1976, the death of the John Wayne character in The Shootist, is end of classic era. I'm only counting sound movies, so call the classic western era 1939-1976
To me Heaven's Gate is one of the first westerns to re-bury a genre that had already been dead for years. Just like any Eastwood directed western, for instance.
It's a missed masterpiece, just like Renoir's La Regle Du Jeu.
I see an overflawed film with lots of great stuff. It's a missed masterpiece, just like Renoir's La Regle Du Jeu.