Anybody seen Brokeback Mountain yet?

saurabhawasthi

I'm planning to go watch Brokeback Mountain and Crash tomorrow at Forum, Bangalore....

How was it?? I know Ang Lee is a great director, but the genre he did earlier (crouching tiger ...) was like a world away...so...and the storlyine for brokeback sounds very very different

Jnana22

Ang Lee IS a great director, partly because of the diversity of his films (before he directed "Crouching Tiger" he did "Ride with the Devil", "The Ice Storm", and "Sense and Sensibility" - all great films, and talk about variety...)

I loved "Brokeback Mountain" (saw it three times at the theater) and thought it should've won the Oscar. It's a beautiful, heartbreaking film. Anyone who has ever felt that they can't be who they are meant to be (for whatever reason - gay or not) will be able to relate to the story.

I'm wondering, though, if parts of it will be censored in India? Has there been the kind of "backlash" against it there that there was here in the States?

chalkdog

I thought Ang Lee's film was beautifully done. A relief to see a portrayal of gays that wasn't filled with stereotypes or burdened with political weight.
I'm wondering myself how this film will be received in India.

lotus blossom

one of the best movies of the year, and certainly one of the best to come out of hollywood. it is a beautiful film that explores forbidden love. my girlfriends all loved it while men that i know did not.

extraordinary film. i cannot wait to watch it again! i too think that it should have won best film of the year, but as one reviewer said, america is not ready for a lovestory between cowboys. maybe they are afraid of how it opens the heart...

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BlueRose

I saw it and thought it was a very powerful movie and I know it affected many people quite deeply. There is a brokeback forum where people went after they saw the movie for it has almost a delayed reaction factor.

I also wonder how the reception will be in India? I hope this thread can perhaps capture some of the responses.

It is a movie about homophobia and "closeted" lives, igonorance, intolerance and hate . And, I also see it as a universal story of human emotions (love)which is why it touched so many people.

lotus blossom

i am interested in knowing more about the forum. i cried for a long while after the film; it touches us on such a deep level. i also have a recent wound with the issue of forbidden love, so it laid that wide open.

Jnana22

That's true! It's so powerful that it stays with you long after you leave the theater and just gets stuck in your head. The sadness is just so profound.

saurabhawasthi

the curiosity about how India would take this is amazing!! my two cents on this:

quite a few people have gotten used to same-sex relationships being shown in hollywood films. in fact in the last three years, we've had some indian movies deal with lesbian relationships, extra-marital sex etc....

in this case, the standard promo line/feedback on brokeback mountain is "sensitive portrayal of a gay cowboy story".... my sense is that urban educated-english speaking-metro(big city)-based audience (they call it the cineplex audience here) might want to watch this....

as a byline - i think jake gylenhall looks ... ... different - not your james-dean or clint eastwood variety...

also....can you think of two other guys in Hollywood who could've done this - my take - ben affleck and tim robbins

BlueRose

Hi Lotus, me too. I saw the movie and left the theatre somewhat stunned. Followed by crying jags over the weekend. It broke my heart open (again) I thought the movie portrayed love so well, it was realistic. IMO~Hollywood doesnt really "do" love....just a fake, plastic version( with some exceptions) but this movie did. For love is messy and ugly and is the stuff of dirty diapers and stolen weekends over twenty years. Oh, if I think about this movie again I will start to cry and it is finally a sunny day here...this is a great forum. Perhaps when we start to get feedback from the India perspective we can share on that site.
Enjoy http://davecullen.com/forum/index.php#1
Take care

Jnana22

But weren't those films (e.g. "Fire") received with massive protests and even the torching of movie theaters? (I recall reading that, but I might be wrong). The urban, educated, "cineplex audience" is usually open-minded about this type of thing but I was wondering about India as a whole.

Jake Gyllenhal is great in the role because there is a certain naivete and boyishness in the character of Jack Twist that comes across so poignantly in his portrayal. As for other actors in the roles, what about Clive Owen as Ennis? He is very intense.

Anyway, let us know what you think after you see it tomorrow!

lotus blossom

thanks for the link; looks like a great forum.

yes, the plastic version of love in most hollywood movies escapes my mind as soon as i've exited the theatre.

one of my friends said that she thinks that brokeback mt. affected many of us this way because of the deep yearning for "real" love. i think this is certainly an element of it. take good care of your heart.

sirensongs

...isn't this in the Off topic section?

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lotus blossom

we too may have had plenty of exposure to same sex relationships in film, but theatres in utah refused to show the film. and don't forget that the characters are cowboys (the epitome of macho). no one torched any cinemas here, but the outcry was there. i have also heard that some people did not like this film because they feel that we are ready for a film that triumphs in the end of a gay love story; i would have loved to see them get a ranch and settle down together! but it was only a few years ago that a young man (Matthew Sheppard) was killed in wyoming for being gay.

jake gylenhall was perfect for his role, as was heath ledger. i loved both of their characters! and yes, the boyish innocense of jack twist was delightful! you couldn't help but fall in love with him.

iwanttogoback

if you loved the movie, read the story - a novella by annie proulx. absolutely beautiful - 10 000 words and not a single wasted one.
i assume that it has probably been reissued due to the movie, but i have it in a collection of short stories called 'wyoming stories', all of which dig under the surface of rural life in mid america and tear your heart open in the process.

jeamland

Fantastic movie! I saw it in Mumbai yesterday! Felt absolutley gutted afterwards, the relationship between the characters was so moving... I'm sure I saw an older Indian women crying after the film... many of the men (boys?) in the audience screamed at the love scenes, kind of expected! I might see it again today, haha. Indian movies theatres are great, theres even an interval where you can stock up on treats (but no ice cream man).