Brokeback Mountain: Our Community's Common Bond > Brokeback Mountain Open Forum
Brokeback as an Anti-Gay Polemic : essay by W.C. Harris
HerrKaiser:
The vast majority of peoples’ lives are a long road of happinesses, sadnesses, let downs, successes, failures, and all the other contrasting emotions and occurrences you can think of. I personally heartily disagree that tragic episodes in own’s life makes his life a tragedy. It has been stated on this thread that BBM is a tragedy; 20 years of a loving relationship a tragedy? How many couples have the wonderment Ennis and Jack had? Just because it wasn’t perfect does not make it tarnished or lessen its value. No way. To me, the story is a love story, enriching and positive in many ways that caused me, for one, to wish I was one of those two men. I am neither a sadist, masochist nor suffer from depression; I seek only positive aspects to life; give me Ennis without any changes to the story from 1963 to 1983 and my life would seem complete.
Ennis and Jack didn’t “have to hide from the world”. They made choices that actually worked out well for a long time. I am quite sure they were not the only two gay men in WY in the 60s and 70s. They had a deep and lasting relationship and considering all the people in their lives, their choices seemed to have been good ones.
In terms of “heteronorming” to have made the story more palatable, and hence perhaps, causing my own positive feelings, maybe. Fact is that the vast majority of “adapted” screenplays that were originally in book, story, or stage script form are always changed for film treatment. Yes, it is generally because of the much larger and more demographically dispersed movie going audiences and the producers want to cater to everyone’s likes and dislikes. In doing so with BBM, I think it became a better communications device. Ennis and Jack in the story were unattractive guys. I’m sorry, but replace any of Julia Roberts roles with an unattractive woman, and her films would have gone nowhere, likely. Same is true with BBM.
But, this, along with the bi-sexuality tending to soften the outright gayness of the film is fair game in my opinion. And I do not see this as anti gay, rather a means by which massive amount of global discussions were propagated on the subject of gay mens’ relationships and how they work in a way most people never imagined.
When the mass gay movement came out of the closet in the mid-late 70s or thereabouts, it was not unexpected for mainstream folks to want to see whatever gay life was to be more ‘heteronormed’. Why not? Isn’t that a major part of the immigration issue today? When people come into the fold, so to speak, the larger group tends to expect assimilation (and over the ages most people coming into a larger group do assimilate). How many Germans, speaking German in their lederhosen have you seen lately? And I know that gays bought into such; many now live is suburban neighborhoods with white picket fences, dogs and in many cases, kids. This was NEVER predicted in 1978.
There have been many comments made over the last two years on this site and Cullen about Ennis’ failure as a man because of his adultery and non commitment etc. This is way off and I won’t get into an Ennis speech here, but I find such negative attitudes to be actually anti gay. Gay men do have to tweek the mainstream lifestyle to live; they do have to make adjustments and choices that perhaps straight folks may not have to make. To criticize Ennis or gays for making such choices is to me the anti gay possibility.
Clyde-B:
--- Quote from: brokeplex on January 14, 2008, 12:59:05 am ---What does the above term mean?
Do you mean to say that extensively showing the scenes of the heterosexual life of Ennis and Jack does not enable straight viewers to more completely identify with the two characters?
If not for that reason, then why would the screen writers add those scenes? Its just not a good enough explanation of the additions to say, that it "fleshes out the home life of the two characters", as McMurtry and Ossana have said.
OK, why "flesh them out" at all ? And why "flesh them out" in the fashion in which they were fleshed out?
If the screen writers are going to INVENT scenes wholesale, why not show more of Jacks philandering with Randall, or his undoubted cruising for sex in other area such as parks, bathrooms. Hey I'd like more of the scene with the Mexican hustler.
Why not show more of Jacks's cruising time as a when he was bullrider? We can go on and on.
There has to be a reason for the extensive additions over the screenplay, and emphasizing Jack's closeted sexuality does nothing to market the product because I doubt that most mainstream viewers would not be interested in those hypothetical scenes.
But they just loved Ennis's scenes with Alma and the girls. And Jack's scenes with Lureen.
--- End quote ---
The original story was not long enough to make a two hour movie. Two hours is the average movie length today. Some material had to be added.
The scene with Jimbo the rodeo clown does not exist in the short story. It was totally fabricated from the line - "Shit no," said Jack who had been riding more than bulls, not rolling his own.
The scene with Jack going to Mexico after driving to Riverton doesn't exist in the short story either . It was also an addition to the screenplay. Mexico was only mentioned in the short story in the final confrontation.
Likewise, Randall didn't exist in the short story at all. John Twist mentions an unnamed ranch neighbor a his from Texas that Jack was going to bring to Lightning Flat, but there were no scenes with this unnamed person in the short story.
So you are asking for things to be expanded upon that didn't even exist in the short story. These elements of gay life were fabricated by the screen writers and added also.
pnwDUDE:
--- Quote from: Artiste on January 13, 2008, 11:53:48 pm ---Clyde, may I say that I do feel that the BM movie in some ways does make Ennis and Jack lives like they are heteros... indeed!
Do you see that both Ennis and Jack got married to females??
Their marriages are not gay-males-ones!!
--- End quote ---
Jack and Ennis weren't gay (the term was queer in 1963). Gay has become to mean way more than a guy who wants to be in the arms of another guy. A way to dress and decorate. A way to vote. Political correctness at all cost. Relating to females more than men. Rainbow flags and parades. In later years viciousness and resentment. Youth and sex.
Jack and Ennis weren't that back when they was young, no more than they would be that today. If J&E were together today, they would not be considered gay by any standard.
Jack and Ennis were like a lot of closeted guys are today. They didn't/don't fit in to the gay mainstream lifestyle. They choose to live their lives behind rings and kids and fullfill ( so sad ) their sexual desires like Jack did or find love like they both found in a very similar way to the story of BBM.
Brokeback isn't a gay love story. It's about guys who love other guys but aren't 'gay'. They are very similar to their hetro brethern with only one exception--who they wanna fuck. Ms. Proulx understood this more so than most gay men can comprehend. The result, Brokeback Mountain.
The story was ment to be anti-gay.
Brad
Clyde-B:
--- Quote from: bradINblue on January 14, 2008, 02:34:49 am ---Jack and Ennis weren't gay (the term was queer in 1963). Gay has become to mean way more than a guy who wants to be in the arms of another guy. A way to dress and decorate. A way to vote. Political correctness at all cost. Relating to females more than men. Rainbow flags and parades. In later years viciousness and resentment. Youth and sex.
Jack and Ennis weren't that back when they was young, no more than they would be that today. If J&E were together today, they would not be considered gay by any standard.
Jack and Ennis were like a lot of closeted guys are today. They didn't/don't fit in to the gay mainstream lifestyle. They choose to live their lives behind rings and kids and fullfill ( so sad ) their sexual desires like Jack did or find love like they both found in a very similar way to the story of BBM.
Brokeback isn't a gay love story. It's about guys who love other guys but aren't 'gay'. They are very similar to their hetro brethern with only one exception--who they wanna fuck. Ms. Proulx understood this more so than most gay men can comprehend. The result, Brokeback Mountain.
The story was ment to be anti-gay.
Brad
--- End quote ---
Most of the homosexual people I know use the term gay as synonymous with homosexual. The only people I know that seem to think gay is a lifestyle are some straight people.
There are as many variations in homosexual (gay) lives as there are in heterosexual (straight) lives. I don't know of a gay lifestyle anymore than I know of a straight lifestyle.
pnwDUDE:
--- Quote from: Clyde-B on January 14, 2008, 02:50:43 am ---Most of the homosexual people I know use the term gay as synonymous with homosexual. The only people I know that seem to think gay is a lifestyle are some straight people.
--- End quote ---
The homosexual men I know think gay is a lifestyle and don't consider themselves 'gay'. The straight people you refer to are right.
I say this to make the point that when one lumps everyone into a catagory of 'gay' just because he is a homosexual is a mistake. Back to Jack and Ennis. They don't fit.
Brad
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