Return to Brokeback Mountain (on DVD that is), but is this new edition worth the upgrade? Read on to find out.
Brokeback Mountain was a big Oscar winner for 2005. Winning the gold for director Ang Lee, writers Larry McMurtry and Diana Ossana, and composer Gustavo Santaolalla. However, it did not take home the gold for best picture as most predicted. Universal brings out a new 2-disc collector’s edition, but appearances can be deceiving if you’re expecting lots of new content.
Two Cowboys looking for work
1963, Jack Twist (Jake Gyllenhaal) and Ennis Del Mar (Heath Ledger) are hired by Joe Aguirre (Randy Quaid) to tend the sheep up on Brokeback Mountain in Wyoming. They’re supposed to follow the rules that Aguirre sets up – one stays with the sheep on the mountain and the other stays in base camp. One night they decide that it’s too cold for the other to go up the mountain. They’d been drinking before, but Ennis is sleeping out by the fire and Jack is in the tent. The fire goes out and Ennis is freezing out in the elements. Jack has him come into the tent and in the course of the night the two men consummate a sexual relationship that they continue while they’re on the mountain.
When Aguirre brings the sheep down, they go their separate ways. Ennis goes to marry his sweetheart Alma (Michelle Williams). Jack meets Lureen (Anne Hathaway) at a rodeo and they eventually marry. However, Jack still harbors feelings for Ennis and their time on the mountain. Eventually they reconnect and schedule “fishing trips” where they can carry on their affair under wraps. Eventually both men will be affected in ways that they did not imagine.
Brokeback Mountain is a bit of a polarizing film since it’s a love story as told from the gay point of view. So your acceptance of alternative lifestyles will depend on your want to view the movie. I’ll admit I take more of an “I don’t care” attitude instead of a “don’t ask, don’t tell” attitude regarding homosexuals on the silver screen. However, I’ve never had a great deal of desire to watch Brokeback.
Frankly, it was the overkill that the film was getting in the press that kept me away more than the subject matter. I also didn’t care for the defenders of the film that popped up whenever a bad word or perceived bad word was said against it. So I suppose that now you’re expecting me to bash the film, right? Well you’ll be surprised that I found it quite moving - even though I’m not of the persuasion of the two main characters.
Ennis' secret doesn't just hurt him
I found myself feeling for the plight of the characters on the screen. It was all rather sad that Jack and Ennis had to live a lie as it were. What was even more devastating is how that lie bled into some of the other character’s lives. Alma’s discovery of Ennis’ secret life is absolutely heartbreaking. The Wyoming scenery is gorgeous and a cottage industry for film fans interested in visiting the locations.
Something that interested me was since I knew the twist in the tale was that I read more into Jack and Ennis’ looks in the beginning and wondered if it was supposed to be conveyed in that way. If it were a man and a woman then we’d obviously get that impression.
What disappoints is that this new “collector’s edition” only really adds about 30 more minutes of special features and the interviews with the major players are leftovers from the first DVD release. I’ll get to my recommendations toward the end of the review, but I’d be heartier in my recommendation if I could say that there was a commentary by Ang Lee, etc.
Brokeback Mountain is presented in anamorphic widescreen (1.85:1) and enhanced for 16x9 televisions. This new collector’s edition does add some new stuff, but the major players (Ang Lee, Jake Gyllenhaal, and Heath Ledger) are taken from the interviews from the first DVD release. The first new item is on disc one. It’s the 17 minute “A Groundbreaking Success.”
It has new interviews with journalist/blogger Matt Zoller Seitz, film critic R. Ruby Rich, writer/producer Dianna Ossana, executive producer Michael Lostigan, editor-in-chief of Variety Peter Bart, producer James Schamus, journalist (of the Advocate) Alonso Duralde, and vintage interviews with Ang Lee, Jake Gyllenhaal, and Heath Ledger.
Disc two contains the following new items. The first is the 2 minute “Impressions from the Film” and is a photo montage with stills from the film. The second is the 11 minute “Music from the Mountain” and covers, you guessed it, the music of Brokeback Mountain.
Jack meets Lureen
It has interviews with composer Gustavo Santaolalla, music supervisor Kathy Nelson, singer/songwriter Mary McBride, singer/songwriter Rufus Wainwright, singer/songwriter Teddy Thompson, singer/songwriter Steve Earle, and studio footage of Willie Nelson.
The rest of the special features are holdovers from the first DVD release. They include “On Being a Cowboy” (5 minutes), “Directing from the Heart: Ang Lee” (7 minutes), “From Script to Screen: Interview with Larry McMurtry and Diana Ossana” (10 minutes), and “Sharing the Story: The Making of Brokeback Mountain: A Logo Movie Special” (20 minutes). Still no theatrical trailer though. There’s another new item in the form of 8 collectible postcards in the DVD case.
It would be easier to recommend that fans buy this new edition if there were more special features. Commentaries by Ang Lee, Jake Gyllenhaal, and/or Heath Ledger would’ve made it easier to recommend that fans purchase this new edition. It just feels lacking for a two disc set. I’m not sure that there’s enough added material to recommend that owners of the previous disc upgrade.
If you don’t own the previous DVD and are a fan of the film then this version will get you the best of both worlds (old and new material). I’d bet that in five years time that they’ll be an anniversary edition and maybe they’ll do a better job at filling up two discs’ worth.
Brokeback Mountain is a moving film in need of a more elaborate collector’s edition. I would give it 4 stars for the movie, but 2.5 stars for the special features in this “collector’s edition.”
On the mountain
Brokeback Mountain (Two-Disc Collector’s Edition) is now available at Amazon . As of yet, there is not a release date for the UK. Visit the DVD database for more information.
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