Brokeback Mountain: Our Community's Common Bond > Brokeback Mountain Open Forum
TOTW 12/07:Is Brokeback Mountain a 'universal love story' or a 'gay love story'?
tampatalon:
I cannot decide which kind of love story so I just love da story :)
JT:
To me, it's a universal love story with a gay touch to it. To be honest, I don't think there are such thing as a "gay love story" or a "straight love story". Love is universal regardless of who loves who. BBM is a love story period. It just have a tragic end and the lovers just happen to be two men.
Brown Eyes:
Yes, I agree that the love represented is a universal thing... or universally experienced regardless of gender or sexual orientation. But, the film/story is based on what happens to universal love (love that anyone can identify with) under the specific pressures put on gay men within the specific social conditions of Wyoming and Texas during the time span of the story. I think it is important to recognize the gay context as a really significant aspect of the story and their struggle to maintain their relationship. Somehow saying it's simply universal seems too easy to me... I think it's more complex.
And, I'll reiterate that I think BBM examines what it means to be gay... as a complicated personal identity, as a factor in a relationship, etc... in a terrifically nuanced, throughtful and subtle way. I think BBM does this better than most any film I've ever seen.
Shakesthecoffecan:
I remain of the opinion it is a story about the effect of rural homophobia, but its effect is the message we nedd to love, and we need to be brave about it sometimes.
jstephens9:
--- Quote from: Shakestheground on October 24, 2007, 10:28:56 am ---I remain of the opinion it is a story about the effect of rural homophobia, but its effect is the message we nedd to love, and we need to be brave about it sometimes.
--- End quote ---
I'm curious if you mean rural homophobia as opposed to urban homophobia which also existed, and still does exist, in the cities. I believe I posted something in the last topic of the week concerning how BBM would be looked at 30 years from now and I was mentioning how homophobia, although underground, exists in the urban areas even now. I mentioned how "gays" are not looked at in favor by a large part of the FDNY and the NYPD. I mentioned that I did not know how it was viewed by the same type of organizations in San Francisco. If anyone know this, please post it as I am curious. I'm not sure if you have seen "Forever Blue" (an episode of Cold Case) or not, but it was supposed to be about the same time as BBM, but was in Philadelphia and was about two cops who were in love.
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