Where was Heaven's Gate filmed?

The graduation speech by the Reverend Doctor (Joseph Cotten) was about the importance of a cultivated mind against an uncultivated mind. The gentlemen graduating from the class were told about the mandate, imperative duty, and the need for a proper education. The Reverend Doctor drones on for a while about "the influence we may exert… a high ideal… education of a nation" and so on.

After the Reverend Doctor's speech is finished, William 'Bill' Irvine (John Hurt), the class orator, is invited to speak on stage. Bill talks at length and says, "There is a story told by an ancient author of a young man, who, being noticed by his friend to look dejected, was questioned by him concerning his troubled appearance." Bill narrates the story with his irreverent views that are opposite to the Reverend Doctor's.

The graduation speeches were filmed in a theater. The Sheldonian Theater on Broad St at Oxford, England, was chosen for this Heaven's Gate film scene. The theater (now refurbished) is slightly different from how it is in the film. However, fans can still visit, click selfies, and maybe even catch a show. The Sheldonian Theater is accessible via the X3 City bus to Queens Lane (Stop J3). The theater is a 7-minute walk from the stop.

The students at Harvard have just graduated. At the Graduation Dance, James 'Jim' Averill (Kris Kristofferson) is dancing with his partner but constantly looking at another impressionable young lady dancing with someone else. Suddenly Bill yells from near him, "James! Hey James!" Jim ignores Bill and instead rudely leaves his current dancing partner and interrupts the other couple. He pulls the young lady towards him and says to her, "God! You are beautiful!" She responds, "So are you." Jim is mesmerized by her and asks, "Are you alone?" She doesn't respond and, instead, only laughs.

They continue dancing, and for many, it seems like several relationships will bloom from this one encounter. Plenty of couples are dancing and gazing into each other's eyes with admiration and awe. Since the young men have just graduated, the next logical step is for them to seek a wife and settle down.

The Graduates' dance is one of the best scenes in Heaven's Gate. Since the team did not get permission to film at Harvard, the location was shifted to Mansfield College grounds in Oxford, England. Mansfield College is easily accessible via the number 6 city bus to Radcliffe Observatory Quarter. From the Radcliffe Observatory stop, the college is within a 15-minute walking distance.

As the graduating class of Harvard is walking towards their graduation ceremony, the band is playing the Battle Hymn of the Republic. This signifies a new beginning for the class. All the young men graduating must march with the band and head to their graduation ceremony, but many are late to the march.

As they hear the band playing, they start running towards it and join the march with their fellow classmates. Since the graduation sequence is a considerable achievement, all the men are dressed in formal clothing with top hats. Jim Averill is one of the students graduating and finds himself running to cover the distance. He gets in the marching lineup and meets his friend, Bill Irvine. When Bill sees Jim, he exclaims, "James! She let you go, then?"

This filming location of Heaven's Gate was the Bridge of Sighs, Hertford Bridge at Oxford, in England. The graduation sequence was filmed here with great pomp. To get to the Bridge of Sighs, catch bus number 280 to Queens Lane and walk for 4 minutes to reach the filming location. Since this bridge is open to the public, you must ensure you do not trouble others who are also sightseeing.

As the young men reach the Harvard entrance, they are overwhelmed with the response. While walking behind the band, Bill tells James, "I wish you could see into my heart and know that tonight I am going to repent all my sins." While Bill is speaking to James, James is more interested in looking out for all the pretty girls who have come to wish the young men at their graduation ceremony.

While Bill tries to initiate a conversation, James looks extremely distracted and irreverent to the entire thing. He seems more interested in the frivolous parts of the graduation than the actual ceremony. While James observes everything around him, several other young men are running to ensure they can attend the graduation ceremony. Considering that the walk to the graduation ceremony is quite long, the men must run a long distance to get in with their classmates.

The Heaven's Gate production team chose the iconic Oxford University campus to film the Harvard University scene. Getting to Oxford University is the easiest if you hop onto bus number 1 and get off at High Street (Stop L2). From this stop, the university is within a minute's walking distance.

Ella and James get a carriage and are on their way to the town. As they are nearing it, James tells Ella, "Turn up before you get to the town, I don't want anybody to see me." Ella yells at James over the din of the horses, "I want them to see me! What good is it if nobody sees me?"

As they get closer to the town, the townsfolk are gathered before the church to click a photograph. Since there are too many people, the photographer is trying to get everyone together in a single frame and constantly giving instructions in the Yugoslavian language. As everyone huddles closer for the photograph, they suddenly hear the thundering sounds of horses and turn to see Ella and James entering the town limits in the carriage. Seeing them, everyone starts cheering loudly.

The horse-drawn carriage sequence is one of the few ordinary scenes in the movie. Considering the violence and bloodshed in the film, this scene is relatively peaceful. Fans should visit the Heaven's Gate location of Two Medicine Lake at Glacier National Park in Montana. The quickest way to get to this location is by catching the US-2 E onto 2 Medicine Rd until you reach Two Medicine Lake's picturesque shores.

The constant skirmishes between the settlers, landowners, and mercenaries culminate in a battle for the land, also known as the Johnson County War. Everyone runs to fight with their firearms. Some are running, some on horses, and others in carriages. While crossing a bridge, a carriage gets upturned and falls into the river below.

James rallies the people and yells, "Stay together, stay tight!" Men and women from the nearby town come to fight. Over the constant sounds of gunfire and bombs, suddenly a man screams, "Deborah! Stay down!" James rides up to Ella Watson (Isabelle Huppert) and shouts, "Get the h*ll out of here!" She ignores him and continues riding toward the battlefield. He desperately tries to give her some cover from the shootings yet loses track of her. When he finds her, she's riding straight towards Canton's (Sam Waterson's) men. Seeing Watson recklessly riding, James screams, "Get down, damm*t!" while he finally catches up to her.

This Heaven's Gate filming location is the remote area of Trail Creek in Montana. The cast and crew had to wake up at 3.30 am each day and travel 3 hours to reach the shooting location. Getting here is possible only via US-93 N and Trail Creek Rd. Fans should follow Trail Creek Rd to Price Homestead Rd in Flathead County to reach the filming site.