 5, 1982 and January 16, 2008. Retrieved October 12, 2010.</ref> This is also one of the films to not have the end credit disclaimer.

The UK [[Blu-ray]] release from Second Sight Films removes about a minute of footage relating to cockfights and animal cruelty. Prior video releases removed about a minute and fourteen seconds of the cruelty.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Wurm|first=Gerald|title=Heaven's Gate (Comparison: BBFC 15 Director's Cut (Blu-ray) - Director's Cut (Blu-ray)) - Movie-Censorship.com|url=https://www.movie-censorship.com/report.php?ID=220350|access-date=2021-09-07|website=www.movie-censorship.com}}</ref>