Brokeback Mountain
—1. Overview (multimedia)
—2. Overview Basic (dial up speed)
—3. Reviews and Blogs
—4. Cast and Crew
—5. Photo Pages
—6. Trailers, Clips, DVDs, Books, Soundtrack
—7. Posters (Heath Ledger)
—8. Production Notes (pdf)
—9. Spiritual Connections
—10. Presentation Downloads
I expect you already know that this is “the gay cowboy movie.� For some people, that is all they need to know to decide not to see it. Pity, because if you only look at the film at that narrow perspective, you miss one of the most engaging films of the year.
It is the story of two men who fall in love while spending a summer up on the mountain taking care of sheep. They continue, even after they each marry and begin families, to meet and continue their love affair for over twenty years.
The film slowly watches the relationship develop. First as co-workers, eventually as friends, only after all this groundwork do they become lovers. It’s important to the understanding of this film to know that the film really cares very little about the sexual relationship between them. It acknowledges it, and even briefly shows it, but that is not the real focus of the film.
This is a love story. A story of star-crossed lovers, much as Romeo and Juliet, who couldn’t overcome their families’ animosity , or, more recently, Cathy and Raymond, who couldn’t overcome the racial boundaries of their day in Far From Heaven. In another time and another place, they would have been freer to live out their relationship in different ways. But in the 60s and 70s and in the rural west, their love was something that had to remain hidden. Perhaps it shouldn’t be known as “the gay cowboy movie.� It might better be known as a cowboy love story.
It is not a gentle love story. It includes a great deal of struggle, especially for Ennis. Jack seems to begin the film knowing of his sexuality. Ennis, on the other hand, has absolutely no social tools. After having been orphaned, he was raised by his brother and sister. At one point, Ennis’s wife, Alma, refers to the way he was raised as “all that loneliness.� That loneliness is where Ennis feels comfortable. It is that lack of social ability that is already undermining his marriage before Jack returns and their affair renews. Ennis is happy to live alone, away from everyone else. But in Jack he has found the one person he connects to in a meaningful way. While still getting to know each other, Ennis tells about his family and upbringing. Jack says, “That's more words than you've spoken in the last two weeks.� Ennis replies, “That's more words than I've spoken in the last two years.� Something in their developing relationship allows Ennis to share himself as he does to no one else. It is that relationship for which Ennis has a passion.
Ennis struggles with the physical aspect of their relationship as well. It is important, but not as important as the connection they have together. But he is concerned about how others would think of them (or more important, what others would do to them) if their secret came out. When the difficulties of keeping their relationship secret build, Ennis’s only outlet is violence. He stuffs his feelings for great periods, and suddenly explodes in rage at any convenient object or person.
Jack is more interested in the physical relationship. He is clearly gay or bisexual. It is he who initiates the sexual relationship and reinitiates it after a few years apart. While he is in this primarily for the sex, it comes as something of a surprise to him that the relationship matters to him as well. As the years go on, their times together come to be the times they build their lives around. The time apart is only marking time until they can rekindle their passions.
This is a film where all the aspects of a good film come together. The story, based on a short story by Annie Proulx and worked into a screenplay by Larry McMurtry and Diana Ossana, is told with appropriate pacing and with respect for the characters. Director Ang Lee and Cinematographer Rodrigo Prieto make full use of the beautiful landscapes of the mountains as well as the confining nature of the lives the men lead in their every day lives. The performances by Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal are believable and allow the characters to grow through the film.
Usually when I review a film that involves homosexuality, I may mention it, but say little about it otherwise. That is because I do not consider homosexuality to be deviant or sinful. It is, as I have come to see it, a vital expression of God’s gift of sexuality. I’m tempted to just let it pass by in this review as well. But since the idea of gay cowboys (what could be more manly than a cowboy?) is so central to the way people are seeing this film, I’ll address the issue more fully.
To be sure, same sex sexuality is central to this story. It is what creates the conflict in the lives of the two protagonists. If it were a man and a woman we might comment about the lack of fidelity in their marriages, but people wouldn’t be as upset as some no doubt are about this film. This film does not glorify gay sexuality. Rather it places it in the context of a loving relationship. It shows that gays, lesbians and bisexuals can have such meaningful relationships. It also shows the struggle that such people often face in trying to live with those relationships in hostile settings – sometimes even when the hostility comes from themselves.
There are brief references to the church throughout the film. Jack’s mother was Pentecostal; Ennis’s family was Methodist. But the church is not brought into the film in a way to be judgmental on these men, nor is the church held up to judgment. The one person who acts in the most loving way is one who is identified as Christian and is framed in one shot directly under a cross. I suspect that this is a message that Christians should consider. Whether we approve of same sex relationships or not, our responsibility is to love the people God brings into our lives.
—Overview
—2. Overview Basic (dial up speed)
—3. Reviews and Blogs
—4. Cast and Crew
—5. Photo Pages
—6. Trailers, Clips, DVDs, Books, Soundtrack
—7. Posters (Heath Ledger)
—8. Production Notes (pdf)
—9. Spiritual Connections
—10. Presentation Downloads
I expect you already know that this is “the gay cowboy movie.� For some people, that is all they need to know to decide not to see it. Pity, because if you only look at the film at that narrow perspective, you miss one of the most engaging films of the year.It is the story of two men who fall in love while spending a summer up on the mountain taking care of sheep. They continue, even after they each marry and begin families, to meet and continue their love affair for over twenty years.
The film slowly watches the relationship develop. First as co-workers, eventually as friends, only after all this groundwork do they become lovers. It’s important to the understanding of this film to know that the film really cares very little about the sexual relationship between them. It acknowledges it, and even briefly shows it, but that is not the real focus of the film.
This is a love story. A story of star-crossed lovers, much as Romeo and Juliet, who couldn’t overcome their families’ animosity , or, more recently, Cathy and Raymond, who couldn’t overcome the racial boundaries of their day in Far From Heaven. In another time and another place, they would have been freer to live out their relationship in different ways. But in the 60s and 70s and in the rural west, their love was something that had to remain hidden. Perhaps it shouldn’t be known as “the gay cowboy movie.� It might better be known as a cowboy love story.
It is not a gentle love story. It includes a great deal of struggle, especially for Ennis. Jack seems to begin the film knowing of his sexuality. Ennis, on the other hand, has absolutely no social tools. After having been orphaned, he was raised by his brother and sister. At one point, Ennis’s wife, Alma, refers to the way he was raised as “all that loneliness.� That loneliness is where Ennis feels comfortable. It is that lack of social ability that is already undermining his marriage before Jack returns and their affair renews. Ennis is happy to live alone, away from everyone else. But in Jack he has found the one person he connects to in a meaningful way. While still getting to know each other, Ennis tells about his family and upbringing. Jack says, “That's more words than you've spoken in the last two weeks.� Ennis replies, “That's more words than I've spoken in the last two years.� Something in their developing relationship allows Ennis to share himself as he does to no one else. It is that relationship for which Ennis has a passion.
Ennis struggles with the physical aspect of their relationship as well. It is important, but not as important as the connection they have together. But he is concerned about how others would think of them (or more important, what others would do to them) if their secret came out. When the difficulties of keeping their relationship secret build, Ennis’s only outlet is violence. He stuffs his feelings for great periods, and suddenly explodes in rage at any convenient object or person.
Jack is more interested in the physical relationship. He is clearly gay or bisexual. It is he who initiates the sexual relationship and reinitiates it after a few years apart. While he is in this primarily for the sex, it comes as something of a surprise to him that the relationship matters to him as well. As the years go on, their times together come to be the times they build their lives around. The time apart is only marking time until they can rekindle their passions.
This is a film where all the aspects of a good film come together. The story, based on a short story by Annie Proulx and worked into a screenplay by Larry McMurtry and Diana Ossana, is told with appropriate pacing and with respect for the characters. Director Ang Lee and Cinematographer Rodrigo Prieto make full use of the beautiful landscapes of the mountains as well as the confining nature of the lives the men lead in their every day lives. The performances by Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal are believable and allow the characters to grow through the film.
Usually when I review a film that involves homosexuality, I may mention it, but say little about it otherwise. That is because I do not consider homosexuality to be deviant or sinful. It is, as I have come to see it, a vital expression of God’s gift of sexuality. I’m tempted to just let it pass by in this review as well. But since the idea of gay cowboys (what could be more manly than a cowboy?) is so central to the way people are seeing this film, I’ll address the issue more fully.
To be sure, same sex sexuality is central to this story. It is what creates the conflict in the lives of the two protagonists. If it were a man and a woman we might comment about the lack of fidelity in their marriages, but people wouldn’t be as upset as some no doubt are about this film. This film does not glorify gay sexuality. Rather it places it in the context of a loving relationship. It shows that gays, lesbians and bisexuals can have such meaningful relationships. It also shows the struggle that such people often face in trying to live with those relationships in hostile settings – sometimes even when the hostility comes from themselves.
There are brief references to the church throughout the film. Jack’s mother was Pentecostal; Ennis’s family was Methodist. But the church is not brought into the film in a way to be judgmental on these men, nor is the church held up to judgment. The one person who acts in the most loving way is one who is identified as Christian and is framed in one shot directly under a cross. I suspect that this is a message that Christians should consider. Whether we approve of same sex relationships or not, our responsibility is to love the people God brings into our lives.
—Overview
6 Comments:
This would be an ugly story about obsession with erotic satisfaction hurting people's lives and destroying marriages and families, no matter whether the central characters had been two men, two women, or a man and a woman. The filmmakers try to dupe the audience into sympathizing with the young "throwaway' men as deserving whatever intimacy comes their way -- but as Nathan Lane made wise about the film on the Today show, why didn't those two guys just go off and get a little house together from the beginning, instead of making two women and several children miserable?
.
BAD NEWS:
For in it the righteousness of
God is revealed from faith to
faith; as it is written, "The just
shall live by faith." For the wrath
of God is revealed from heaven
against all ungodliness and
unrighteousness of men, who
suppress the truth in unright -
eousness, because what may
be known of God is manifest
in them, for God has shown
it to them.
For since the creation of the
world His invisible attributes
are clearly seen, being under -
stood by the things that are
made, even His eternal power
and Godhead, so that they are
without excuse, because,
although they knew God,
they did not glorify Him as
God, nor were thankful,
but became futile in their
thoughts, and their foolish
hearts were darkened.
Professing to be wise,
they became fools,
and changed the glory
of the incorruptible
God into an image made
like corruptible man -
and birds and four -
footed animals and
creeping things.
Therefore God
also gave them up
to uncleanness, in
the lusts of their
hearts, to dishonor
their bodies among
themselves, who
exchanged the truth
of God for the lie,
and worshiped and
served the creature
rather than the Creator,
who is blessed forever.
Amen.
For this reason God
gave them up to vile
passions. For even
their women exchanged
the natural use for what
is against nature. Likewise
also the men, leaving the
natural use of the woman,
burned in their lust for one
another, men with men
committing what is shameful,
and receiving in themselves
the penalty of their error which
was due. And even as they
did not like to retain God in
their knowledge, God gave
them over to a debased mind,
to do those things which are
not fitting; being filled with all
unrighteousness, sexual immorality,
wickedness, covetousness,
maliciousness; full of envy,
murder, strife, deceit,
evil-mindedness; they are
whisperers, backbiters,
haters of God, violent,
proud, boasters, inventors
of evil things, disobedient
to parents, undiscerning,
untrustworthy, unloving,
unforgiving, unmerciful;
who, knowing the righteous
judgment of God, that those
who practice such things
are deserving of death,
not only do the same
but also approve of
those who practice them.
We know these laws are
good when they are used
as God intended.
But they were not made
for people who do what
is right. They are for people
who are disobedient and
rebellious, who are ungodly
and sinful, who consider
nothing sacred and defile
what is holy, who murder
their father or mother or
other people.
These laws are for people
who are sexually immoral,
for homosexuals and slave
traders, for liars and oath
breakers, and for those who
do anything else that contradicts
the right teaching
GOOD NEWS:
For the wages of sin is death,
but the gift of God is eternal
life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
***
The United States government
has just released a nation-wide
survey on Americans' private
sexual habits. The NEW YORK
TIMES describes it as disclosing
"surprising numbers for same-sex
activity."
Surprising is the right word, but not
in the way I suspect the NEW YORK
TIMES means.
The study was done by the National
Center for Health Statistics, part of
the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention. Among other statistics,
the study indicates that only about
4 percent of men and women consider
themselves to be homosexual or bisexual.
Indeed, among men ages 18 to 44,
90 percent call themselves heterosexual,
2 percent homosexual, 2 percent bisexual,
and 4 percent something else. Among
women, 86 percent are attracted only
to men, and 10 percent "mostly" to males.
In both cases it is a long way from the 10
percent that the homosexual lobby has
advanced for years. We are told that
homosexual behavior is simply a choice
and that we're bigoted if we do not
believe it to be the norm. But any time
you look at statistics and find less than
10 percent engaging in a particular
activity, it is contrary to the norm.
The norm is what the 90 percent does.
There are profound social consequences
here. If sexual orientation is a choice,
then we're free to choose. But this study
implies that we're wired a certain
way, for heterosexual relationships.
As philosopher J. Budziszewski says,
there are some things we "can't not
know."
One of those things is that we're
biologically made a certain way:
males one way and females another.
That's the way the world works,
and it's the only natural way to
conceive children.
And when you go against the way
the world is made, you're going
against the grain of the universe.
And no amount of propaganda
or clever marketing, which is
what it is, can change the
unalterable facts of the natural
moral order.
It's time we recognize that and
stop being bullied by special interests.
But whether we should have spent
the money this way or not, we do
now have the report. It does show
us something that needs to be
understood in American life.
It has a profound impact on the
political and cultural debates of
our day in ways that I'm sure does
indeed surprise the staff of the
NEW YORK TIMES.
"Brokeback Mountain, Broken Hearts"
by Pamela J. Tinnin
The commercial success of the film "Brokeback Mountain" has surprised not only the public, but to some extent, the film industry as well. This controversial story, called by many "the gay cowboy movie," withered on the shelf for some years until noted film director Ang Lee brought it to the screen. Critically acclaimed author Larry McMurty and his partner Diana Ossana wrote a beautiful adapation from the book by E. Annie Proulx.
Ang Lee chose Rodrigo Prieto as the cinematographer and Prieto has created a jewel from the breathtaking landscapes. The casting is perfect—Heath Ledger loses himself in the role of Ennis, Jake Gyllenhall is truly fine as Ennis' counterpart, and Michelle Williams turns in an outstanding supporting performance as Ennis's wife.
To dismiss it as a film that relies on its controversial storyline, which does involve one brief scene of sex between the two men, is to drastically underestimate the artistry of the movie. This is filmmaking at its best, an eloquently scripted, well-acted, beautifully filmed story that happens to be about a passionate love that takes two young men by surprise and dominates their lives well into middle age.
Ennis, a nearly silent, socially inept loner, and Jack, an outgoing, smooth talker, meet when they come to work as sheepherders on the remote ridges of Brokeback Mountain. Eventually, the two become friends and then lovers, but it is not the sex that draws them together—it is the friendship and the love that develops. What keeps them apart is the culture in which they live—the conservatism of the 1960s and 70s, the mythic machismo of the American West.
As twenty or more years pass, the relationship holds—the two marry and have families, trying their best to live out the expectations of those around them. But the times they meet for "fishing trips" are those moments they live for—and in their inability to fully commit to their "other lives," comes heartbreak, both for them and for their wives, and more than likely, their children.
"Brokeback Mountain" is a film about the choices we make and about the choices that are sometimes forced upon us. It's also about the power of love, both to redeem and to destroy us. Bravo to those who had the courage to make it.
I believe that a lot of people have lost sight of where a lot of this turmoil lies. I agree with your point in that Ennis feels his comfort in alienation... and tries to correct his "behavior" by marrying and moving on with his life. To a degree, so did Jack. And that is where the pain really lies. When someone ignores their nature, their love and their strengths in favor for what is "right" or "natural" in the eyes of others. That is why they bring so much pain to their families and, of course, themselves. They can never come to terms with who they are, who they love and who they have their obligations to because they are too busy attempting to be "normal".
Good grief! Who cares how good the rest of the film was. “A little leaven leavens the whole lump.� A glass of water with a drop of urine in it is not a glass of water. So many people have been duped because they are feeble minded and do not believe that right is right and wrong is wrong. You think you are so smart because you can analyze a film and its artistic beauty. To claim to be a Christian (a follower of Christ) and to give a position on homosexuality that is obviously contradictory to the Word of God (which states that homosexuality is a sin) is not only wrong, but Jesus said it would be better for you to be tossed into the sea with a millstone tied to your neck than for you to cause one of these little ones to stumble. Who are you causing to stumble. You are deceived. He will say, “depart from me, I never knew you.�
Thank you so much for your thoughtful and prayerful analysis of the film. I was disappointed, though not necessarily surprised, to see the negative and lukewarm reviews of the film from some of the other reviewers. Thank you for recognizing that love and its sexual expression--no matter what form it takes, no matter what the sex of the participants--is a gift from God. Hopefully this review will help to bring more Christians (and those who call themselves that) to a Christ-like acceptance of these most maligned and persecuted of God's children. (though these other comments don't give much hope of that).
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