Runtime: 85 Minutes

Summary:

"Gates of Heaven" is the story of two California pet cemeteries transformed into an eccentric portrait of the American dream. Errol Morris began this, his first non-fiction feature, in 1978 after reading a headline in the San Francisco Chronicle: "450 Dead Pets To Go To Napa." "Gates of Heaven" follows the stories behind two pet cemeteries -- one that fails (set up by innocent Floyd McClure at the intersection of two superhighways) and the Harbert family, who apply the latest marketing concepts to the pet cemetery profession.

Alan Berger in the Boston Herald wrote, "The appearance of an original talent in the arts frequently conforms to a pattern. Simply put, the newcomer presents us with a work which defies nearly every criterion in the established canon of taste. The new work -- like a new theory of light or matter -- abruptly makes its predecessors appear inelegant, clumsy and misguided. This is precisely what Errol Morris has done with his first feature, Gates of Heaven." Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times has called "Gates of Heaven" "a masterpiece" and "one of the ten best movies of all time."

Credited cast overview:

Lucille Billingsley .... Herself
Zella Graham .... Herself
Cal Harberts .... Himself
Dan Harberts .... Himself
Phil Harberts .... Himself
Scottie Harberts .... Himself
Mike Koewler .... Himself
Floyd McClure .... Himself
Ed Quye .... Himself
Florence Rasmussen .... Herself

Credited crew overview:
Director .... Errol Morris
Director of Photography .... Ned Burgess
Original Music .... Dan Harberts
Editor .... Errol Morris
Supervising Editor .... Charles Silver
Associate Editor .... Brad Fuller