SGN Page 45

Friday
April 14, 2006
SGN.org

Volume 34
Issue 15

search only SGN online

Saturday, Nov 21, 2009

SGN ADVERTISING INFORMATION

site map

The Real Spin

Brokeback Mountain : To own or not to own
by Ron Anders - SGN A&E Writer What is there left to say about Brokeback Mountain? This story of two sheepherders who fall in love in 1960s Wyoming has been reviewed, analyzed, politicized and deconstructed in the media more than any film in recent memory. By the time a film is released on DVD, all the surrounding hoopla has usually faded, indicating the start of a slow slide into obscurity. But, as its DVD release begins, Brokeback Mountain continues to ignite passionate controversy and retains its high profile in endless media coverage. If the film had won the Best Picture Oscar, passions would have calmed down by now. Ironically, its loss of that award has kept the film in the public consciousness and in the headlines. This film struck a nerve like no other film portraying gay characters. The sheer number of jokes it spawned on late-night TV is a testament to the degree of discomfort this film has caused to a large segment of the population. The film's show-biz journey even charged up author Annie Proulx, whose self-proclaimed rant appeared in a British publication, excoriating the Los Angeles/Hollywood community as "conservative heffalump academy voters." On the other end of the political spectrum, the ultraconservative American Family Association has launched a campaign against Wal Mart for not only selling the DVD, but prominently displaying posters for the film in its stores. Who knew Wal Mart, of all vendors, would be accused of pushing a pro-gay agenda? Why purchase the DVD of Brokeback Mountain? Not necessarily because of the extras, only one of which contains interesting information on how the short story got to the screen, but are otherwise unremarkable. The lackluster quality of most of the extras (which includes a making-of documentary produced by the Logo channel) may be due to a hurried DVD release, aimed at capitalizing on the Oscar fallout. And why no documentary about the film's piercingly tender musical score, which contributes immeasurably to the film's emotional wallop? Hopefully, an edition with alternate scenes/takes and director/writer/actor commentary is in the works. "From Script to Screen", the disc's only worthwhile extra feature, gives insight into how a two-hour-plus screenplay developed from a 15-page short story. In it, screenwriters Diana Ossana and Larry McMurtry talk about augmenting the story, essentially filling in the blanks of the characters' family lives. They also discuss the film's nine-year journey to the screen. (Their script was known in Hollywood circles as "the greatest unproduced screenplay ever written.") It is clear that the story touched them deeply, and that they wanted to bring it to a wide audience. It would be especially interesting to hear more from McMurtry, who is now the great senior writer of the American West (and author of "The Last Picture Show" and many other essential works.) For those who can't get enough of the movie, check out "Brokeback Mountain: Story to Screenplay" (Scribner Publishers), which includes the story, screenplay and three essays by the authors. Movie lovers should buy the disc simply because this film demands multiple viewings. This kind of "intimate epic" filmmaking comes along once in a generation, and repeated viewings are richly rewarding: from the scenic design, which calls to mind images from the photography of Walker Evans, to the performances, which are among the most wrenching that have been put on film. Thinking of my favorite dramatic films, there is usually one scene that tears right through to the heart. In this film, there are a half-dozen of them. Indeed, Brokeback Mountain is an almost perfect film. And I don't say that about many movies. The lean, spare echo of Brokeback Mountain brings to mind two other films which exquisitely portray the loneliness and isolation of the American landscape: Alkali, Iowa (1996), a short film about a young man's discovery of his late father's secret gay life (that can be found on the short-film compilation "Boys Life 2") and Terrence Malick's masterpiece Days of Heaven (1976), a story of love and betrayal in the Texas panhandle at the beginning of the 20th century, which may be the most visually stunning film ever made. So what is there left to say? Simply that Brokeback Mountain is the most articulate portrayal of the unarticulated desire for love and sexual connection (and the consequences of that desire going unrealized) that has come out of Hollywood. It makes no concessions in showing the passion that rises unexpectedly and irrevocably between two men. If this country never produces another film, it could rest on the revolutionary laurels of Brokeback Mountain.