Brokeback Mountain

[Webster]

MY GOODNESS!!! I just saw this movie tonight - loved it. It really is one of the greatest stories (love story) told. I have never in my life cried during a movie - whether it is at a theatre or the comforts of my home - guess i wasn't the manliest guy in the theatre tonight - oh well. The theme and nature of this movie were very powerful and, dare i say it, overwhelming. It deserves every award it receives and then some - i can't believe i almost let a friend talk me out of going to see it. Although this movie it much too sad for me to see twice, i'm sure it will become a classic and continuously generate praises from its viewers.


Heath and Jake are slowly climbing their way up on my 'great actors' list.

_______________________________________________
I never expect a 100% straight guy to admit (much less rave about) that he likes this type of movie. My opinion is that your reaction to this movie says a lot of good things about you as a human being.
I can never understand how some straight guys out right refuse to go and see this film with their wives or girl friends despite the overwhelming rave reviews.

 

[Lex]

I bought the book from Amazon. It is 55 pages long, so it is a short book. Most people call it a short story. I call it a short book. It is well worth reading. It is not apparent that the author is setting the reader up for the ending until it happens. Then the reader is left hanging to interpret the ending any way he chooses. I am curious to see how Ang Lee interpreted it in his film.

You borught the book that has more than one of her stories in it. Brokeback Mountaincan be ready in an hour. My wife has the book you speak of.

MY GOODNESS!!! I just saw this movie tonight - loved it. It really is one of the greatest stories (love story) told. I have never in my life cried during a movie - whether it is at a theatre or the comforts of my home - guess i wasn't the manliest guy in the theatre tonight - oh well. The theme and nature of this movie were very powerful and, dare i say it, overwhelming. It deserves every award it receives and then some - i can't believe i almost let a friend talk me out of going to see it. Although this movie it much too sad for me to see twice, i'm sure it will become a classic and continuously generate praises from its viewers.


Heath and Jake are slowly climbing their way up on my 'great actors' list.

Isn't is great when a movie lives up to or exceeds your expectations going in?
Imagine how much MORE money this movie would make it it could be on 2000 screens (or more) like most films. Imagine how much money they are going to make when they release the DVD later this year. People are seeing this film several times (Ala Titanic, Matrix, etc). Poeple WANT to see this film, even timdly so. People are curious. If I were able to get a stitter more often, I would certainly see it again as I always try to see all Oscar contenders before the Academy Awards.

I never expect a 100% straight guy to admit (much less rave about) that he likes this type of movie. My opinion is that your reaction to this movie says a lot of good things about you as a human being.
I can never understand how some straight guys out right refuse to go and see this film with their wives or girl friends despite the overwhelming rave reviews.

Welcome aboard, Webster. The audience I saw this with was mixed: gay couples, straight couples (or they appeared to be straight) and teenage girls. When macho men refuse to see it is a psychoanalytic subject for another thread all together...

 

[CUBE]

I think they should have an alternate ending though available on disk. They move to California in 1983, join a new gym craze, fuck lots, and open a really great crispy taco stand

 

[GoneA]

I can never understand how some straight guys out right refuse to go and see this film with their wives or girl friends despite the overwhelming rave reviews.

*gasp* then someone may think they are [or call them] gay! and you KNOW once someone calls you gay - that means you're gay.

honestly webster, this really shouldn't surprise you. a great deal of men (straight men) are this way - and probably will be until the day they die. let's just count our lucky stars that we're rational people and will look for any opportunity to broaden our horizons.


btw, hope you post a lot more. :wink:

 

[dufus]

You borught the book that has more than one of her stories in it. Brokeback Mountaincan be ready in an hour. My wife has the book you speak of.

No, i didn't borught [sic] a book with more than one of her stories in it. The book I bought contained only one story. It measures 5 inches by 7.5 inches and is 55 pages long. It took me more than an hour to ready [sic] it. But I did not try to read it in one sitting.

 

[Lex]

If you say so. 55 pages is a novella. A short story is usually under 20 pages or so.

Do you have an ISBN number?

 

[Matthew]

"Success" update: In both films' 7th week out, Brokeback Mountain outgrosses Narnia despite being shown in less than half as many theaters.

Narnia's total take is, of course, much more.

 

[GoneA]

without giving anything away, one of my favorite parts of the movie was the part about 'the ashes'. ang lee did a really great job conveying the gist of the two character through use of 'ashes'.

i will go into greater detail once i get the feeling that about everyone contributing to this thread has seen the movie.

 

[mindseye]

If you say so. 55 pages is a novella. A short story is usually under 20 pages or so.

There have been at least two versions of the printed story; the version that appeared in the New Yorker was shorter than the one that was anthologized in Close Range sometime later.

I've only read one version of the story, but it's possible that Proulx expanded it even further for publication. Also, it's important to bear in mind that most paperbacks have a smaller page size than the New Yorker, so the same text will spread over more pages even without expanding it.

Maybe someone who's read the standalone book can comment?

 

[SurferGirlCA]

MY GOODNESS!!! I just saw this movie tonight - loved it. It really is one of the greatest stories (love story) told. I have never in my life cried during a movie - whether it is at a theatre or the comforts of my home - guess i wasn't the manliest guy in the theatre tonight - oh well. The theme and nature of this movie were very powerful and, dare i say it, overwhelming. It deserves every award it receives and then some - i can't believe i almost let a friend talk me out of going to see it. Although this movie it much too sad for me to see twice, i'm sure it will become a classic and continuously generate praises from its viewers. Heath and Jake are slowly climbing their way up on my 'great actors' list.

Hmmm, maybe you ARE my sister. :wink:

 

[hung]

Excellent. Many levels of involvement and an excellent movie which certainly raises a lot of questions about the social involvement/interaction of all peoples in our society.

Since I have viewed the movie my mind has been reviewing the scenes and also the circumstances of males in our society. I quickly flashed back to the early 90s when the required read was "Iron John" by Robert Bly. Then I thought of the recent play "The Matt Shepard" story.

Brokeback had the absent Fathers, the need for bonding with others, disrespect for the law (i.e. the camp fires on land managed by the Forest Service), the moral code of society which Ennis knew well and after the first Summer on Brokeback with Jack, he is displayed banging his head on the wall.

All the stories within the Movie and the two stars go on after their first summer together on Brokeback to become married and father children. Yet they can not forget each other and their intense involvement. The screenplay displays a plethora of emotions by both the actors and the actresses. The finale is dynamic and yet Ennis is able to also celebrate the forthcoming marriage of his Daughter. Then he goes on to star in the dramatic conclusion.

Now, back to Iron John and the Matthew Shepard links I mentioned above.

I sincerely feel that there is a real need for Male Bonding by members of our contemporary society. I recall with fondness my involvement in an All Male Military. I am also aware of a dynamic movement of women in current times. The Red Hat Society. I believe that people need to bond. I believe that bonding with members of the same sex is healthy. I also know that some bonding can be improper.

Now for the Matt link. I also believe that it is totally wrong to kill anyone, no matter what their sexual likes happen to be.

Brokeback Mountain allows all these situations to flash through one's mind after viewing the movie.

The author of the book, the director of the movie and the producers certainly deserve the honors that they are now accumulating.

It speaks to the times, and also the times of all societies since the creation of Peoplekind.

I would certainly support being able to view Brokeback Mountain at our local movie houses. This movie addresses the situation of all peoples and I sincerely feel that it can help us all examine our situations.

 

[DC_DEEP]

"Success" update: In both films' 7th week out, Brokeback Mountain outgrosses Narnia despite being shown in less than half as many theaters.

Narnia's total take is, of course, much more.

I have not seen either film yet, nor do I know for certain the reasons for the differences in box office take... but I'm guessing that it is due to the people drawn to one or the other or both. With the press that each received, it would not surprise me if a huge percentage of the Narnia audiences were told to go see it and were also told not to see Brokeback. There are lots of sheep-people in this country who do as they are told by, uh, well, the "man in the pulpit."

 

[Matthew]

I have not seen either film yet, nor do I know for certain the reasons for the differences in box office take... but I'm guessing that it is due to the people drawn to one or the other or both. With the press that each received, it would not surprise me if a huge percentage of the Narnia audiences were told to go see it and were also told not to see Brokeback. There are lots of sheep-people in this country who do as they are told by, uh, well, the "man in the pulpit."

My point was that if you look at last week only, Brokeback Mountain was much more successful despite being handicapped by limited availability.

 

[headbang8]

My point was that if you look at last week only, Brokeback Mountain was much more successful despite being handicapped by limited availability.

It would be interesting to know if the limited distribution was a deliberate marketing strategy, or the result of institutional reluctance to back a gay movie. Did Philadelphia show the same pattern?

 

[B_HungSpermBoy]

The more I read the posts here, the more I realize that this movie has affected me a lot. I think it must be overwhelming for gay people. It hit me that I've never been afraid of caring for my male friends, but that if I hugged them or kissed them in the wrong place at the wrong time, we could both be dead. That was Ennis' take. Just that in itself is scarey. What a weird culture this is.

 

[B_Stronzo]

...It hit me that I've never been afraid of caring for my male friends, but that if I hugged them or kissed them in the wrong place at the wrong time, we could both be dead. That was Ennis' take. Just that in itself is scarey. What a weird culture this is.

Amen

 

[Lex]

This is one of those movies that haunts you hours, days, and weeks after you see it. It's powerful.

 

[B_DoubleMeatWhopper]

I finally saw it this past weekend. No, not in the little redneck burg where I live. I was holding up pretty well until one particular scene: where Ennis finds his and Jack's blood-stained shirts hanging together on the same hanger in Jack's closet. That was when I lost it and started bawling like a baby. I was not alone: I heard sobs on every side of me. What angered me is not what might've been, but what couldn't have been because of the considerable consequences. We know that the explanation of Jack's death that his wife related to Ennis was not the real story: the scenario in Ennis's mind tells us that. And we know why Jack was killed. Ennis did have one saving grace: he didn't try to pretend that the love he and Jack felt for each other wasn't real. He couldn't ever really come to terms with his sexuality, but at least he recognised the affair for what it was. For both of them, it was about love and closeness, not about the sex. A couple of my gay friends really didn't like it: they say that it moved too slowly and it was too predictable. I, on the other hand, witnessed a powerful and moving film that deserves the accolades it's receiving. I would recommend it to all my friends. It's not a 'gay movie': it's a story of love and how it can affect one's life profoundly.

 

[GoneA]

This is one of those movies that haunts you hours, days, and weeks after you see it. It's powerful.

trust me buddy, i definitely understand what you mean. i saw it two days ago and it still lingers in the front part of my mind. i feel a weight within me everytime i think about Jack and Ennis and the theme of this movie. this movie was so extremly personal i feel as if i could have helped them out in some way - made things better.

 

[steve319]

Has anyone seen the cartoon from The New Yorker? I startled others on my hall by laughing out loud. I think it's so sweet. :smile: