Brokeback Mountain: Our Community's Common Bond > Brokeback Mountain Open Forum
TOTW 15/07: Short story or movie, which one do you prefer?
serious crayons:
I read the story several years before I saw the movie and thought it was excellent as literature. The imagery, the use of language, the amazing plot -- no one had ever written anything like it before ...
But after reading and appreciating it, I moved on. I was not floored by the story. I did not seek an internet message board to discuss it.
The movie is what really made an emotional impact on me. Why? Well, for one thing, although the movie is spare and understated, it is not as zealously unsentimental as the story. The movie doesn't prod emotions, but it doesn't skitter from them, either. In my mind, Annie Proulx did everything she could to avoid being saccharine, and although in general I like that tendency and think it adds to the story's power, her spareness it was so extreme as to ultimately be, for me, off-putting. Some of the elements used to undercut otherwise touching moments -- "he missed Ennis bad enough sometimes to make him whip babies," the flashback of Jack's dad peeing on him -- were just a bit too ascetic.
Also, to me the movie characters had more depth. We've talked about how Movie Ennis, particularly, is different from Story Ennis. Well, I understand Movie Ennis better, and his emotional turmoil seems more complex and tragic to me. Story Ennis is depicted as declining Jack's "sweet life" offer primarily out of a pragmatic fear of violence; Movie Ennis, it is clear, rejects Jack's invitation much more because of internal conflicts. I also can see the distinctions more clearly between Movie Ennis and Movie Jack than I do between Story Ennis and Story Jack. In the first, they are almost opposites. In the second, they are more similar, just with kind of different opinions. Ultimately, the movie characters had more impact on me.
And finally -- this might seem silly, but -- the dialect in the story was a bit of a turn-off, for me. It was so extreme as to make the characters seem kind of cartoony. I have lived in the West for short periods, but I haven't spent enough time there to know if there are people who really talk like that -- and, if so, my bad. But the characters in the movie talked more like people I'm familiar with, and I could relate to them better because of it.
Oregondoggie:
Well I was clobbered by the story. Tried reading it aloud to a group of friends just after the movie came out. Got as far in the beginning as..."If he does not force his attention on it, it might stoke the day, rewarm that old, cold time on the mountain when they owned the world and nothing seemed wrong." Had to stop. Had to be comforted. I could not breathe.
This is not simply a fine story. It is one of the most powerful ever written. It will spawn another film in due time with new young actors, fresh reactions. And, like Romeo And Juliet, it will be interpreted on the stage and (possibly) in dance and opera.
The movie had one advantage not mentioned so far in this discussion: Santoalalla's music. Beyond sublime.
brokebackjack:
You know, not for nothing I am really really glad I asked Crissy to have this as TOW.
There have been some wonderful things said here, buds!
Artiste:
I prefer Annie's story.
As it seems to me less violent towards gay men, such as I am!!
To me, the movie is pro-violent for cirminals toward a gay man or gay men!!
Hugs!
brokebackjack:
Artiste, you continually amaze me!! lol
How in God's name do you come to the conclusion that BBM the film is PRO-ANTIGAY-VIOLENCE?
You have to be the only gay person alive--or perhaps the only person who saw the film, anywhere, who thinks it was antigay !
But the story, yes, it is superb.
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