Brokeback Mountain: Our Community's Common Bond > Brokeback Mountain Open Forum
Getting in Touch With Your Feelings About Brokeback Mountain
Aussie Chris:
--- Quote from: Rayn on March 27, 2006, 07:46:47 am ---Chris, thanks for your kind reply. I hope all is going well for you downunder. It's nice to hear from someone who is almost in the neighborhood! LOL How are people in your homeland responding to Brokeback?
--- End quote ---
Hey Rayn, Brokeback has done over US$6M in two months of release in Australia, which is pretty good given our relatively small population, and it is still doing well in the larger cinema complexes and the small art-house cinemas. My last viewing was a couple of weeks ago in a medium sized cinema and it was almost full (200-300 or so). But apart from the fact that there has been plenty of "bums-on-seats", one of the things I love about going to the cinema to see BBM is being aware of the other people in the crowd. I've seen it about 9 times now so I feel like I can almost inhale it, I'm so aware of everything on the screen and in the auditorium.
At the beginning it's the usual munching-confectionary and sipping-drinks noises that are typical of going to the movies, but that only lasts for 30 minutes (queue tent scene #1). There's usually a little bit of nervous rustling and shifting positions for the next 15 minutes or so, but it's just about then that you realise that the audience become very quiet. But at the one-hour mark time stops (flashback). I kid you not, it's not just me holding my breath, the entire audience is and the silence is deafening. I love the fact that you can really feel the tension of 200+ people not moving a muscle.
Granted, the majority of the people that are going to see it are women, but I also get a kick out of seeing the occasional bloke, who was clearly dragged along by the girlfriend/wife, but leaving with a not-so-blokey expression on his face. :)
Brokeback gets 'em every time!
raisinhead:
Rayn, your post really struck me - that sense of time stood still. I've been thinking for a long time about the powerr BBM has over us and what is the structure and philosopohy and sheer story-telling virtuosity behind all this, that makes it so powerful and turns this into soemthing that stays in your mind, heart, soul, whereever, for the longest time.
So I went and wrote 3000 words on the subject.... probably no one is interested in reading this but for the sake of exorcising some post-BBM demons then it is was very cathartic for me.
I humbly submit this to the body of knowledge about the power of BBM. Check out Reviews section.
Excerpt1
Tragedy arose from a protagonist being trapped by two duties, both of which demand fulfilment. This is the theme most often chosen by the Greek dramatists. Their dramas were highly formalised. In a broad interpretation, the classical structure of Greek tragedy and their recurring themes are discernible in Brokeback Mountain.
Excerpt2
n Desire Under The Elms we see a harbinger of the ideas and philosophical heart of Brokeback Mountain -- the conflict between on the one hand, the idea that in life one might seek the Dionysian, freedom, and on the other, choose a life that follows a path of unflinching Apollonian self-denial and hardship. The O’Neill Archive writes again “while Nietzsche provided the philosophical underpinning for Desire Under The Elms, the drama evolved from O’Neill’s perception that men who are forced to serve alien Gods are doomed to loneliness” .
etc
http://manderley.moonfruit.com/
Paul, London
::)
Peter John Shields:
Hello all - I have copied this over from a message I sent to Paul on his website...
Hello Paul,
What an eye opening article. Unreal! Thank you for your research. I think that when writers and film makers tap into eternal truths it connects with something deep inside and makes the story a legend.
I found your website via Bettermost and it is wonderful. Glad to have met you Paul and thanks again. The way you could describe in words the emotional effect of the movie was very helpful for me in dealing with my own grief over the film - after all knowledge is power. Has this knowledge helped you cope with your own grief? I am inspired to learn more literature. I wonder whether the constucts of the film, such as set design, were conciously designed to reflect existential ideas, or whether they bubbled up from the unconcious on their own...
Peter
Rayn:
--- Quote from: raisinhead on March 28, 2006, 04:23:18 pm ---So I went and wrote 3000 words on the subject.... probably no one is interested in reading this but for the sake of exorcising some post-BBM demons then it is was very cathartic for me.
I humbly submit this to the body of knowledge about the power of BBM. Check out Reviews section.
Paul, London
--- End quote ---
Paul, thanks for your reply. I will make a point of reading yoiur review and get back to you afterwards. From the excerpts and comment it sound great. Thanks, in advance, for the time and work you put into it.
Rayn
Rayn:
I just read Paul's review (the link to it is above) and must say, it's excellent. Thank you Paul for the time and thought you put into it. I wonder if Annie Proulx actually set out with Greek tragedy in mind or did she hit upon through, say, the collective unconscious? Who knows?
I'm becoming aware that BBM, this simple but profoundly moving and energizing work of art may very well be a turning point in my life. I know I am in transition toward new and, I hope better, employment and social relations. Much is changing, and it seems as if the movie marked some tipping point toward taking serious note of where I am in my life, a push to start making improvements instead of just staying with what I've been comfortable with for years.
So, if I list what is changing, I can say, my job, friendships, where I live (because I will move to another job by autumn) my own writing/art and even music and books I enjoy are taking new forms!
I don't imagine I will be in cowboy hat and boots too soon! That's just not me or necessary, but when I look at what has happened since seeing Brokeback Mountain, many things add up. Of course, some might say that all those changes could have happened without BBM, but from where I stand and see my life, I don't think so.
I want to again recommend Paul’s review. Good Writing!
Rayn
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