'Brokeback Mountain' leads politically-charged Oscar

Movies Features

By Andy Goldberg Feb 1, 2006, 14:19 GMT

Los Angeles - Hours before an embattled President George W. Bush was set to make his State of the Union address Tuesday night, Hollywood honoured the controversial movie 'Brokeback Mountain' with a leading eight nominations for this year's Oscars.

Oscar-winning actress Mira Sorvino (L) and Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences President Sid Ganis announce the nominations for the best actor for the 78th annual Academy Awards during a televised ceremony in Beverly Hills, California, on Tuesday 31 January 2006. The nominees are, from bottom left: Philip Seymour Hoffman for 'Capote,' Terrence Howard for 'Hustle and Flow,' Heath Ledger for 'Brokeback Mountain,' Joaquin Phoenix for 'Walk The Line,' and David Strathairn for 'Good Night, and Good Luck.' EPA/ARMANDO ARORIZOThe two events may not have anything to do with each other, except for this. Around the world and across America, George Bush's preferred image is of the swaggering cowboy who embodies the ideal of the old West. His shoot-first-ask-questions-later style of macho bravado has personified both his personal way and many of the most disastrous policies of his regime, from the war in Iraq to the mishandling of the Katrina hurricane aftermath. 'Brokeback Mountain' is the first major movie ever to take on the macho myth of the West and subvert it through the telling of a story of an undeniable love between two reluctant cowboys, who retain their macho imprints despite their taboo-shattering relationship. Few pundits doubt that the movie will now go on to sweep the Oscars and become the first gay-themed movie ever to win the Oscar for best picture - the ultimate movie award in the American film world. The movie has already been mentioned as a kind of 'Passion of the Christ' for the left, but director Ang Lee, whose previous credits include such seminal movie moments as 'Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon' has balked at all such comparisons. He has insisted that his movie is no polemic for gay rights, arguing that it simply be viewed as a moving story about an impossible love. 'There's certainly something unique about this material,' Lee said. 'But at the end of the day, it's really about a universal search for love. All great love stories have great obstacles - and that's what the story builds on.' Still, Lee clearly has no regrets about the controversy sparked by the movie. 'How people react to it is something very interesting to watch - particularly Americans,' the Taiwanese director observed. 'The film is a provocation. It asks the questions and you search for the answer in your response to it. That to me is the real interesting part.' Set in 1963, the film tells the story of Ennis Del Mar (Heath Ledger) and Jack Twist (Jake Gyllenhaal), two poor young men who form a lifelong romantic attachment during a stint of sheep herding on Wyoming's fictional Brokeback Mountain. Over the next two decades they enter traditional marriages and father children, but their love for each other never dies and they struggle with the social and family pressures that prevent them from living their lives together. Unusually for a prime Oscar contender, the movie is still experiencing strong growth at the box office in a gradual roll out that has already seen the 14-million-dollar film earn 50 million dollars at the U.S. box office and millions more overseas. There can be no doubt that those who see the movie sympathise with the genuine emotions that the characters feel, without reference to the men's sexuality. At a recent press conference, Bush evaded commenting on the film, telling a questioner that he would 'be glad to talk about ranching, but I haven't seen the movie.' Yet politically, he is unlikely to be troubled by the movie's success or its Oscar victory. Hollywood may have a subliminal effect on creating public attitudes, but when it tries to overtly influence politics, the efforts of its largely left-leaning members usually backfire. This was most clearly illustrated in the last election when Bush and his Republican supporters repeatedly portrayed liberal media types from Michael Moore to Barbara Streisand as wimpy liberals out of touch with mainstream American values. So if the Oscars do have any political impact, it will probably come from elsewhere. George Clooney's 'Good Night, and Good Luck' has a powerful political message in its recreation of the confrontation between rabid red-baiting senator Joe McCarthy and journalistic icon Edgar G. Murrow. Steven Spielberg's 'Munich' shows the human toll of a no-holds barred war on terror. And 'Syriana' illustrates the complexities of the Middle East conflict and the west's need for oil. But ultimately, the political punch may come not from the Oscar contenders but from the Oscar show itself. In his perennial quest to avert viewer boredom during the always lengthy show, Oscar producer Gil Cates this year turned to comedian John Stewart to host the broadcast. Stewart has deservedly earned the reputation as America's wittiest commentator, as his 'Daily Show with John Stewart' lampoons the many absurdities of the body politic. Cates is hoping that Stewart focuses his acerbic humour on the movie scene. 'This is not a political show,' he said. 'I think he understands that.' © 2006 dpa - Deutsche Presse-Agentur

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EnriqueFeb 3rd, 2006 - 05:01:11

Hi there!!!
Just saw the movie tonight and let me tell you that it is one of the greatest even tho sad love story i've ever seen. For those who say that they don't want to see it i will just say that you are missing on a masterpiece. I think it simply shows love in it's essence, without the need of words only felt in the deepest and purest side of the soul. I think this will open eyes and hearts to understand, what we as gay or lesbians have to go thru simply to express our feelings. Many will probably think this is an abomination but if God would of like it other wise these feelins would never exist. I just hope this will also open some eyes in the Gay and lesbian comunity to go back to the essence of loyalty real pure love and not to isolate ourselfs and not to lose what this is all really about. To promote the purity of love acceptance and faithfullness of heart because we don't just want to finish with asher to disperse on a mountain we have to let our hearts love and be as pure as God himself create it.
Enrique From Toronto, Canada.
P.S. Pardon my English it is not my first language.

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ElliotFeb 3rd, 2006 - 06:22:56

Al, if you have nothing good to say you should just keep it yourself and implode in your own ignorance. Read a book or do something where you can exercise your brain a little.

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OwenDFeb 3rd, 2006 - 16:58:35

I saw the movie and it is truly a great movie!! A brave and intelligent, yet objective view of machismo in the gay world. the message is love in it's simplest form. Enrique from Toronto , Canada, great review. Owen +27 84 296 2371

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alFeb 4th, 2006 - 14:02:19

oh now i get it elliot is one of them.

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ElliotFeb 4th, 2006 - 18:57:33

Al, it's obvious to me that you 'can't see' or understand a lot of things. Are you like, 12 years old? It's like back to grade school. What I do understand is that you can only accept ideas that fits within your limited point of view. It's a big world out there Al, and I'm sure someone out there doesn't agree with everything you have to say or do. You should really question your own self and ask why you have so much anger towards people who are different from you. We could use a lot less judgement in this world and more compassion for other people. Good luck to you Al, and I hope you find your way.

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alFeb 5th, 2006 - 04:40:42

Elliot ...there is nothing bad about you being gay.
do not beat yourself up because of it .
you are what you are

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margeritaFeb 5th, 2006 - 13:09:36

elliot listen to al i think he knows and feels your pain
do not feel like your being gay is the end of the world
heads up and be proud of what you are .God bless you elliot and be strong

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ElliotFeb 6th, 2006 - 07:45:26

Poor Al, now you need to have your friends help you fight your battles. If you look at your very first comment, you will realize that what you're saying now makes no sense at all. Really, ask yourself why you have such strong feelings against gay people or why you think, in your own ignorant words...'that America hates fags'. There might be something about yourself that you're avoiding to face.

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alFeb 6th, 2006 - 12:43:25

elliot this is what you get for putting your big nose in someone elses oppion
my suggestion is keep it out of other peoples buisness .also their is no one helping AL out .their is no AL or margerita .goes to show how bright and nosey you are. good day to you longnose

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SgeorgeFeb 17th, 2006 - 02:31:39

I am unsure why brokeback mountain was nominated for so many Oscars. In 9 weeks it did not even gross 43 million. There seems to be some type of agenda at work here.
1) Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire: $285.5M
2) The Chronicles of Narnia: $271.9 M
3) King Kong: $209.9M
4) Polar Express: $173.6M
5) Chicken Little: $133.4M
6) Walk the Line: $102.1M
7) Fun with Dick and Jane: $101.4M
8) Flightplan: $89.5M
9) Cheaper by The Dozen 2: $78.1M
10) The Family Stone: $58.6
11) Yours, Mine, & Ours: $52.6
12) Memoirs of a Geisha: $51.2M
13) Syriana: $45.4M
14) Hostel: $42.7M
15) Brokeback Mountain: $42.1 M

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