Brokeback Mountain: Our Community's Common Bond > Brokeback Mountain Open Forum
Brokeback as an Anti-Gay Polemic : essay by W.C. Harris
moremojo:
--- Quote from: Clyde-B on January 14, 2008, 12:48:51 am ---If they were only interested in making money, where are the marketing tie-ins?
--- End quote ---
Money and profit were clearly not the only motivations behind the creation of either the short story or the film. Proulx and the filmmakers were also interested in creating a work of art (with the added desire, certainly, to earn income from their efforts), and it is out of fear of tarnishing the completed works of art that they decline to add to or further exploit the story. Lee and Schamus won't even include the deleted scenes in the DVD versions of the film, an otherwise typical strategy in DVD production and marketing.
Artiste:
Moremojo thanks and thanks to others too!!
Replying to you moremojo, since you say that Annie and the film-makers decline to add to or further exploit the story, of course that is so, but does not need to be, I say as I think that it can still be bettered!!
When I create a painting on canvas, I continue most times so that it becomes a work of art, really!! I usually refrain to tackle again those compositions which are great as museum pieces... to add to each, but some (rarely) I do, or could!
When a composition is good or great, but I consider it still can go further, I restarted or keep on that one, and sometime succeed much better, some becoming master pieces there too!!
Shakespeare, Tolstoi, hugo... and many more, continued their story or stories.
Anything can be made better, even a masterpiece! Con artist or copy-makers copying Renoir and others made better, at times since they dared!!
Annie could enlarge her BM story, right?? The filmakers too, right?? We, gay men and others) need more in the BM story!! Instead of anti-gay, more pro-gay!! ??
Hugs!!
Scott6373:
--- Quote from: garycottle on January 14, 2008, 06:32:35 am ---This is what I've always thought it meant, too, Clyde. I abhor stereotypes, and I've never met one person yet who adequtely fulfills a stereotype. People should be viewed as the individuals they are, no matter what their sexuality is.
If there are gay men out there that feel they can't come out because they don't identify with the boys on Queer Eye For the Straight Guy, then one shouldn't blame a segmant of the gay communtiy for projecting that image of gay men and ignoring all other examples. It is pop culture that is constantly giving us this flat, two-dimensional portrait of gay men, not gay men themselves, or a portion thereof.
Gary
--- End quote ---
Jeeze...it only took almost two years for someone else to say that!!! Thanks Gary!
Artiste:
On the other hand, every one is stereotyped, right??
Even each person stereotypes daily himself or herself?? Right??
Why?? Does it help always or sometimes, or never??
Hugs, hugs!!
RossInIllinois:
--- Quote from: Jeff Wrangler on December 30, 2007, 11:48:22 pm ---Thanks for that summary, Brokeplex.
The problem I, personally, have with the idea that "the story" of Brokeback Mountain--whether "the story" of the short story or "the story" of the film--is not universal is that I see themes in both the story and the film of opportunities missed, chances not taken out of fear--as not distinctively gay themes. They are human themes.
As for Annie Proulx killing off Jack, I'm glad I'm not the only one to notice that "Brokeback Mountain" can be seen as falling into the old stereotype that if you're gay, you either wind up dead (Jack) or alone and miserable (Ennis). I noticed that as far back as 1997, and it always makes me uncomfortable to think about that.
But as for why Annie killed off Jack, well, a story has to have an end. And I would disagree that Ennis's "emotional and erotic isolation ... is complete" when he still has Jack coming up from Texas once or twice a year. The film gives us a crack in the emotional isolation as he agrees to attend his daughter's wedding. We don't see this in the short story, and I don't see Ennis in the story as having that isolation "complete" until Jack is dead.
I'm sorry, but, hunh? ??? I hope he clarifies that point because I sure don't see how depicting "the deleterious efects of violent homophobia" makes the story an "anti-gay polemic." ???
--- End quote ---
I too feel the story and even more so the movie is anti gay. The screen play was "Hollywooded up" with more hetero relationship garbage to make the movie more saleable to the masses. Its a shame how much the movie pulled away from showing more closeness kissing holding etc. between the two men in the later years, What was shown was very highly edited not to show to much "gayness", and thats a shame.
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