‘Brokeback’ explores the power of love
Brokeback Mountain
Screenplay written by: Adapted by Larry McMurty (
”
Last Picture Show
”
) and Diane Ossana based upon Annie Proulx’s 1997 short
story.
Actors: Heath Ledger, Jake Gyllenhaal, Michelle Williams, Anne
Hathaway, Randy Quaid
Directed by: Ang Lee (Also directed,
”
Sense and Sensibility,
”
”
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon,
”
”
Hulk,
”
and wrote
”
Tortilla Soup
”
)
Rated: R (For subject matter, language, and sparse nudity)
In 1963, Ennis Del Mar (Heath Ledger), a young ranch hand of few
words who has learned to be guarded, and Jack Twist (Jake
Gyllenhaal), a sometimes rodeo circuit rider, find themselves in a
dusty parking lot in a small town in Wyoming. They are waiting to
apply for the job of watching over ranch boss, Joe Aguirre’s (Randy
Quaid), herd of sheep grazing high up on craggy isolated Brokeback
Mountain. With one man always keeping the coyotes away in the
isolated upper pastures and the other tending the camp, a dwindling
campfire on a cold rainy night forces them to share a tent which
begins their personal confrontations with their own demons and
grappling with something they do not understand but cannot deny.
While their untraditional relationship grows and their secrets
haunt them as they live their separate lives, the complication for
betraying themselves and others becomes an authentic testament to
the power of love and what they endure for decades.
‘Brokeback’ explores the power of love
Brokeback Mountain
Screenplay written by: Adapted by Larry McMurty (“Last Picture Show”) and Diane Ossana based upon Annie Proulx’s 1997 short story.
Actors: Heath Ledger, Jake Gyllenhaal, Michelle Williams, Anne Hathaway, Randy Quaid
Directed by: Ang Lee (Also directed, “Sense and Sensibility,” “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon,” “Hulk,” and wrote “Tortilla Soup”)
Rated: R (For subject matter, language, and sparse nudity)
In 1963, Ennis Del Mar (Heath Ledger), a young ranch hand of few words who has learned to be guarded, and Jack Twist (Jake Gyllenhaal), a sometimes rodeo circuit rider, find themselves in a dusty parking lot in a small town in Wyoming. They are waiting to apply for the job of watching over ranch boss, Joe Aguirre’s (Randy Quaid), herd of sheep grazing high up on craggy isolated Brokeback Mountain. With one man always keeping the coyotes away in the isolated upper pastures and the other tending the camp, a dwindling campfire on a cold rainy night forces them to share a tent which begins their personal confrontations with their own demons and grappling with something they do not understand but cannot deny. While their untraditional relationship grows and their secrets haunt them as they live their separate lives, the complication for betraying themselves and others becomes an authentic testament to the power of love and what they endure for decades.
He Said:
Taking on the West’s iconic cowboys and making them such vulnerably complex men became uncomfortable, yet “Brokeback Mountain” was a beautiful film worth seeing. It should not only be applauded for tackling the prejudices and social stigmas that people living in 1963 largely held on to and passed along, but also for exposing it so well. This film is sensitive, edgy, and definitely controversial. I’m not saying you won’t squirm in your seat in spots. But, if you ride it out, you will find that you have witnessed one of the best directed and acted films of the year. It treads on a tough landscape for most people, but go with an open mind and you will have traversed a haunting and special film experience. It’s boldly ground-breaking and compassionate, taking on universal truths and human vulnerabilities spanning all time and revealing internal and external barriers that will stay with you.
On the R&R Scale (1-10):
8 for script (Sparse and powerful)
9 for direction (Rodgrigo Prieto’s cinematography as gifted as Ang Lee’s direction)
9 for acting (Oscar caliber performances by many)
9 for plot (Boldly ground-breaking and compassionate, taking on universal truths and tough societal realities)
8 for entertainment value
8.6 overall
She Said:
“Brokeback Mountain’s” cinematography was as visually poetic as the sparse dialog and the powerfully wordless scenes revealing the scope of the isolated inner struggle in (so many) characters. The director unveiled not only the remote expansiveness of the landscape but also the complication and tragedy within isolated lonely minds. Listen between the lines. The costs of betrayal of self and to others resonated. Besides the clearly brilliant performances by both leading men, the women in their lives also contributed mightily to the quality of the overall acting. Brilliantly under-acted with palpable emotional restraint, something will clench at your chest as you walk out of the theater realizing that you are still distilling emotion you most likely didn’t think you were capable of having. Not a family film, this is an important one for adults to see in terms of its uncommon treatment of the subject, and in terms of the quality of the film-making.
On the R&R Scale (1-10)
9 for script (Wonderfully revealing while being tight and spare)
10 for direction (Created an uncommonly captivating masterpiece)
10 for acting (Everyone so very good, Keith Ledger an 11)
8 for plot (A tough one to deliver so authentically)
9 for entertainment value
9.2 overall
