Photographer Susan Bridges brought rare images from the epic film Heaven’s Gate to Tamsen Gallery in downtown Santa Barbara, and the buzz was palpable on Sept. 19.
The gallery’s clean white walls made a picture-perfect backdrop for the “Inside Heaven’s Gate” exhibition, a striking, intimate look at moviemaking through Bridges’ distinctive narrative lens.
The room felt hushed and personal; the images lingered.
Bridges soaked in the love, surrounded by close friends, her three daughters and her husband of 48 years: Academy Award-winning actor, photographer, musician and dad Jeff Bridges.
Many of those in attendance — including this writer — had never seen this body of work, even though Bridges and her family have lived here for decades.
“I have never done anything in my hometown and was excited for this big reveal,” she told me by phone.
The Bridges divide their time between Santa Barbara and Montana. She said the Tamsen Gallery show would not exist without designer Jana Anderson and assistant and friend Becky Pedretti.
In 1979, director Michael Cimino granted Bridges unparalleled access to photograph the making of Heaven’s Gate in and around majestic Glacier National Park, on the Canadian border in northwest Montana.
Photographer Susan Bridges, captured on film while shooting on the set of Heaven’s Gate in 1979. Credit: Jeff Bridges photo 
Susan Bridges chats with longtime friend Jackson Browne at her “Inside Heaven’s Gate” exhibition at Tamsen Gallery in downtown Santa Barbara. Her photographs from the set of the epic 1980 Western are on display through Dec. 31. Credit: Sierra Gordon photo 
Susan Bridges and Chris Pelonis discuss her photo of Isabelle Huppert, who played Ella in Heaven’s Gate. Credit: Ella Boehme photo 
Susan Bridges’ original photographs of the making of the 1980 epic Western Heaven’s Gate captivated those who attended the opening of her show at the Tamsen Gallery. Credit: Sierra Gordon photo 
Heaven’s Gate director Michael Cimino gave Susan Bridges unparalleled access to the film’s sets in Montana’s Glacier National Park. Credit: Sierra Gordon photo 
Susan Bridges is flanked by her posse at the opening of her “Inside Heaven’s Gate” exhibition at Tamsen Gallery. From left are Maryanne Contreras, Janice Bagdasarian, Bridges, Leslie Zemeckis, Sally Hanseth and Marla McNally Phillips. Credit: Sierra Gordon photo 
The Tamsen Gallery was packed for the opening of the “Inside Heaven’s Gate” exhibition. Credit: Sierra Gordon photo
The film, a fictionalized tale of conflict between wealthy cattlemen and European immigrants in 1890s Wyoming, became Hollywood lore for its controversy and cost overruns.
Its all-star cast included Kris Kristofferson, Isabelle Huppert, Christopher Walken … and Jeff Bridges.
Susan Bridges’ access yielded something different: candid, human moments on a massive set.
Shooting with Nikon and Leica cameras — and a Widelux swing-lens panoramic camera for its sweeping format — she captured moody black-and-white vistas, the immigrant town’s impressive sets and quiet portraits between takes.
“I was just around all the time and was able to go places I wouldn’t have gone without my camera,” she said.
“I went where I felt there would be an interesting shot. It was so much fun.”
The photographs carry a survival story, too. They outlived an earthquake, wildfire, and a debris flow and flash flooding that destroyed earlier California homes.
“I was … able to go places I wouldn’t have gone without my camera. I went where I felt there would be an interesting shot.”
Susan Bridges
Their endurance nudged Bridges to share them now — her reminder that it’s never too late.
Beyond Heaven’s Gate, Bridges has served as a special still photographer on features that include The American Success Company and Cold Feet, on which she was an associate producer; photographed iconic artists for newspapers and magazines; and with Jeff and partners at Silvergrain Classics, helped revive the fully mechanical Widelux camera.
She and her husband will introduce a screening of the restored and acclaimed director’s cut of Heaven’s Gate at The Arlington Theatre at noon Nov. 15.
Bridges also gives back, to VNA Health, Foodbank of Santa Barbara County, Direct Relief and Montana causes. She is also a founding member of Vital Ground Foundation, a Missoula-based nonprofit land trust that preserves habitat for wildlife in the northern Rocky Mountains.
Tamsen Gallery, co-founded by filmmaker Lara Firestone and interior designer Mimi Wolfe, showcases local talent at 1309 State St. in the heart of the Arts District.
The gallery is open noon to 5 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday, and the “Inside Heaven’s Gate” exhibition will be on display through Dec. 31.
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