Saw "Brokeback Mountain" last night..... Some thoughts....

[Shine]

I highly recommend this very powerful and moving film. :thumbsup: Mark my words, it's gonna be a big hit at the Oscars.

I noticed on the movie poster, outside the theatre, it said, "Love is a force of Nature."

The way the movie was filmed, it seemed to me as if the natural world, itself, played as much of a role as the characters, themselves. I think there's something about the Authenticity of Self that's more available when one is OUTside, in nature, away from society and all it's constrictions.

The characters found themselves returning, time and time again, over the years, to re-connect and be who they REALLY were out in the wild, in nature...where they felt they could truly be ourselves and express their love freely.

To me, it was incredibly poignant to think about how Nature provided them the refuge and safe haven they needed and yet, BECAUSE they also lived in a close-minded society, they had to close the closet door, so to speak, by stuffing their true identities. The last scene, of him literally hanging his beloved's shirt in the closet spoke volumes.....

We know ourselves to be made from this earth. We know this earth is made from our bodies. For we see ourselves, and we are nature. We are nature seeing nature. What healing is available to us when we are in nature...when we are TRUE to our own INNER nature?? :shrug:

[Deja Q]

1. When we don't use devices made out of plastic?

:shrug:

Her neon mouth with the blinkers-off smile
Nothing but an electric sign
You could say she has an individual style
She's part of a colorful time
Secrecy of lady-chrome-covered clothes
You wear cause you have no other
But I suppose no one knows
You're my plastic fantastic lover
Her rattlin' cough never shuts off
Is nothin' but a used machine
Her aluminum finish, slightly dinimished
Is the best I ever have seen
Cosmetic baby plugged into me
I'd never ever find another
I realize no one's wise
To my plastic fantastic lover
The electrical dust is starting to rust
Her trapezoid thermometer taste
All the red tape is mechanical rape
Of the TV program waste
Data control and IBM
Science is mankind's brother
But all I see is dranin' me
On my plastic fantastic lover

[Shine]

4. Well, since plastic is so prevalent in these modern times, how do

we create balance between what's "real" and what's "fake"? Is it even possible, or is it just something we strive towards, as a worthy goal to have?

In the movie, being out in Nature was used as a metaphor for being true to oneself. Yet, the characters still had to deal with The Real World and the challenges of NOT being true to themselves...something they ultimately could not do, despite their great love.

[VolcanoJen]

2. I sobbed like a little girl.

I was in a packed theater, a solo filmgoer. Sitting next to me was an older man, also alone.

We both found ourselves sobbing in that darkened theater. Something about that film just ripped me apart inside, and obviously had the same effect on him.

I wanted to reach out and just grab his hand, squeeze it... but I didn't want some stranger to think I was a freak. I guess that makes me not so unlike the film's characters.

A beautiful movie; the best film I've seen since "American Beauty."

And that score... isn't it haunting? I don't think the film would have had the same effect on me without Gustavo Santaolalla's guitar.

[Shine]

5. I agree, the acoustic guitar was perfect.

I loved your honesty in mentioning how you wanted to reach out to the other person, a stranger in the theatre, who was also deeply affected, but you held back, not wanting to be seen as a "freak."

It sounds as if you also got the message of how we hold back from being true to ourselves and yet it's something we ALL do and are challenged by.

[VolcanoJen]

7. It's because it's so NOT a gay cowboy movie

It's a gay sheepherder movie! No, seriously...

It's a movie about longing and forbidden love. It could be about anybody. It could be about any couple, any two people who loved each other and could not be together, for reasons that are as wrenching as they are necessary for social survival.

That's why it hurt, and that's why it moved me, and anyone should be able to find a tiny piece of themselves in that fucking intensely beautiful film.

Crap, I'm about to cry again.

on edit: If you can handle having your heart ripped out again, read this review of the film. It was almost more than I could take.

[Shine]

8. Great review. Thanks for the link.

I didn't cry as much as I expected I would. I'd been told to bring lots of tissues, which I did use, but I wasn't completely an emotional wreck, afterwards.

What really got me, emotionally, was towards the end when he was visiting with Jack's parents. His mother clearly understood the power of their love and in her own small ways, was attempting to honor it, despite the father's close-mindedness. It was bittersweet, to say the least.

I agree with you that "anyone should be able to find a tiny piece of themselves" in that movie.

I'm sure it's going to storm the Oscars this year.

[VolcanoJen]

9. I can't remember a better performance than Heath Ledger's.

He's so damned repressed that he can barely utter a word. When he does, it comes out mumbly and understated. He was so committed, and entirely inhabited that character, and he's turning into one hell of an actor.

I was concerned that as the actors aged, these two young guys wouldn't be able to pull it off, but they really impressed me. Ledger was especially brilliant, and I hope an Oscar is headed his way, although from what I hear Philip Seymour Hoffman was impressive in "Capote" and could snatch accolades away from Ledger.

[Shine]

10. I agree. Heath Ledger was outstanding.

Who knew he had it in him to be that good? :shrug: I sure didn't.

haven't seen Capote yet, but would like to. Hoffman's great.

[Radio_Lady]

19. Yes, I think so too. I wish they had a dual Oscar finish so that both of

them could win.

Both performances were excellent, but Hoffman's was a shade better.

[Paladin]

12. I Thought The Scenes With Jack's Parents......

...were one of the best things about a great movie. I also loved the scene between Ennis and his daughter at the end, where he asks her that crucial question about her new fiance---the girl seems to almost lurch in her chair, she's so surprised to hear it, and that's where I started to lose my composure (probably has to do with having a couple of daughters, myself).

Hope this flick cleans up at the Acedemy Awards......

[Shine]

24. You mean the one when he asks her if her fiance loves her?

:shrug:

I'm trying to remember the specific question...and I think that's the one you meant...

:hi:

[Paladin]

41. Yes, That's The One.....

n/t

[VolcanoJen]

32. That scene is excruciating (spoileresque)

His daughter understands and accepts him, although it's unspoken. She's the strongest female character in the film, in that respect. It's a touching scene. I lost it during that one, too. And when Ennis finally relents, gives in to her love, stops making mumbling excuses for not being a part of her life, it's just so well acted.

I hope it cleans up, too, if only to get the masses to see this film. I think it's a cultural milestone.

[Beausoir]

37. Reaching out. I felt the same.

I was alone when I saw this film.

Never before have I experienced such a feeling of "community" in a movie theatre.

You have to see this movie to know what I am talking about but it was so wonderful to be surrounded by people who are not afraid of this love story.

Even though I was alone, this was truly a "group" experience.

And that gives me such HOPE!!

[LaraMN]

3. I thought it was beautiful and very tender.

My friend was absolutely sobbing at the end. The mountain scenes had such an utterly parallel-universe feel to me. I don't generally care for romance movies (as some people I know characterized it) but I felt it was so much more than that. It was definitely the best film I've seen in quite awhile.

[Shine]

6. I agree, it was much more than a romance movie.

as I mentioned upthread, I really saw the movie, and specifically, the portrayal of Nature, as a metaphor for being true to oneself.

for honoring one's true INNER nature....

....and the incredible poignancy of what happens when it isn't honored.

[sasquatch]

11. I'm sorry I just find it to be very funny

[Shine]

25. I don't get it. What's funny?

the movie, itself? or my interpretation?

:shrug:

[sasquatch]

40. The Movie

[Radio_Lady]

47. I've noticed that people may laugh when they are uncomfortable.

There were many inappropriate laughs in "Munich," for example. Now, as a footnote, I might add -- I see these films with an invited preview audience of people who do not pay to see the film. They can be other film reviewers, people from the studio or the radio stations that give away the tickets, or others. That can change one's perception.

[sasquatch]

49. I laugh at the thought of how snakehandlers would react to it

[Shine]

50. Oh, gotcha

I can see how one could be amused by that.

Fire and brimstone and all that, eh?
:eyes:


:hi: sasquatch!

[Catchawave]

13. Golden Globes Monday Night.....

...and will be rooting for this fine movie to harvest some well deserved awards, which will PISS of the RIGHT big time *snork*

[Shine]

26. Yeah, right on!

did you hear how there were movie theatres in Utah and West Virginia that were refusing to show this movie AT ALL??

:eyes:

[Scout1071]

14. I will say that I twice laughed out loud at inappropriate parts.

The first was when my freind leaned over and made a totally irrelevant comment. I have no idea why but it sent me into a hard battle with the giggles.

the second giggles bout came at the end as Enis is at Jack's parents. The mother says something to the effect of "You can go on up to Jack's room if you like. I kept it that way it was since he was a boy. I reckon' he liked that." But looking around the room in that scene as she is speaking, I notice that the lead paint is peeling off the walls and the house is bare bones minimum, without hardly a thing in it except for the rusted old dining room table and chairs. I thought sarcastically "you left his room alone? Cause you did so much with the rest of the house?"

[Shine]

27. Yeah, I did the exact same thing, actually.

that room and house were pretty damn bare.

[Radio_Lady]

48. I think they overdid that scene. American Gothic... in spades!

[VolcanoJen]

34. To me, the scene was important to convey Jack's desperation (spoileresque)

Look at his parents. Jack knew he was full-on gay from birth. Ennis is clearly gay, but maybe only to one man; at any rate, he's more repressed about it.

Jack's room is desolate. The little pathetic cowboy and horse figurines broke my heart. The house is awful. The love is non-existent. The mother relinquishes only slightly more than the father, but it's enough, in a house so barren.

As a total aside, and speaking from a totally hetero female standpoint, it pisses me off a little that there's a conventional wisdom out there that these are two hetero males who are flinging. That talk diminishes the point of the film, but I keep hearing it from so many people who have yet to see the movie. It seemed clear to me that both Jack and Ennis are gay and destined to be with each other. What kind of purpose does all that "they're really straight" talk serve?

[Shine]

35. Good analysis! I agree.

to me the movie wasn't so much a "gay cowboy love story" as it was a poignant telling of what happens when you can't be true to your own inner nature.

[Beausoir]

38. In the original story, Ennis opens the bedroom window to try and get

some kind of perspective into how Jack grew up. What did Jack see out of his bedroom window? Roads untravelled. Places to go.

And yes...regarding the question of "flinging", I have been pondering this all afternoon.

I am not so certain that we can lump them into one category. Possibly, both of them are bi-sexual.

I just don't know.

[VolcanoJen]

39. I don't know, either.

Don't you adore the kinds of films that have you thinking about them days after?

[tallahasseedem]

15. I thought it was okay...

Heath Ledger is no where near Joaquin Phoenix's league. It would be a travesty if he won acting awards over him.

[Skittles]

17. Phillip Seymour Hoffman has them both beat

for Capote

[Shine]

28. I have yet to see Walk the Line, but I plan to soon.

it's on my Must See list...

:thumbsup:

[Radio_Lady]

46. We haven't seen it either. Missed it in Portland and missed it in SLC...

I like both leads, too, and know more than the average person about Johnny Cash (although I rarely listen to country music). However, my husband isn't pushing to see it.

[Beausoir]

16. Today I drove 120 miles to see this movie.

I just got home. I live in rural Minnesota.

Heath Ledger gave a beautiful performance. Everytime he was on screen, I could not focus on anything or anyone else. He had me from start to finish. It's a certain Oscar nomination and I will be hoping for an award for him.

I was not prepared for Jack's mother...how knowing she was and how she understood, or seemed to, what Ennis meant to Jack.

Randy Quaid in another creepy role.

The theatre, in a smallish midwestern agricultural/college town was nearly full. All ages. I even saw families...mom, dad and their twenty something sons.
Lots of senior citizens. The senior couple that sat behind me were really moved by this film.
The 40 year old lady that sat near me was sobbing.

When it ended, everyone just sat there in kind of a stunned silence. It's the kind of movie that takes awhile to really impact you. Luckily, I had a long drive home and the Brokeback soundtrack to keep me company.

I loved this film.

[Radio_Lady]

21. *SPOILER BELOW* in HellHathNoFury's post! Don't open his post

if you don't want the ending revealed.

Thank you.

[Radio_Lady]

45. Ignore my post above. Thanks. Poster removed the spoiler sentence.

[Shine]

33. Wow, that was quite a commitment of time and energy to see this film!

I'm impressed and it sounds as if you thought it was worth it.

Yeah, "stunned silence" is about right. We also had it shown to a full house here in very liberal Santa Cruz, CA and I assumed that the audience would break into applause, afterwards, which is what audiences around here do for REALLY good movies. But nobody did and I was feeling too emotionally senstive to put myself out there in that way.

You're right, the movie stays with you. I'm still thinking about it...the music, the images, it was moving on many levels.

I loved it, too.
:hi:

[VolcanoJen]

36. As soon as I got home, I burned the soundtrack

It's incredible. The haunting themes by Gustavo Santaolalla, plus Willie Nelson (heartbreaking in context), Emmylou Harris, Steve Earle, and a killer "King of the Road" remake.

The score is important in this film. The score highlighted the most emotional scenes, and I can't imagine this film without it. I hope the score is nominated and recognized as well.

Lovely review. Worth the drive, wasn't it?

[Hell Hath No Fury]

18. You are completely right about...

nature playing such a huge role in this movie. To me, Ang was saying repeatedly, "These men and what is happening to them, is as natural as the mountains, the streams, and the trees that surround them."

I have now seen the movie twice and it has really stayed with me -- I reflect back on it just about every day. There were so many beautiful shots that illustrated Ennis' innerself. Two of my favorites where the 4th of July shot with the a larger that life Ennis with fireworks going on behind him and his wife and children reduced to insignificance. I also loved the shot with him walking the ridge on his horse the night after his first contact with Jack. He was so isolated, so tiny, and he was moving from sunlight into storm clouds.

I was okay in the movie until Jack (did something -- see the movie to find out what), after that it was all over for me. Every scene after that was deeply powerful.

I took my 73 year old Mom to see it when she was visiting a few weeks ago and she was a wreck by the end of it. I don't think you can call yourelf a compassionate human being and not be moved by this film.

[Radio_Lady]

20. Hell Hath No Fury -- PLEASE post that you have a SPOILER!

You told people who haven't seen the movie -- about the ending. This is a BIG no-no when reviewing a current film.
Don't do it, please... it really ruins the film for you to reveal this.

You should note that ****SPOILER BELOW***** and dash off a few empty lines. If you can still edit this, please do!

Thanks a lot!

In peace,

Radio_Lady in Oregon (film reviewer for the past 30 years or so!)

[Hell Hath No Fury]

22. Well, though the whole thread...

and the 20+ other threads on DU have "spoiled" the movie already. :)

[Radio_Lady]

44. Thanks for your editing.

All you had to do was edit that one line that revealed a key part of the ending... which you did. THAT'S ALL, FOLKS! The rest of your comments were fine -- thoughtful and interesting.

It's really unnecessary to complain about all the others who had done the same thing in other threads! (Reminds me of when two kids fight and one kid says, "He did it first!") Fascinating!

I started several threads on "Brokeback Mountain" myself, but never noticed anyone else who had done what you did. Of course, I don't see every post in every thread.

In peace,

Radio_Lady

PS: Are you a "woman scorned"? Y'know..., as in "Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned?" -- referring to your screen name? Just askin'...

[Shine]

30. Hi Radio Lady!!

That's cool that you're a film reviewer. I'd noticed some of your other posts about various movies and now it all makes sense. I'm a huge movie buff, myself, too. :thumbsup:

I didn't catch the above poster's spoiler, b/c it looked like he already edited it out by the time I came across it, but I appreciated you taking the time to make the request to have a spoiler alert, instead. I agree, it's a drag to have the movie spelled out before you've seen it. You were very polite in how you asked and I, for one, noticed it and thank you for it.

:hi:

[Radio_Lady]

42. Thanks, Shine. Reviewers who do this are routinely chastised by

both other movie critics, as well as average moviegoers! When you post at the Internet Movie Data Base www.imdb.com the program asks you if there is a SPOILER in you comments.

It's just like revealing the ending of a book... in films, it's particularly annoying in thriller movies or those that have a TWIST at the end.

I do try to be kind when I notice it or report it, especially on an open message board.

In peace,

Radio_Lady

[Shine]

29. Thanks, Hell Hath No Fury, for your comments.

I appreciate them. Yes, the movie was beautiful and moving on many different levels. Visually, it was gorgeous. I also notieced those same shots, btw. Nature definitely played a huge role in this film.

:hi:

[newsguyatl]

23. wow, great analysis!

[Shine]

31. Thanks!

:hi:

[elshiva]

43. Great movie.

Brokeback Mountain was their Garden of Eden there was no shame, except for what they
had absorbed from human society. Homophobia, the deadly sin, forced them out, both the internalized homophobia they had and that of society around them.
I pray and hope that human society can learn from the acceptance that nature has for homosexuality, like the gay penguins or monkeys.