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The Deer Hunter Director Michael Cimino Dies Aged 77

Michael Cimino, writer-director behind acclaimed Vietnam war drama ‘The Deer Hunter,’ passed away on Saturday 2 July, aged 77.

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The news was announced by Cannes Film Festival director Thierry Fremaux on Twitter, and has subsequently been confirmed by other outlets, although no cause of death has been announced.

Noted for his dramatic rise and equally spectacular fall, Cimino’s story has long been both an inspirational and cautionary tale for filmmakers.

Born in New York City in 1939, Cimino studied painting and art history at Yale and worked in advertising on Madison Avenue before moving to Hollywood to pursue film in the early 1970s.

Having made his breakthrough as a writer on 1972′s science fiction drama ‘Silent Running,’ followed by 1973 ‘Dirty Harry’ sequel ‘Magnum Force,’ Cimino made his directorial debut on 1974′s ‘Thunderbolt and Lightfoot,’ a comedy thriller starring Clint Eastwood and a young Jeff Bridges.

However, Cimino really made his name with his second film, 1978′s ‘The Deer Hunter.’ Boasting a high-calibre cast including Robert De Niro, Meryl Streep, Christopher Walken and (in what would be his final role) John Cazale, the film was a compelling and harrowing portrait of how the Vietnam war impacted on the lives of ordinary people.

Controversial but hugely acclaimed and a big hit at the box office, ‘The Deer Hunter’ was named Best Picture at the 1979 Academy Awards, along with four more Oscars including Best Director for Cimino.

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Unfortunately, Cimino would shortly lose most of the goodwill he had earned with his notorious 1980 follow-up ‘Heaven’s Gate,’ a western which went massively over schedule and over budget, causing the collapse of studio United Artists.

While praised by some critics, ‘Heaven’s Gate’ was a box office bomb, and it is widely considered the film which marked the end of the 1970s period in which the major studios granted directors widespread freedom and artistic control of their work.

While Cimino would go on to direct a further four films - ‘Year of the Dragon,’ ‘The Sicilian,’ ‘Desperate Hours’ and ‘Sunchaser’ - he never really got his career back on track. His final film, 1996′s ‘Sunchaser,’ went direct to video.

Nonetheless, for ‘The Deer Hunter’ in particular Cimino will always be an iconic Hollywood figure, and Robert De Niro tells The Hollywood Reporter, “Our work together is something I will always remember. He will be missed.“

Picture Credit: WENN, EMI

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