Brokeback Mountain

[Twinprincesses]

They finally released this in more theatres in Indiana. I am going to try to talk my DH into seeing it this weekend.

 

[Caradana]

I prefer big explosions, masked killers and end of the world stuff.

Like the lovely Rick, I'm a Die Hard person - not a Sense and Sensibility person. I wanted to take the cyanide during The English Patient. Given that, is it at all remarkable that Brokeback Mountain brought me to my emotional knees? I've never had a deeper, more visceral reaction to a film. The understatement with which it was acted completes the effect; it's stunning, heartwrenching. I read Annie Proulx's short story a few years ago, and I felt its power then, but the film magnifies the emotions to the level of a classic.

I think the film itself nullifies the debate around "my conservative values have no place for your gay sex," because this film is a love story that was directed beyond male and male. In short, the movie is not about being gay. It's about that once-in-a-lifetime person, the one you can't shake out no matter how many years pass you by, and if you've ever had that person and not been able to make a life with them - you will feel the power of this film tenfold. The intensity with which the main characters looked at each other is familiar to me, I've had that same experience in my heterosexual relationships. The lingering touching, the feeling of him reaching from behind and holding me, the expressions on the actors' faces - it's all familiar, and the human heart that cannot empathize with that kind of longing is one that has been shorted the kind of love affair that opens the soul.

Spoiler: did you notice that when Ennis found his shirt intertwined within Jack's in the childhood closet, and brought them home, he reversed them before hanging them in his wardrobe? Jack "held" Ennis until he died; Ennis "held" Jack the rest of the way. One day far into the future, hypothetically, when you're gone, can you imagine your husband intertwining your favorite shirt within his and hanging them in your closet, never wearing them, softly touching them when he misses you? Are you loved like that? Is there anyone alive who doesn't want to be?

 

[sharbear]

Wow, Dana, what a great response. The movie has not come out in my neck of the woods but after your response, I want to see it ten fold.

 

[sotoalf]

Like the lovely Rick, I'm a Die Hard person - not a Sense and Sensibility person. I wanted to take the cyanide during The English Patient. Given that, is it at all remarkable that Brokeback Mountain brought me to my emotional knees? I've never had a deeper, more visceral reaction to a film. The understatement with which it was acted completes the effect; it's stunning, heartwrenching. I read Annie Proulx's short story a few years ago, and I felt its power then, but the film magnifies the emotions to the level of a classic.

I think the film itself nullifies the debate around "my conservative values have no place for your gay sex," because this film is a love story that was directed beyond male and male. In short, the movie is not about being gay. It's about that once-in-a-lifetime person, the one you can't shake out no matter how many years pass you by, and if you've ever had that person and not been able to make a life with them - you will feel the power of this film tenfold. The intensity with which the main characters looked at each other is familiar to me, I've had that same experience in my heterosexual relationships. The lingering touching, the feeling of him reaching from behind and holding me, the expressions on the actors' faces - it's all familiar, and the human heart that cannot empathize with that kind of longing is one that has been shorted the kind of love affair that opens the soul.

Spoiler: did you notice that when Ennis found his shirt intertwined within Jack's in the childhood closet, and brought them home, he reversed them before hanging them in his wardrobe? Jack "held" Ennis until he died; Ennis "held" Jack the rest of the way. One day far into the future, hypothetically, when you're gone, can you imagine your husband intertwining your favorite shirt within his and hanging them in your closet, never wearing them, softly touching them when he misses you? Are you loved like that? Is there anyone alive who doesn't want to be?

A beautiful post. Yeah, this is very similar to reactions from friends and family members; one friend (a hetero woman) said it was the best film she'd ever seen, period – and she's hardly a sentimentalist.

 

[RickinNYC]

I also wonder if that all the acclaim and Oscar buzz it is getting is due to it being a "taboo" topic and necessarily on its cinematic merit. Others on here have already stated that other movies are much better but are not getting near the buzz probably due to them being less "taboo."

Taboo or not taboo, that is the question.

Who cares? Is my answer.

Edited to add: The topic is only taboo to those that haven't otherwise been exposed to gay lifestyles. Otherwise, the movie is simply a love story.

As much as I don't feel like seeing this flick, I'm very, very, very happy that Ang Lee had the guts to direct it, and Jake Gylenhaal and Heath Ledger had the bravery to take on the starring roles. It was only a few years ago that, should anyone portray a gay character, it was the death toll for his career.

I'm even happier that I now live in a time in which it's much easier to see positive portrayals of gay characters in TV and movies. Such a thing was absolutely near impossible when I was in college, let alone high school. And that was the 80's folks.

Maybe I will see this movie and shock Joe into a tizzy.

 

[luvmydogs]

Dana and Rick pretty much summed up my thoughts--and much more eloquently than I ever could.

But heck, I'd pay to watch Heath Ledger kiss a pig.

 

[tiggersgirl]

I'm a very private person and I keep my emotions to myself as much as I can, but when I cried from the TRAILER for Brokeback Mountain, I knew I was in for a wild emotional ride.

I'm a very tenderhearted person, I feel things too much sometimes and I could just tell that I was treading on dangerous ground. I knew I couldn't go strolling into the theater without preparing myself so I got "At Close Range", which is the collection of short stories that Annie Proulx wrote a while back.
Brokeback Mountain was the last story in the book (I read all the stories by the way) and I THOUGHT that by reading the story, it would take away some of the power the trailer had over me.

I was wrong. The way Annie Proulx put words and phrases together in that story was unlike anything I'd ever read before. From the very beginning, to the very end, her words grabbed me and took me places I'd never been before. I cried throughout the whole story and the end just broke my heart.

My sisters wanted to see the movie and I resisted because I knew how it would affect me, I was afraid it would take too much out of me. So I told myself, Well, these are just actors acting out someone else's idea of what THEY think BBM should look like.

Wrong again. Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal did such a wonderful job portraying Ennis and Jack. From their facial expressions, to the way they touched each other and talked to each other, I could just FEEL all of this love coming at me from the screen.

It was THE most romantic I've ever seen and you have to understand that there were no spoken declarations of love anywhere in BBM. Book or Movie.
Not once did Jack or Ennis ever tell each other that they loved each other.
I don't think that either one realized, nor could understand, that "this thing" as Ennis called it, they had going on was called falling in love.

I had to get myself a journal, something I'd stopped doing a long time ago.
I needed an outlet because I just could not figure out why this story affected me so much.

After a lot of soul searching, I finally wrote one day that it felt like I had fallen in love, but since I'm no where near being in a relationship, the only conclusion I could come up with is that I fell in love with Love.

I encourage anyone who hasn't read Brokeback Mountain yet to read it.
I'll never forget Brokeback Mountain, story or movie and it helps me and comforts me to know that I'm not the only one whose heart has been touched.

 

[sotoalf]

Wow. bump.

 

[staci]

IThe lingering touching, the feeling of him reaching from behind and holding me, the expressions on the actors' faces - it's all familiar, and the human heart that cannot empathize with that kind of longing is one that has been shorted the kind of love affair that opens the soul.

QUOTE]

That statement gives me goosebumps.

I am now concerned that if I see this movie in my emotional pregnant state that I may be unable to stop blubbering long enough to actually WATCH the movie . Maybe I should wait 6 months.

 

[Ziva]

It's about that once-in-a-lifetime person, the one you can't shake out no matter how many years pass you by, and if you've ever had that person and not been able to make a life with them - you will feel the power of this film tenfold.

Wow, just reading your description shook me because I have someone like that in my life.

 

[DisneyDotty]

Spoiler: did you notice that when Ennis found his shirt intertwined within Jack's in the childhood closet, and brought them home, he reversed them before hanging them in his wardrobe? Jack "held" Ennis until he died; Ennis "held" Jack the rest of the way. One day far into the future, hypothetically, when you're gone, can you imagine your husband intertwining your favorite shirt within his and hanging them in your closet, never wearing them, softly touching them when he misses you? Are you loved like that? Is there anyone alive who doesn't want to be?

Are you a writer? If not, you ought to give it a try. You have succinctly and eloquently expressed my feelings about this movie. Thank you.

 

[Chuck S]

Just saw it this afternoon. Theater was about half full, very unusual for a 2 o'clock show. The audience (guessing) was about 1/3 gay and lesbian, 1/3 hetero couples and (this surprised me) about 1/3 white-haired senior citizens. It seems many people, who would never admit to it, have had a powerful true friendship (whether it involved being physical or not) at some point in their lives. This movie touches something deep within the human spirit.

 

[cardaway]

I was thinking yesterday when a freind brought this movie up, how different is it really from other movies the past. The fact they actually took the next step?

It's widely known that many classic movies had characters that were written and played gay... they just didn't take the next step due to what is happening to this movie from some poeple.

 

[Caradana]

Are you a writer? If not, you ought to give it a try. You have succinctly and eloquently expressed my feelings about this movie. Thank you.

Thank you. Gratifying to read that it affected others the way it did me!

 

[sotoalf]

I was thinking yesterday when a freind brought this movie up, how different is it really from other movies the past. The fact they actually took the next step?

It's widely known that many classic movies had characters that were written and played gay... they just didn't take the next step due to what is happening to this movie from some poeple.

Calling The Maltese Falcon and just about every Montgomery Clift film...

 

[dis ms.]

I just saw the movie this afternoon. As others here have said, this is not a story about two gay men in love. This is a love story that just happens to be about two men.

As a person who goes to the movies fairly often, I'm surprised by the way this one is sticking with me. I just can't seem to shake it. I'm going to have to watch something mindless, but funny like "Old School" in an attempt to get on with my life!

BTW, I think it's ridiculous to call the love scenes graphic. I've seen more graphic love scenes on Lifetime Movie Network.

SPOILERS

I, too, was gripped by Ennis' discovery of the shirts and the way he later reversed them so that he essentially was holding Jack. I also was so moved by Jack's mother and her compassionate reaction to Ennis. It was moving because, while I doubt Jack ever shared his feelings for Ennis with her, his mother seemed to sense her son's love. I only hope that I can be that in tune with my kids. I felt as if she would go against her husband and find a way to get Jack's ashes to Ennis so he could fulfill Jack's wish.

Awesome movie!

 

[DisneyGirl421]

I have been looking forward to this movie for the longest time. and now so many people are talking about how good it is, and I am getting extremely mad and annoyed!

It's not playing ANYWHERE near me. The closest theatre it's at is in Red Bank, which is a good 45 minutes away. and my mother would never let me drive that far away just to see a movie (i'm only 17...)

Anyway, Brokeback Mountain needs to comes to Toms River or Brick, NJ SOON or else I will go out of my mind! lol

 

[sotoalf]

I have been looking forward to this movie for the longest time. and now so many people are talking about how good it is, and I am getting extremely mad and annoyed!

It's not playing ANYWHERE near me. The closest theatre it's at is in Red Bank, which is a good 45 minutes away. and my mother would never let me drive that far away just to see a movie (i'm only 17...)

Anyway, Brokeback Mountain needs to comes to Toms River or Brick, NJ SOON or else I will go out of my mind! lol

It will open in wide release soon. Be patient!

 

[micknpluto]

Great film! Anne Hathaway, well, she did a great job but a far cry from her Disney Princess Diary Days...

It was sad. I didnt cry but I had people sobbing to the left and right of me.

 

[disney50fam]

Well I went and saw this movie and Wow. The acting was amazing.
This was a well put together movie. The kissing from Health and Jake
kinda made me sick because it was SO REAL.
Anne did a fast topless seen, What happned to the sweet shy
princess in the disney movies

But all in all it was a beautiful story even if it was between two men. Awesome movie