Brokeback Mountain

Brokeback Mountain

BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN is an extremely well crafted motion picture that is worthy of almost all of the Oscar attention it received.

Director Ang Lee has mounted (no pun intended) a beautiful production. His directing is a marvelous example of telling a story straightforward (again, no pun intended) without the use of any annoying gimmicks or cinematic tricks. The music by Gustavo Santaolla is spot-on perfect; it is evocative and haunting and it will stay with you a long, long time without ever becoming too flashy or intrusive. Quite simply put, this is what film scoring should always strive to accomplish, yet so rarely even comes close. In addition, the screenplay by Larry McMurtry and Diana Ossana is a pure gem -- these writers took me to a place I have never been before. I don't mean geographically, but emotionally, and they accomplished this by creating two exquisitely-drawn characters whose shoes I will never walk in, but who I have come to better understand. Yes, there's no question that all four were deserving of the Academy Awards they received.

As for the Oscar Nominees, Director of Photography Rodrigo Prieto's sumptuous cinematography is breathtaking, as are the performances of both Heath Ledger (nominated for Best Actor) and Jake Gyllenhaal (nominated for Best Supporting Actor). Only Michelle Williams' nomination for Best Actress seems to be a stretch.

And what about Randy Quaid? He has recently dropped his lawsuit seeking more money for his role as Joe Aguirre. In this reviewer's opinion, Randy's pathetic performance is the only flaw in an otherwise nearly perfect movie. Whatever he was paid, it was too damn much.

I know quite a few individuals who refuse to see this film because of its underlying subject matter. I understand and respect their decision. It is unfortunate, however, since BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN is the best love story since BRIDE OF CHUCKY ("Chucky Gets Lucky" was that film's hip tagline -- one of my all-time favorites).

All kidding aside, I hereby award BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN 4 1/2 Dingleberries on a scale of 5. It doesn't get much better than that...

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Robert A. Nowotny

Brokeback Mountain

This movie is a lot better than I thought. I thought it was going to be another FOCUS feature movie that sucked. (I really hate FOCUS) But I actually liked this movie. It was great! It was so crazy and intense, but in a slow sort of way. It was suspenseful because you too were in on their secret, and you felt as if you had to keep the secret too. The characters were written very well, and I found myself sad for them and stuff. (And I’m a city boy and I usually don’t like working on farms and stuff.) I was watching the movie with a sad look on my face, and it was plastered that way for practically the rest of the evening. Very sad movie. Yet, it was well worth watching and I recommend it to anyone who wants a good story of ‘forbidden love.’

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Recommendations: (500) Days Of Summer (Marc Webb, 2009)

Last updated: 2010-03-12 16:35:31 by rammfan518

Brokeback Mountain (2005)

All that pointless talk about how *brave* Heath and Jake were to make this movie aside, whether gay or straight or whatever, BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN was simply one of the most saddest, romantic dramas ever. The score really did help to set the tone here, in the same way James Horner’s musical work helped TITANIC sail away back in 1997.  Sometimes you forget how crucial music is to a movie.  Ang Lee saw and created something no one had any idea it would be this good, and would make fans even of bigots (though not many will right out admit it). That last shot of the shirt/jacket and the look on Heath’s face, really stays with you forever.

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BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN (2005)

BACK COVER SYNOPSIS: Brokeback Mountain is a sweeping epic that explores the lives of two young men, a ranch hand and a rodeo cowboy, who meet in the summer of 1963 and unexpectedly forge a lifelong connection. The complications, joys and heartbreak they experience provide a testament to the endurance and power of love. Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal deliver emotionally charged, remarkably moving performances in a "movie that is destined to become one of the great classics of our time." (Clay Smith, The Insider)

FILM REVIEW: "Brokeback Mountain" gained notoriety upon its release for being a 'gay cowboy film'. With a label like that it would be easy to draw conclusions about the nature of the film and in so many ways this label is complete unfair. In fact, the 'gay' aspect to the story is not the point; this is a film about an impossible relationship, and the wider relationships it affects. They could have all have been straight or gay or a mix of both (as in this case), it wouldn't have mattered. Any one watching this, unless they're deeply conservative, will be able to find something compelling or even recogniseable in what happens in these relationships and it is to director Ang Lee's credit that he focuses the story so much in this direction. One can't ignore the fact that this film got more attention because it's central premise is based on two cowboys who fall in love, but otherwise, it's a compelling drama with characters who are trying to make the best of their respective situations under the life pressures they all live within.
"Brokeback Mountain" is based on a short story and the writer, Annie Proulx, made a wise decision to choose two cowboys as her protagonists. If there were any type of people who would appear to not show gay tendencies in popular culture, it would be cowboys, which perhaps makes the whole concept more interesting. Heath Ledger plays the quietly spoken Ennis Del Mar and Jake Gyllenhaal plays the outgoing Jack Twist. They both find a job together herding and guarding sheep on a vast property on Brokeback Mountain. Out their in the beautiful country side with no one else around, they go from hardly speaking to friends to lovers. Eventually, their job comes to an end and they split up, not seeing each other for another five years. In the mean time, both men marry women and start a family. The complications arise when Jack tracks down Ennis and they resume their relationship, but they attempt to do it in secret, and only at Brokeback Mountain where no one will ever know. Ennis' wife is the first to find out about their relationship when she catches both of them all over each other outside their home. This eventually leads to the souring of the marriage, ending in divorce. Jack's marriage becomes quite loveless, and he becomes the whipping boy for his wife's father who treats him with no respect.
The story is simple but its intracacies are what make it worth watching. The dynamics of the relationships between the characters are complex and rich. Ennis, played superbly by Heath Ledger without a trace of his Australian accent, is a product of his time. When he was a kid, his father showed him two gay men who had been killed by someone when they were found out (and not just killed, but tortured). This image has stayed in his mind for his entire life as a warning from his father never to indulge in such sin. This plays in to his relationship with Jack who is more open-minded and willing to buck convention. As a result, they're together and not together, leaving a relationship which is joyous and tragic all at the same time. Ennis' wife is heartbroken, as is his later girlfriend, when in the former she finds out about her husband's extra-marital affair, and the in the latter when she finds out that he has no love to give her. Jack's wife is a tough business woman who is consumed by her business, and with Jack's losing interest, she becomes almost devoid of emotion, a point Jack notes to Ennis when describing what she has become.
The story has a lot of character detail and nuances and thankfully they are carried out by a talented bunch of actors. In some cases, they surprise, including Jake Gyllenhaal who probably put his best performance in to this film, Anne Hathaway as Jack's wife who rises above her "Devil Wears Prada" 2-dimensional qualities, Randy Quaid as the ranch owner who hires the two cowboys at the beginning of the film, and many, many others. Ang Lee really brought out the best in his cast and for this story it was essential to make it work. And it works astoundingly. Lee also brings a commanding power to the images put to screen. Working with his cinematographer, he has crafted some wonderful imagery of the American West contrasted with the run-down everyday poor look of the towns the characters live in. A nice metaphor for the two cowboys actually, with Brokeback Mountain highlighting the beauty in their relationship, and the towns representing the opposite.
One huge drawback to the film is its pacing. It's very slow. The running time is a little over two hours but it feels much longer and probably should have been about 20 minutes shorter. The film does take a while to get going and once it's there it holds your interest despite the slow pacing, but it's not enough. Yes, it's a character study, which demands a slower pace, but not this slow.
A very good film with stellar performances and story, only let down by its pacing.

TECHNICAL REVIEW: The transfer of the film is decent, but the picture is a little soft at times with the occasional film artefact and jump every now and then. The soundtrack is first rate, particularly the moving guitar-score which resonates clearly through the speaker system. A decent transfer but the picture could have been better.

EXTRAS REVIEW: The extras on this disc consist of four featurettes which are promotional in style, but nevertheless are longer than standard fare, offering a decent look insider the production. There's a documentary on the making of the film that runs under 30 minutes, but some of the footage is taken from the other featurettes. The other featurettes focus on the director, the actors, and the writers. Overall, not a bad collection of extras but nothing overtly special.

BOTTOM LINE: Rent it.

FILM RATING: 7.5/10 -- EXTRAS RATING: 7/10 -- OVERALL DVD RATING: 7.5/10 

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Todd Murphy <br />
http://www.allaboutmovies.net