Brokeback Mountain

Gay themes are nothing new to the world of film. As far back to the silent era, there have been films that have dealt wholly or in part, with themes of gay or lesbian nature. During much of the last century, these themes have been handled sometimes with the slight of hand of a smuggler, or with a bold sense of protest, neither making much of an impact in the culture at large. Now, in the middle of the first decade of the new century, we find ourselves in somewhat of precarious position. Gay-exploitation is a booming business, and with such a large audience starving for a voice, there is an often indiscriminate acceptance for things of this nature. Personally speaking, I find Queer Eye for the Straight Guy and Will & Grace a bit patronizing and out-dated, but marked mostly by their terrible mediocrity. Though in their own way have become milestones in American culture, I look forward to the day when they can die in a phoenix like fire, reborn as a more mature and complex beast. Gay-exploitation is hardly relegated to the television set. Feature movies are also caught by this tangled business, and every year more and more films are released with a gay market in mind. These films can range from important foreign, and independent films, to those made with big Hollywood names, (often in the hopes of winning Awards, particularly for the brave actors). I find the range in quality in American film, is often quite troubling. From the thoughtless caricatures of The Bird Cage, and In And Out, and to the outright homophobic "Queer" indy film The Delta. I have always preferred my gay characters imported, like fine wine. Personally, European and Latin film-makers have always seemed to have a better grip and a lighter touch with the subject.

So mind you when I heard that Ang Lee was directing a film based on Annie Proulx's story Brokeback Mountain, and starring in this film would be Hollywood heart-throbs Jake Gyllenhaal and Heath Ledger, as love struck cowboys, I was highly skeptical. My fear of a fetishistic film, that would rake in ton's of money from audiences dying to see two straight actors kick off their spurs and hop in the sack. Or the type of film that would again win Oscars for the actors for their bravery in depicting characters with the malady of being gay (so far it has worked for Tom Hanks, Hilary Swank, Nicole Kidman, and Charlize Theron, not to discredit their performances, each of which I enjoyed, but I feel this is still a trend worth raising my eyebrow to) My skepticism only grew after reading Proulx's short story. Needless to say, I found the finished film to be a masterpiece.


Residing in the final 30 pages of Proulx's collection of stories about Wyoming titled Close Range, Brokeback Mountain is an often heavy handed story of two cowboys whom fall in love one summer herding sheep, and continue a secret love affair for the next 20 years. I will give credit to the intentions of the story, obviously written in the aftermath of the heartbreaking murder of Matthew Shepard, Brokeback Mountain reads almost like an unfinished draft, containing scenes of great power and prose yet, falls apart due to the under-development of the actual characters and their relationship.

Well, somewhere along the lines the great writer of the modern west Larry McMurtry became involved with the story. McMurtry is no stranger to the screen, a number of his books have been adapted to the screen, and have become modern classics, such as Hud, The Last Picture Show, and Terms of Endearment. McMurtry (who was also Executive Producer on the film) along with Diana Ossana wrote a screenplay, that so brilliantly adapted the strengths of the Proulx story, while developing the characters with a sense of dignity and honesty, and placing them convincingly in the Western milieu that McMurtry excels in exposing. I would go so far as to consider the finished film a beautiful companion to both Hud and The Last Picture show, as a sort of trilogy of human destruction and desire in the modern west.

Ang Lee also deserves considerable credit for his sympathetic and mature direction of this film. Apparently, after his big budget debacle known as the Hulk, the chameleon-like director decided to work on a smaller, more intimate film that moved him deeply. From the sweeping vista of the Shangra La -like Wyoming mountains (actually filmed in Canada due to expense) to the claustrophobic towns that the characters are trapped in, Lee never loses focus on the intimacy of the story. The sex in the film is quite understated and rare. As where in Annie Proulx's story anal sex apeared to be the apex of masculine affection, the film places the emotional needs and complexities in the foreground.

Much has been said about the acting, and I will be the first to say that it is not unfounded. Heath Ledger's performance as Ennis Del Mar, is with such nuance and restraint as to be fully heartbreaking and remarkable. Expressing loss with such stoic understatement, is a testament to a greater talent than I've ever given him credit for. Jake Gyllenhaal who's sad doe eyes convey the sorrow of a life wasted, gives a beautifully sympathetic performance as Jack Twist, the cowboy dreamer who's patience is next only to Job.

Brokeback Mountain is one of the greatest films about unrequited love. For me it's only peer is Martin Scorsese's Masterpiece The Age of Innocence. Both films deal with characters living in a world where human emotion is a dangerous perversion of a fragile society, stacked like a deck of cards that would be brought down by a single whisper. This is a profoundly moving film, in fact the best film I've seen all year (new film that is) and in my opinion deserving of it's accolades. Highly recommended
P.S. I also think it a conservative conspiracy that this film is only playing at one theater in town (Fox) unless of course you also consider Bridgeport, then you have only two lonely theaters.