Brokeback Mountain

 

Admittedly, Brokeback Mountain is a film that I love for primarily personal reasons, much in the same way I loved A.I. But, just like A.I., I have no problem recommending it on a purely objective basis. It is a beautifully executed film with amazing cinematography and character portrayals that are, in some cases, extraordinary. I wanted to share some screen caps from an Academy Consideration release I acquired.

 

This post contains some spoilers. But then again, it is based on a short story that many have already read.

 

 

 

Jack (Gyllenhaal) & Ennis (Ledger) share a drink after landing a job herding sheep for Joe Aguirre (Randy Quaid).

 

 

The reason Brokeback Mountain has caused such a stir isn’t just because of the lead performances, which are truly powerful, but the entire cast sets a tone that is unique and authentic. This film carries the sprit of the western in every frame. The landscape itself makes this something to be seen on the big screen. The opening is slow paced, depicting majestic vitas that pull the viewer into someplace pure, untouched by the harried concerns of the modern world.

 

 

Leading the herd to grazing ground.

 

Chilling out with the herd dog.

Coyote carcass hung out to scare off predators.

 

Ol’ Brokeback.

 

Ang Lee takes his time with the opening, showing the men in the daily processes of their job. There are a plethora of big frame shots over a lazy, melodic score. The two cowboys are immersed in the environment, an integral part of the landscape. This motif is very effective and consistent throughout the film. Jack and Ennis seem inseparable from that realm and, as the years pass, almost ill-suited to the petty travails of normal life.

 

 

Watching over the herd.

 

 

Not the most talkative co-worker.

 

Keeping an eye out for wolves.

 

 

 

Moving the ‘woolies’ farther up into the hills.

 

Majestic.

 

The slow pacing allows the two characters to develop organically, opening up to one another in a way that makes the inevitable relationship credible. This is perhaps what keeps Brokeback Mountain from being a genre’ gay film. The characters are set firmly into the cowboy mold and their emotional and physical relationship seems to evolve from the strength of their bond rather than from any overtly sexual desire for one another.

 

Beans again?

 

Ledger expands wonderfully on an old stoic archetype.

 

Gyllenhaal’s “Jack” is Ledger’s opposite, open and outgoing, but not a very good shot.

 

Friendship.

 

The initial physical encounter between the men is handled beautifully, with discretion appropriate enough not to alienate a mainstream audience. It is brief and it is the only sexual encounter pictured. The next day, the two don’t even speak to each other until, finally, Ennis tells Jack “I ain’t no queer.” Jack replies “Me neither.” This quick exchange has provoked laughter at a few of the showings I went to, and I can see why. But I do not think this was really the intention. Those words tell a lot about the characters and I don’t think it was intended to be ironic.

 

“It ain’t nobody’s business but ours”

 

Love is a force of nature.

 

One of the things that is so compelling about Brokeback Mountain, and this is why I think it has transcended any genre’ classification, is that it is not really about “gay” men. Rather, it deals with something that is deeper than sexuality. Of course that theme is at the core of the story, but the film has no agenda other than to tell an engaging love story. Jack and Ennis become involved almost reluctantly, both seeming to react to a force neither can control. One gets the impression that they would have rather forgone their relationship if they had known what strength their attachment would have.

 

Joe Aguirre arrives to say a storm is coming.

 

Breaking camp.

 

The men live in a world that is completely hostile to their secret relationship. Even when they are saying goodbye, they cannot afford to give any passersby the slightest impression that they are anything more than a couple of good friends. Ennis tells Jack of his plans for marriage, making clear that there will be no more contact between them. But after Jack leaves, the stoic Ennis struggles with an emotional realization in a powerful moment of the film.

 

Goodbye.

 

Unwanted emotions.

 

It is not a spoiler to say that the two unlikely lovers don separate cloaks of normalcy by getting married and having children. This is when the supporting cast steps in to shine. The characters and settings seem to be cut and pasted from Norman Rockwell paintings. Pure Americana.

 

I do.

 

 

Michelle Williams is adorable and gives an excellent performance as “Alma”, Ennis’ country bumpkin wife.

 

 

Hey, Cowboy.

 

In a stellar performance, Anne Hathaway becomes wife and anchor to the drifting rodeo cowboy, Jack.

 

Hard work, poor pay.

 

Staying alive.

 

Family life.

 

July 4th, a drunken biker makes the mistake of talking trash around Ennis’ family.

 

One of my favorite shots from the film:

Ennis stands isolated against a backdrop of fireworks. This is such a poetic image.

 

Years pass as the men struggle through their daily lives, working, raising kids and building a life for their families. Then a post card arrives. Alma asks, “Do you know someone named Jack?”

 

Postcard from the past.

 

Waiting is the hardest part.

 

Reunion

 

 

The film goes on to cover the next 20 years of the men’s lives, jumping back and forth between their family lives and their secret meetings once or twice a year for “fishing trips” at Brokeback Mountain. But, as time goes on, everyday life puts a strain on their rendezvous’. The scenes where the men are together are depicted in the same idyllic innocence as their time herding sheep, as if time doesn’t pass at Brokeback. It lies in sharp contrast to their family and work life. The men love their families, that is clear, but Brokeback represents something between them alone, something untarnished by worldly concerns, immune to age or entropy.

 

Racing up to the idyllic Brokeback Mountain for ‘fishing’.

 

At home on the range.

 

 

Jack dreams that they might live together, buy a few acres, get some cattle and plant some crops. But Ennis is loyal to his family and he explains why he would never live with another man. He recalls being forced at a tender age to witness the brutality of what happens to “queers”.

 

Hate is a force of its own.

 

Young Ennis, forced by his father to witness what happens to “queers”

 

Cursed by memories.

 

I just put this here just so everyone could see the prices!

 

Alma gets suspicious

 

“Stop lyin’ to me, Ennis!”

 

Once again, the supporting cast is magic and there isn’t a moment when the tone of the film is compromised by a weak performance.

 

 

Jack’s In-Laws come to see their baby grandson.

 

Peter McRobbie plays Jack’s father, a hard-edged old bull-rider and a man of few words.

He is only on screen for one scene, but his performance stays with you…. “Tell ya whut!”

 

Kate Mara as Ennis’ daughter, Alma Jr, all growed up.

 

Jack’s wife wonders aloud why his fishing buddy never comes over to visit.

 

A fateful phone call.

 

 

 

 

 

Don’t worry, I’ve given away much less than it might seem.

 

In the end, Brokeback Mountain is about relationships. Not just that of Jack and Ennis, but of everyone in the film. The men’s family lives are intertwined in all they do and they must sacrifice much to be able to sustain their relationhip. What they share at Brokeback is something outside of the realm of hard reality where their lives are subject to the rigid rules of society. Brokeback is another world, a never changing frontier where they can be free. But, as is usually the case, when the real and the ideal collide, reality wins. Therein lies the tragedy.

 

This is a powerful, engaging film that has managed to touch many people from all walks of life. I strongly recommend it.