CORPORATE LINE: From Academy Award-winning filmmaker Ang Lee comes an epic American love story, based on the short story by Pulitzer Prize-winning author Annie Proulx and adapted for the screen by the team of Pulitzer Prize-winning author Larry McMurtry and Diana Ossana. Set against the sweeping vistas of Wyoming and Texas, the film tells the story of two young men – a ranch-hand and a rodeo cowboy – who meet in the summer of 1963, and unexpectedly forge a lifelong connection, one whose complications, joys and tragedies provide a testament to the endurance and power of love. Early one morning in Signal, Wyoming, Ennis del Mar (Heath Ledger) and Jack Twist (Jake Gyllenhaal) meet while lining up for employment with local rancher Joe Aguirre (Randy Quaid).
The world which Ennis and Jack have been born into is at once changing rapidly and yet scarcely evolving. Both young men seem certain of their set places in the heartland – obtaining steady work, marrying and raising a family – and yet hunger for something beyond what they can articulate. When Aguirre dispatches them to work as sheepherders up on the majestic Brokeback Mountain, they gravitate towards camaraderie and then a deeper intimacy. At summer’s end, the two must come down from Brokeback and part ways. Remaining in Wyoming, Ennis weds his sweetheart Alma (Michelle Williams), with whom he will have two daughters as he ekes out a living. Jack, in Texas, catches the eye of a rodeo queen Lureen Newsome (Anne Hathaway). Their courtship and marriage result in a son, as well as jobs in her father’s business. Four years pass. One day, Alma brings Ennis a postcard from Jack, who is en route to visit Wyoming. Ennis waits expectantly for his friend, and when Jack at last arrives, in just one moment it is clear that the passage of time has only strengthened the men’s attachment. In the years that follow, Ennis and Jack struggle to keep their secret bond alive. They meet up several times annually. Even when they are apart, they face the eternal questions of fidelity, commitment and trust. Ultimately, the one constant in their lives is a force of nature – love.
THE REVIEW: Brokeback Mountain is easy to dismiss as a film for homosexuals. It is a love story first and foremost irregardless of the sexes. There are moments that can be uncomfortable—from the first scene where Jack and Ennis get together in the tent, however the real uncomfortable scenes havve nothing to do with sex—like when Ennis lies to his wife in order to spend time with Jack.
Brokeback Mountain is a gorgeous film. Wyoming, actually shot in Alberta, Canada, comes alive on screen and the call of the wild reaches out to us. The film goes quickly from gorgeous to tense and painful. Director Ang Lee is known for his gorgeous cinematography and even though the subject that doesn’t call for special effects Lee still creates a film that is visually stunning.
Throughout the separation of Jack and Ennis every moment is tense and you can’t help but become emotionally invested in their coming together again. Anyone that thought Heath Ledger had this role in him would be lying. Ledger steals every moment he’s onscreen. Gyllenhaal plays the role of the innocent man.
The two roles that cannot be forgotten are Michelle Williams and Anne Hathaway. Williams literally comes out of nowhere and gives an amazing performance. Hathaway goes from the cute girl to a stern taskmaster with amazing precision.
THE EXTRAS:
“On Being a Cowboy” – A featurette where the actors learn to be cowboys.
“Directing From the Heart: Ang Lee” – Ang Lee does a brilliant job and we hear about it over and over again.
“From Script to Screen: Interviews With Larry McMurtry & Diana Ossana” – We learn more about what it took to take a short story to a full length film.
“Sharing the Story: The Making of Brokeback Mountain” – A little behind the scenes information however much of it was covered in the previous featurettes.
FRANKLY: Brokeback mountain is a phenomenal film. The movie gets a 9/10 however the lack of extras brings the total rating down.
+ Charlie Craine
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