I had sworn that I wouldn't see Brokeback Mountain, but after the Golden Globes, Cawelti asking everyone if they had seen it and no one raising their hands, debates about it in the media, etc, I broke down (har har) and went to see it. By myself. What a thrill that was, seeing the much hyped gay-themed movie alone. Anyways, here is my review:
During the first twenty minutes or so of Ang Lee’s Brokeback Mountain, we are introduced to Ennis and Jack, two cowboys who are watching over sheep in Wyoming. Ennis is a sulky, quiet redneck type who is right at home being a cowboy. Jack is bright eyed and chatty, and seems like he would have been better off growing up in the city. The two men watch over the sheep, hunt, and get to know each other. The film plays these scenes in a straightforward, simple manner, and if not for the massive hype surrounding the film’s content, it would be a total shock when they begin to have sex.
Quiet subtly is Brokeback Mountain’s great asset. If a hundred directors were assigned to make a film about gay cowboys, it is doubtful that many would be more subtle than Ang Lee. The film does not take great pains to show us they are in love, nor does it twelve scenes where the characters spell out their every thought with tears streaming down their faces, nor does it stick around for soft pornography. The majority of what is going in is expressed in the characters faces, actions, and simple but effective dialogue. Heath Leder is phenomenal as Ennis, who even when in a moment of peace, seems to be in agony. Jake Gyllenhaal is nearly as good as Jack, who impatiently wades through his life, waiting for the happiness he knows must be around the corner.
Ennis and Jack part when the summer is over, Ennis staying in Wyoming, Jack moving to Texas. Each man gets married and has children. Neither one is overly enthused about their lives, but they carry on. One day, Ennis receives a postcard from Jack, and before you know it the two are going on "fishing trips" where no fishing takes place. Jack declares that the two should leave their families and get a farm together, but Ennis quietly scoffs. It is still the 1960’s, and as a boy, his father showed him firsthand the potentially violent death that can await a homosexual.
Brokeback Mountain is not so much about homosexuality or love as it is unfulfilled desire. Jack can not have what he badly wants, and Ennis’ is not willing to take the steps towards his own possible happiness. The film is not nearly as pro-homosexuality as some would have you believe; indeed, throughout the film, Ennis and Jack’s relationship destroys their own lives and badly damages that of others. Instead of giving into their desires or suppressing them entirely, they try halfway, which does not work. In one scene, Ennis ignores his own children in his desperation to run off to a motel with Jack. In another, Jack slinks through a Mexican border town, searching for a male prostitute. These are not happy men, certainly not the characters GLAAD would push.
Brokeback Mountain is a very well done story of men doomed by impulses they would each rather not possess. One’s own opinions of the politics and morality of homosexuality need not matter much, as everyone can connect to the pain of not having what it is you want most. Is there any feeling much worse than that?
4 out of 5
2 comments:
It's a least a 4 James. I love how you word things. I'm definately going to frequent these blogs! I don't know if you want me to comment, but I WILL BE, whether you like it or not. I loved this movie. LOVED IT! I give it a 4.5, but you explained yourself and I agree with mostly everything you said!
I'm glad someone was here to be very insightful about the review before I was.
I think you describe the themes of "brokeback" well, but you might have missed the idea that makes the a "pro" homosexual movie.
It seems to me that what destroys the two of them is not so much their own feelings, but the taboo that the society surrounding them places on those feelings. It's pointing out that there isn't anything really wrong with the two of the (well, maybe there is something wrong with Jack) but with the sickness of the culture that denies people the right to their own feelings.
Strangely, given that he has sex with another man, I wouldn't exactly consider Ennis to be homosexual in the strictest sense. He doesn't want other men, just Jack. It seems to me like he's such a simple person that his love is deeper than the gender lines that are uncrossable for most of the population.
I do agree with your score though, and most of your comments.
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