Tuesday

Movie Review-"Brokeback Mountain"


And a review of "Brokeback Mountain", yes, I watched it and unlike other reviewers, this heterosexual female noticed something not written about in the many reviews of the movie I've read.


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just a pretty picture




"Brokeback Mountain"-Yes I Watched It; Yes I Was Intrigued

IMDB SITE for "Brokeback Mountain"

Brokeback Mtn montage


Brokeback Mountain montage


When I saw that "Brokeback Mountain" would be showing on one of the local premium channels I had mixed emotions. For on another Internet public board I stated firmly that this movie would never appeal to heterosexuals and its viewing audience would likely be too small to make it into some sort of blockbuster.

Yet, out of curiousity and since it was free, I tuned in.

First, I greatly enjoyed this film.

Yes I did.

Second, I don't believe in this film's premise, not even for a second. Which isn't to say I didn't enjoy the film, because I did.

I especially adored the character Jack Twist, who is very handsome and goodness I hope this young actor was just playing the part of a homosexual else the females of the world will be denied his beauty.

I have a great, big, fat criticism of the film but I also have a sincere complimentary assessment of this film that I'm not sure its intended audience would see as well as this heterosexual female.

First, the criticism. Come on, Jack and Ennis were no more typical homosexuals than Goofy the Dog and Donald Duck. In fact, I'm thinking whoever wrote this screen play crafted the characters to be homosexual men as he or she WISHES they were.

Jack was a rodeo clown and Ennis was a for-hire cowpoke. This duo met while rounding up sheep and herding them down Brokeback Mountain. The film then continues to track Jack and Ennis' life as they marry, have children, suffer heartbreak and divorce, all the while stealing some time together on Brokeback Mountain whenever they could get away, throughout the years of their lives.

Both of these men eventually married, even after their affair on that infamous mountain. And their marriages, beyond anything my mind could grasp, were perfectly normal. A love scene between each of these men and their respective wives was inserted explicitly at various points in the movie and the love scenes were inserted just so the viewer understands that these fellows plainly can have heterosexual relationships and enjoy them as well.

Okay, so this is one thing I do not believe at all.

Which is not to say that there aren't plenty of homosexual men that are married and manage to lead mostly normal, if unfulfilled, lives. It was different with Jack and Ennis. Ennis even makes a point to scold Jack that he "ain't no queer" even as he prepares for a night of man love in Jack's arms.

Jack and Ennis were truly in love. I'm serious. These fellows were totally in love with each other and their love endured through years of separation, punctuated by an occasional tryst when the duo could get together. They even talked about running away to Mexico and living the rest of their years in blissful togetherness. Ennis quashed the idea, however, due to financial concerns, adding the odd comment "You ever heard of child support?"

Well Ennis did have to pay child support after his divorce from his wife but go on, how many homosexual men use child support as the reason they can't get together more often with their male lover? Of course I have no statistics on such a thing but it was such an odd comment considering the theme of the movie it almost made me giggle.

Both Jack and Ennis were betrayed as "he-men" that would handily squash nearby trouble-makers who use bad language in front of their children. Ennis regularly picked up his daughters for visitation and Jack loved his son and defied his father-in-law for interfering into family discipline.

Again, I just don't see this duo as your more common homosexuals but more like a homosexual would LIKE to be perceived.

I will naturally get scores of email telling me I don't know nothing, that what I think is normal homosexual behavior is nothing like I imagine and this movie, in fact, is trying in its very creation, to shatter my preconceived heterosexual notions.

Perhaps. I still don't buy it. In fact, Ennis showed absolutely no tendency or attraction to other men beyond Jack Twist. Jack, on the other hand, openly solicited other men for homosexual trysts. The viewer is supposed to believe that Ennis just happened to love Jack Twist and it happened and that's the end of that.

One thing about this film that really moved me was Ennis' relationship with his daughters. Ennis was devoted to his daughters and his daughters to him. One of the most moving scenes in the movie was when Ennis' daughter visited him in his bare little trailer and asked him to please attend her upcoming nuptials. Ennis, as was his wont, kind of shuffled and blushed, pleading a busy upcoming herding season with no time to take off for such as weddings. Eventually Ennis relented and said he would be there.

It was so obvious Ennis loved his daughters and his daughters' devotion to him says a lot about the man. It was also obvious that Ennis loved Jack Twist and there would be no other consuming love in Ennis' life like the love he had for Jack. After his divorce Ennis did date women and in fact one woman was very much in love with him. As for Ennis, that part of his life was done. He would live the remainder of his life alone and pining for Jack Twist.

The movie has a sad ending and I was moved. As a viewer I truly felt that Ennis was a confused man who only wanted some happiness and love in his life. The viewer is left to wonder about Ennis' real sexuality and perhaps that was the plan.

Brokeback Iceberg



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