Directed by Ang Lee
134 minutes
Floor 3 Pink zone 791.4372 BRO
As it is LGBT+ History Month and Oscar season I felt it was high time that I finally watched Brokeback Mountain, which had been on my to watch list for far too long. Back in 2005, which is depressingly long ago now, this film caused quite a stir, firstly for its depiction of sexuality, and then for its shocking lose a the Oscars as Crash (2004) took home the Academy Award for Best Picture.
The film follows ranchers Ennis Del Mar (Heath Ledger) and Jack Twist (Jake Gyllenhaal), who meet whilst looking after a sheep heard in 1963. Over time they develop a passionate and sexual relationship; they are nervous about being shunned from society and attempt to align with the perceived social norms by also having heterosexual relationships. I will not detail much about Ennis or Jack’s homosexual or heterosexual relationships, as the complexity of these relationships is the crux of the narrative. I will say, however, that critical debate around the film seems to focus on Ennis and Jack’s relationship, whereas I think Brokeback Mountain offers an interesting insight to bisexuality and sexual fluidity.
The narrative of Brokeback Mountain takes place over approximately twenty years. I love how time transitions in this film, years can jump between scenes, but no caption tells you the date, rather we are meant to notice how fashion styles have changed, how young children have grown, and how Ennis and Jack have aged, to ascertain the date. This really adds to the flow of the film. The fashion changes of Lureen Twist (Anne Hathaway) are particularly amusing; as a side note it’s a small role but Hathaway nails it, as does Michelle Williams as Alma Del Mar. There are also small cameos by Anna Faris and David Harbour – it’s actually one of Harbour’s first roles, as a Stranger Things (2016-)fan I enjoyed this. You could question the casting of Ledger and Gyllenhaal in roles that could be more meaningful to homosexual actors; in this case, however, as both Ennis and Jack are supposedly heterosexual characters discovering their true sexuality, I think the casting of Ledger and Gyllenhaal works with the plot.
There are small flaws to the film, muttering is an issue – there are one or two lines that I just could not understand. I do worry about the treatment of some sheep in the film too, they seem to be handled roughly which I do not agree with. And whilst he film is beautifully shot, it loses a little on DVD quality (though the nature of the film is still visually stunning). But overall it is still a beautiful, and meaningful narrative.
The acceptance, or lack thereof, of homosexuality in American society is a key theme to the film, for obvious reasons. It is also interesting to see how the world responded to the film back in 2005, one Utah theatre pulled the film, some media outlets criticised Hollywood’s ‘gay agenda’, and there was suggestions that the marketing of the film had toned down homosexual elements to appeal to a heterosexual market. However, it was still meet with critical praise, the quality of the film prevailed against homophobia. I would like to think that society has become more accepting in the last decade, I don’t remember such a kick back to Moonlight (2016), but then there is still much discussion about LGBT+ characters in Disney films (for instance) – let’s hope Hollywood continues to progress.
Why it’s Significant?
Brokeback Mountain is somewhat of a benchmark as one of the first mainstream films to focus on a homosexual love story between two lead actors. Ang Lee did win an Oscar for Best Director, but it will always be up for debate as to which film should have won Best Picture Brokeback Mountain or Crash.
If You Like This, You May Also Like From the Library:
Philadelphia, dir. by Jonathan Demme (TriStar Pictures, 1993) – Another revolutionary film of sorts, starring Tom Hanks and Denzel Washington, this was one of the first mainstream films to explore issues of homophobia and HIV/AIDs through a courtroom narrative. (791.4372 PHI).
The Dark Knight, dir. by Christopher Nolan (Warner Bros. Pictures, 2008) – I will admit that this film bears very little similarity to Brokeback Mountain, but how can you review a Heath Ledger film without mentioning his amazing performance as The Joker, that won him an Oscar (very sadly awarded posthumously). (791.4372 DAR).
Gary Needham, ‘Brokeback Mountain’ (Edinburgh University Press, 2010) – for more on Brokeback Mountain you can read this book online using your University of Leicester IT account or check it out at 791.437 NEE. It explores the film in relation to indie cinema, genre, spectatorship, editing, and homosexuality.
Written by Phil Wintle
