Michael Cimino died last weekend. If you recognize his name at all, it’s probably because you remember that he was the guy who won the Best Picture and Best Director Oscars for The Deer Hunter in 1979.

Cimino directed just seven feature films in 42 years—a pace that makes Terrence Malick look like a workhorse. But he was so much more than just a lazy director. He was one of the great American hucksters.