New York Film Festival Adds \'Heaven\'s Gate\' to Masterworks Lineup

By DAVE ITZKOFF

Set aside 219 minutes of your life and get ready to stake out a position on one of the more controversial works of contemporary cinema: “Heaven's Gate” is coming to the New York Film Festival. That 1980 Michael Cimino western - which, depending on your perspective, is either an underrated epic that was misunderstood in its day or the overwrought behemoth that brought down an entire motion-picture studio (or possibly both); but definitely features Kris Kristofferson on roller skates - will be presented as part of the festival's Masterworks lineup, the Film Society of Lincoln Center said on Monday.

Other films that have been added the Masterworks bill include a restored version of Federico Fellini's “Fellini Satyricon”; a 40th anniversary presentation of Bob Rafelson's “King of Marvin Gardens”; the director's cut of Frank Oz's “Little Shop of Horrors” (including the original, apocalyptic, talking-plants-eat-the- world ending); Alfred Hitchcock's “Marnie”; Laurence Olivier's “Richard III”; and the world premiere of a restored version of “Charlie Is My Darling,” Peter Whitehead's documentary of the Rolling Stones' two-day tour of Ireland in 1965.

The Film Society also said that it will hold public interviews with the directors Abbas Kiarostami (on Oct. 6), David Chase (Oct. 7) and Robert Zemeckis (Oct. 13), as well as an event featuring Brian De Palma in conversation with Noah Baumbach (Oct. 7).

This year's New York Film Festival will run from Sept. 28 through Oct. 14.