6th HOF-Brokeback Mountain

[seanc]

Nominated By: Thursday Next

http://i1178.photobucket.com/albums/x369/seancriswell/Brokeback.jpg

I decided to pick something more recent this time, a film that I believe is a modern classic. Ang Lee is not a director who gets talked about as much as some other directors working today, but when he’s good he’s really, really good. There’s a brilliant combination of beautifully photographed landscapes and an honest, unflinching, nuanced portrait of humanity, human emotions, flaws and fragility. There is hope, and love and tragedy that never descends into melodrama. Brokeback Mountain features some of the best young talent of the early 2000s, Jake Gyllenhaal, Michelle Williams, Anne Hathaway and most of all the sadly departed Heath Ledger.

[hello101]

I like this one a lot. Heath Ledger's performance is amazing, better than his one in The Dark Knight.

[Sexy Celebrity]

http://www.movieforums.com/community/attachment.php?attachmentid=19883&stc=1&d=1423284675

http://www.movieforums.com/community/attachment.php?attachmentid=19884&stc=1&d=1423284751

[cricket]

I probably would've watched this eventually because it's on one of the MoFo lists. I can't honestly say I wanted to see it, but I have no doubt that it's a high quality movie. It's one of the very few movies that my wife has seen, but I haven't. She's already giving me a hard time about having to watch it saying, "maybe we should have a guy come over to watch it with you", and "who can we invite?" I'm never going to hear the end of this at home.

[Thursday Next]

Well, serves you right for being so reluctant to watch it!

I honestly thought this would be one that a lot of people would have seen already, since it's relatively recent, in English and was quite talked about when it came out, what with winning Oscars and all.

[christine]

Looking forward to seeing this again . I thought it was very moving.

[Miss Vicky]

Haven't decided yet whether I'll rewatch this one. It's in my movie collection so access isn't an issue at all but I've never been enamored of the movie (wasn't crazy about the story/novella either).

I think it's superbly shot and gorgeous to look at, but overall have always felt that it was far more culturally significant than it was actually good.

[Godoggo]

I agree that it's a beautiful movie to look at. I don't know what it is but Ang Lee's films always leave me cold. Technically it's a fantastic film so it's going to get a lot of points from me in that department, but I just never connect the way I feel I should be connecting.

The performances are all around superb, it's not that. I'm going to watch it again with an open mind so hopefully I'll feel a bit more moved this time around.

[Thursday Next]

(wasn't crazy about the story/novella either).
.

Nor was I! I think this is one of the few instances where the movie improves significantly on the source story. I also prefer Ang Lee's film of Sense and Sensibility to the book.

[Thursday Next]

I agree that it's a beautiful movie to look at. I don't know what it is but Ang Lee's films always leave me cold. Technically it's a fantastic film so it's going to get a lot of points from me in that department, but I just never connect the way I feel I should be connecting.

The performances are all around superb, it's not that. I'm going to watch it again with an open mind so hopefully I'll feel a bit more moved this time around.

I hope you like it more this time around. To be honest, this is a film that grew on me as well, rather than being an instant favourite, so maybe a bit of a risky choice for a hall of fame where a lot of people are going to be watching it for the first time.

Ang Lee's films are a bit hit and miss for me. I think Brokeback Mountain and Sense and Sensibility are two of my absolute favourite films, I could watch them over and over again. I also really like Lust, Caution and The Wedding Banquet. But there are others I'm not so keen on. The Ice Storm certainly left me cold, as did Crouching Tiger and I didn't care for Life of Pi.

[Sexy Celebrity]

The movie is slow, I think. The last time I tried watching it, I turned it off after an hour. I think about an hour -- maybe a little less -- is spent on Brokeback Mountain with Jake Gyllenhaal and Heath Ledger "getting to know each other." Then they leave the mountain and they get wives and I just lost interest. I mean to finish it all the way again someday soon. After all of that nice, hot water splashing on ya in the shower via Jake Gyllenhaal and Heath Ledger getting all lovey dovey, there's an unfortunate, shocking jolt of utter coldness in the form of an unwanted Michelle Williams, who sneaks herself into the gay movie. Too bad they couldn't stay single -- you know what I mean.

[hello101]

The ending caught me by surprise initally, thinking about it, I'm still not sure what to make of it. Happy? Sad? A bit of both?

[Sexy Celebrity]

The ending caught me by surprise initally, thinking about it, I'm still not sure what to make of it. Happy? Sad? A bit of both?

It's sad, but it could have been worse.

At least Jake didn't die in the real world, like the other guy.

[hello101]

You think Jake's character died by accident (like how his wife said)?

[Sexy Celebrity]

Well, I should watch the movie all the way through again, but...

The way I understood it, ever since I first saw the movie back when it came out, Jake's character, Jack Twist, was murdered in a gay bashing. Which I can totally believe happened. He was, in his way, flamboyant. He wasn't like Ennis (Heath Ledger), who could easily hide his homosexuality. Jack was more daring. More risk-taking. Not as on guard. You could realize he was gay. I think some men probably figured it out -- he might have hit on someone -- and they killed him.

[hello101]

I have the same opinion pretty much. I remember Jake's character going to Mexico and picking up a gay male prostitute and another scene, where a guy who had diner with him and his wife being suspicious of Jake's sexuality and offered he and Jake go to a newly built shack and "work" there. Maybe that was a trap and they killed him. Who knows. All in all, I think Jake was the easier target, he was more known and like you said, more open and laid back about the possible revelation of his sexuality. He wanted Ernis more than Ernis wanted him. Some people think Jake's wife dad had him killed, I don't believe that tbh.

[gbgoodies]

This is what I wrote about Brokeback Mountain in my logbook thread.

http://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=1254809#post1254809

I saw this many years ago, so this was a re-watch, but I didn't remember a lot of the specifics about the movie, so it was nice to watch it again.

This is a great movie about a very unique love story. It's about two men who fall in love when they are young, and form a bond that lasts a lifetime. Even while each of them leads "normal" family lives, they keep their love a secret.

This is a very powerful, and gut-wrenching movie. Heath Ledger (Ennis Del Mar) and Jake Gyllenhaal (Jack Twist) both give stellar performances. They make you feel their happiness when they're together, and their pain when they're apart. Michelle Williams also gives a fantastic performance as Ennis' wife.

This is a beautiful and heart-breaking movie that everyone should see.

4


In reference to the question about Jack in the spoilers above:

I think Jack was killed in a gay-bashing attack, and I think his wife knew what happened to him. If you look at the expression on her face when she's talking to Ennis about Jack's death, she looks angry, as if his death was the way she found out about his homosexuality.

[Guaporense]

Shocking film overall. Manages to make the pain of being gay in the mid-to-late 20th century US very real and affecting.

My favorite part was when they were making out and the wife saw them, the face she made was great. :D The ending was very affecting as well, powerful, though many of the movies parts were a bit of unintentional comedy IMO.

[Miss Vicky]

I wasn't sure if I was going to rewatch this or not, but I decided that I should in order to give it the most fair consideration possible.

I've seen this movie several times, including during its theatrical run. All signs point to something that I should love. It's a really beautiful film with gorgeous scenery, fine performances, and very effective and moving ending. But there's always been something that just didn't work for me.

And I think that something is Jack. I just don't like this character. It's not that Gyllenhaal didn't perform well, it's the character. Something about him just irritates me and I can't quite pinpoint what it is about him that I dislike. The same was true for the Jack Twist of Annie Proulx's story.

In any case, my dislike of this principle character really drags down my enjoyment of the movie, but it's still a solid film overall.

3.5

[cricket]

I just finished watching this one, and I would say it surpassed my expectations by a little bit.

Within the first minute, I was struck by how beautiful the movie looked. The combination of beautiful scenery and skillful filmmaking is a gigantic bonus that can carry a movie through dead spots. Not that this movie really had dead spots, but it's a fairly methodical build up until the real drama goes into effect. The look of the movie is what kept me going for about the first hour, and at that point, I didn't see the emotional impact that was to come. I was a little up and down on Jake Gyllenhaal's performance, but overall I think he was plenty above average. I thought the rest of the cast was terrific, and I thought it had a great soundtrack/musical score. *All of these pluses are a waste if the movie doesn't become a moving experience, and fortunately it gets there. I think a movie like this could've been fairly predictable, and although there are no major twists, it all seemed very fresh. What happens towards the end of the movie took me completely by surprise, and I didn't expect that. I think this is an outstanding movie that's well deserving of all the accolades it has gotten. 4

[rauldc14]

I can't believe it, but I did indeed just finish watching this film.

It was actually really well acted. Ledger is an amazing talent and watching this just justifies to me how great of a performance The Dark Knight was. This was another great performance for him. All the performances were good.

As for the story itself, obviously not one that hooked me, but I did like how the film ended. Sad, yes, but I think it really is the way that it needed to end. Ang Lee used pretty decent direction, although some of the story lulled, but the film was also very captivating to look at, as is the case with most of his films.

Because of the fact that the storyline wasn't engaging to me, it knocks it down a lot. But this was still much better than I thought I would like it.

3

[Sexy Celebrity]

Are you a changed man now, Raul?

[rauldc14]

No, that's the problem with the film.

[Gatsby]

Brokeback Mountain

Even though I love Ang Lee and his style I sort of avoided Brokeback Mountain because I don't like movies focused on a single romance.

The fact that this movie is about two gay cowboys doesn't change at all, but to my surprise, it wasn't the main focus. Like every Ang Lee it lets you sit back and enjoy the nature and the atmosphere around the scene, which is always good to see and make your mind sink into. And the individual characters are given moments and conflicts for us to relate with them, then collide these to create a great plot and situations.

If there is a problem with the film. it's that in tends to use a few cliches to develop the relationship, thus slowing the film down after a strong start, but in the end it all builds up to be wonderful.

It doesn't matter if your homosexual or not, whether you are in a relationship with someone or not. Brokeback Mountain is a powerful film that has the impeccable ability to move anyone. Confession: I was very close to a few tears.

4+

[Thursday Next]

Brokeback Mountain is a powerful film that has the impeccable ability to move anyone. Confession: I was very close to a few tears.

4+

This is all I wanted when nominating this film, that people who might have avoided it or not got around to it for whatever reason would watch it and be moved.

[cricket]

This is all I wanted when nominating this film, that people who might have avoided it or not got around to it for whatever reason would watch it and be moved.

Exactly what happened with me

[rauldc14]

Did not happen to me :shrug:

[Thursday Next]

Well, there's always one...

[Sane]

I find Ang Lee to be a very interesting director because he's kind of caught between two cultures. Obviously he grew up and started making movies in Taiwan but I think he actually learnt to make movies in America - this means he doesn't quite fit in in either place. He is much more "mainstream" than his Taiwanese contemporaries like Hou, Yang & Tsai but he is much more "art house" than the majority of Hollywood directors. This has generally been a good thing although I think it has made his American films stand out more than his Taiwanese films.

I'm probably in a bit of a minority in that I loved Life of Pi and whilst I didn't like Brokeback quite as much it is still a very good film. I've mentioned this before but what I like most is that the "gay" thing isn't treated as the focus - it's the "romance" that is at the centre of the film.

This should be placed pretty high on my final list.

[mark f]

Lee already filmed a gay-themed romance, albeit in a lighter mode, in The Wedding Banquet, so he was comfortable bringing this subject to mainstream America. After all, Lee's films are mostly about loners or outsiders and how they deal with it, often resulting in tragedy.

[neiba]

Well, add me to the list. It was the movie I was least looking forward to watch and it ended being one of the best of this HoF!
It has a lot of things I usually like in a movie: great imagery, great soundtrack, astoundishing performances, touching story and Hathaway's appearances kept to a minimum!
It's a very slow paced movie but I never felt bored because it's so well done! I didn't like the first half as much I liked the second because I couldn't find anything to relate to, but eventually Ledger's performance started grabbing me to the story! The way his character develops is a wonder to see! He was truly one of the best actors of his generation and his death a great loss...

rating_4