Brokeback Mountain Review and Response

[sara1998]

Originally Posted by sparky

I hope you do see it and I would be very interested in how you respond to it. I think that everyone's own unique experience is going to color their reactions.

I would, but it's "not currently playing in my area." I don't know that I would be as emotional about it, because I wouldn't "get" some of it. Ya know?? But, none-the-less, it looks like a damn good movie, and I'm just moved by your response to it.

[The Tower]

Originally Posted by sparky

That would be a great loss, for you not to see it. It isn't all tragedy. And it is by no means Tragic Gay. The only reason it is so heartbreaking is that it is such a great love story. I suspect you have seen some or much of the trash the indie film industry has generated and called "gay movies". This is not one of those movies. It is great film making first and foremost, and I think you would be doing yourself a great disservice in missing it. Not everyone is going to reduced to a sobbing wreck like I was. I think you are a very sensitive and perceptive guy and it might move you in ways you wouldn't expect.

I think I'll probably rent the DVD or buy it on DirecTV. I heard the blurb on this on NPR and I'm just not into the whole shame/forced to live a lie kind of thing that this movie seems to have. I'm sure my body will swoon at the love story and probably break as well. I'm just tired of watching the suffering/struggle against society. I love Jake and Heath, but

So, did your holiday party end up getting clunked by this whole experience??

[strandinthewind]

Originally Posted by sara1998

I would, but it's "not currently playing in my area." I don't know that I would be as emotional about it, because I wouldn't "get" some of it. Ya know?? But, none-the-less, it looks like a damn good movie, and I'm just moved by your response to it.

It opens in wide release this weekend.

[Richard B]

Originally Posted by gldstwmn

That really is a blessing sometimes, isn't it? Personally, I love to go to the movies by myself.

It's interesting...I think humans are the most inconsistent creatures of all.

I go to movies by myself.
I drive my car by myself.
I go to the gym by myself.
I go to clubs by myself.
I go to concerts by myself.
I go to dinner by myself.
I take long walks by myself.
I go shopping by myself.
I ride my bike by myself.
I travel by myself.

Obviously not everytime, but there is nothing wrong with doing things by yourself. I tend to meet more people when by myself and get myself into all kinds of good trouble. When with a group of friends, you tend to stay in the group and you're not so approachable. It really is restraining. I guess I'm a huge lover of freedom and independence. I have no hang ups about it.

[sparky]

Originally Posted by sara1998

I would, but it's "not currently playing in my area." I don't know that I would be as emotional about it, because I wouldn't "get" some of it. Ya know?? But, none-the-less, it looks like a damn good movie, and I'm just moved by your response to it.

I doubt you would be as emotional. I am just interested in seeing if other people find the love story as intense.

Originally Posted by TheTower

I think I'll probably rent the DVD or buy it on DirecTV. I heard the blurb on this on NPR and I'm just not into the whole shame/forced to live a lie kind of thing that this movie seems to have. I'm sure my body will swoon at the love story and probably break as well. I'm just tired of watching the suffering/struggle against society. I love Jake and Heath, but

The funny thing is there wasn't a focus on there being some whole shame/oppression thing. It is the backdrop of the conflict, it is not saturated in there like some dogmatic message movie. The main gig is two people are powerfully, epically in love and have obstacles. It is classic. The difference is it is finally two men, and it is artfully done.

So, did your holiday party end up getting clunked by this whole experience??

Oh no. Not at all. Everything was beautiful and tons of fun. Everyone had a great time, and I especially enjoyed myself. Missing old friends came out of the woodwork and there were some wonderful new friends that showed up and connected with the gang. I was up all night and am still giddy about how much fun we all had.

[Beachwood Mac]

Originally Posted by Richard B

I go to movies by myself.
I drive my car by myself.
I go to the gym by myself.
I go to clubs by myself.
I go to concerts by myself.
I go to dinner by myself.
I take long walks by myself.
I go shopping by myself.
I ride my bike by myself.
I travel by myself.

I use to feel self conscious doing things on my own. After realizing how many great experiences I had missed I started doing things on my own all the time. I never think twice about it now. And you do meet so many people this way.

Terry

[Rickypt]

Originally Posted by sparky

People are very different when it comes to these kind of things. There are plenty of people who probably won't have the same visceral reaction I did. Those who connect with it the way I did will say masterpiece, but most everyone else will say merely great.

I can understand my own response pretty well. So much of that landscape and imagery are familiar to me. The characters too. It really pushed a lot of my buttons, most powerfully in terms of the tone. In some odd way, and this is simply a connection I have with the way Lee directs, the pacing, the framing, and the ambience of the movie evokes the way my brain constructs memories. It felt extremely intimate and personal to me, my experience, and the style in which my imagination works.

The fact that the two main characters do not share a great amount of dialogue also worked for me. The film doesn't have a lot of dialogue, period.
So much of what was communicated was communicated visually, and the images that were chosen were extremely evocative and memorable to me. The more things I see, hear, and experience...the more I am finding that certain kinds imagery and careful, quiet storytelling have the most impact on me. It is in near silence and stillness that some of the most compelling things in life happen. Lee captures that. There was also a lack of sentimentality that, for me, makes all the difference.

It is perhaps an intensely personal and particular vantage point that enabled me to understand the relationship between these characters and feel the depth of it. The outdoors, the things they did together, the stillness between them...it spoke volumes to me. But not everyone is going to get that, I suppose. They were scenes that could have been pulled out my life. Characters that I have known. That is a familiarity not everyone is going to have. I do not think it detracts from the success of the film, however. I believe the original writer of the story, the screenwriters, and the director all understood the way the two men thought, and the way they related to each other. The scarcity of their time together, the intimacy of the wilderness, all of this enhanced the intensity of it for me. The very scarcity of a precious item is part of what enhances its value. I guess that I felt that way about the character of Ennis. We all have known a few people who rarely say much. But when they do ? Every word counts. When you are with them, every second counts. I felt the film makers conveyed this sense of gravity and power. It is a language that was natural, familiar, and effective to me.
And that is probably part of why it impacted me the way it did.

Great post. I can see why you responded to the film in such an intense way.

I think I'm going to see it again in about a month and see if I have a different take on it not having such huge expectations.

[Serrart]

Originally Posted by gldstwmn

That really is a blessing sometimes, isn't it? Personally, I love to go to the movies by myself.

Absolutely. And I 'm free to see the movie I want without compromising. The joy to see a Makhmalbaf or Tsai Ming Liang movie in a small cinema, is always a magic moment for me.

Romy

[foxyluva]

Originally Posted by Richard B

It's interesting...I think humans are the most inconsistent creatures of all.

I go to clubs by myself.

Wow Don't you feel a little self concious? I always have to be with someone when i go clubbing or to a party, im guess im just a little scared

[BombaySapphire3]

I think being comfortable with going to the movies by yourself may have something to do with age and maturity level .Before 25 I don't ever remember going to a film alone. After that age I've gone to them increasingly more often alone.I'm glad I had a date for Brokeback Mountain however .I was so drained and disoriented and pulled out of myself after seeing this film I needed help finding the car!

[Richard B]

Originally Posted by foxyluva

Wow Don't you feel a little self concious? I always have to be with someone when i go clubbing or to a party, im guess im just a little scared

Self conscious? Naah...my friends say I have enough self assurance to share. I really don't mind going to clubs alone. First off, I'm not alone (there's people everywhere)...I just don't know anyone yet! I've never had a problem meeting people or chatting up strangers. I really love it. I honestly have more fun on my own and am much more open to meeting people. Some friends love to have me around because I do work a room and introduce them to new people.

To each his own. What's works for me may certainly not work for others.

[sparky]

Originally Posted by BombaySapphire3

I think being comfortable with going to the movies by yourself may have something to do with age and maturity level .Before 25 I don't ever remember going to a film alone.

Could be age. Movies were always a social thing for me at a younger age, rather than really about seeing the movie. On the flip side, I went alone to Europe for 3 months when I was 23. I still prefer such trips alone, at least most of the time.

I'm glad I had a date for Brokeback Mountain however .I was so drained and disoriented and pulled out of myself after seeing this film I needed help finding the car!

I walked back like a zombie.

[sparky]

POSSIBLE MINOR SPOILER ALERT


For God's sake someone see this damned thing so there is another opinion !
One extremely annoying and predictable development is the politically correct gay cynic response I have read a few times. Some jackass columnist wrote about the movie and was absolutely unable to see it in historical context. The guy literally expected the two main characters to mount some kind of Stonewall revolution and become gay pioneers in Wyoming. What the hell are two high school dropout ranch hand/rodeo types going to do in the midwest in the 60's ? Listen to Judy Garland, read Proust, wear ascots and sip tea while deconstructing rare Virginia Woolf essays and smoking imported Parisian cigarettes ? These guys probably never ever heard the WORD gay. Then, he went on to talk about how terrible it was that Focus Features was marketing it to get a straight female audience, that Focus is owned by NBC, which is in turn owned by GE. Of course, GE is evil, so you should not go see the movie because to do so would be to contribute to furthering the agenda of one more evil conglomerate.

So short sighted. On top of that, the maniac movie reviewer Michael Medved actually said nice things about the film, but had to comment that one scene that implies gay bashing was a questionable suggestion of a "political agenda".
They say these things with NO attention to the fact that the film is based on source material. Proulx had no agenda in her story. It is a story. Period. It is a time capsule love story. This is one reason I stopped pursuing academia - the constant second guessing of the intention of a writer - the insistence on assigning unintended meaning and deconstructing the psychology of the artist. And it is so often done to further the agenda of the analyst and not the artist. Of course art is a platform for larger discussion, and BBM is a rich subject that can inspire many political, social and sexual discussions. However, people so rarely are able to do that without dragging the writer or the characters over the coals comparing them to some ideal that they think society should live up to. I fail to understand why so many are incapable of employing art as an inspiration for dialogue without sucking the soul out the piece of art. It drives me nuts.

[DavidMn]

Originally Posted by sparky

POSSIBLE MINOR SPOILER ALERT


For God's sake someone see this damned thing so there is another opinion !
One extremely annoying and predictable development is the politically correct gay cynic response I have read a few times. Some jackass columnist wrote about the movie and was absolutely unable to see it in historical context. The guy literally expected the two main characters to mount some kind of Stonewall revolution and become gay pioneers in Wyoming. What the hell are two high school dropout ranch hand/rodeo types going to do in the midwest in the 60's ? Listen to Judy Garland, read Proust, wear ascots and sip tea while deconstructing rare Virginia Woolf essays and smoking imported Parisian cigarettes ? These guys probably never ever heard the WORD gay. Then, he went on to talk about how terrible it was that Focus Features was marketing it to get a straight female audience, that Focus is owned by NBC, which is in turn owned by GE. Of course, GE is evil, so you should not go see the movie because to do so would be to contribute to furthering the agenda of one more evil conglomerate.

So short sighted. On top of that, the maniac movie reviewer Michael Medved actually said nice things about the film, but had to comment that one scene that implies gay bashing was a questionable suggestion of a "political agenda".
They say these things with NO attention to the fact that the film is based on source material. Proulx had no agenda in her story. It is a story. Period. It is a time capsule love story. This is one reason I stopped pursuing academia - the constant second guessing of the intention of a writer - the insistence on assigning unintended meaning and deconstructing the psychology of the artist. And it is so often done to further the agenda of the analyst and not the artist. Of course art is a platform for larger discussion, and BBM is a rich subject that can inspire many political, social and sexual discussions. However, people so rarely are able to do that without dragging the writer or the characters over the coals comparing them to some ideal that they think society should live up to. I fail to understand why so many are incapable of employing art as an inspiration for dialogue without sucking the soul out the piece of art. It drives me nuts.

I look at it this way, see the movie for what it is, brilliant, leave all the other bs out of it and judge it on it's own merits.

[amber]

Originally Posted by sparky

POSSIBLE MINOR SPOILER ALERT
I fail to understand why so many are incapable of employing art as an inspiration for dialogue without sucking the soul out the piece of art. It drives me nuts.

Best sentence ever. I totally agree.
It's amazing how moronic and irrelevant to the movie those reviewers "points" were.
Sorry, I haven't seen it, though....