Brokeback Mountain: Our Community's Common Bond > Brokeback Mountain Open Forum
What would you like Ang to comment on?
j.U.d.E.:
--- Quote from: sfericsf on August 30, 2006, 08:59:56 pm ---I would like to ask Ang if he feels he might have left things a little to ambiguous... Perhaps if he feels he was a little too reserved in certain scenes? Or does he still view the movie as perfect or his "vision"?
I guess the real question I want to know is, is there any scene(s) he would like to go back and re-do, remove, or insert new? :D In retrospect, what might he have done differently?
--- End quote ---
Didn't I read or saw an interview with him somewhere, where he says he would have done some scenes differently, in hindsight? But I may be wrong.
As to whether he has left things a little too ambiguous (different in some parts with the book), I don't know.. If yes, then possibly on purpose. I don't know Ang Lee, I've never met him (only from afar) or talked to him, but he strikes me as being a very 'interior person, keeping a lot of stuff 'hidden' or inside. It's probably part of his culture and upbringing, but since he seems to be the most American/British Taiwanese there is, I think he mixes both, his cultural backgrounds well. Actually, I’m not quite sure where I want to go with this.. What I want to say is, that I think the more ambiguous, the better.. When I read your post Eric, I thought 'yes', right away – far too ambiguous - especially with the ‘I swear’ scene, which true meaning is and will be for a long time ferociously discussed. But then reading on, I though, wait.. 'no'.. not too ambiguous. And 'no' I don't want to know all these things. Don't tell us what Ennis means with 'Jack, I swear'. This ambiguity makes it a much stronger film (I'm not saying the book isn't!), than had he 'revealed' more. I keep guessing things and wondering about things, but do I really want a straight (no pun intended!) answer. Do we? I'm not sure about it anymore. I will keep asking questions, wanting to know, to understand, needing explanations, but then again, I'm quite happy and very well prepared never to have an answer to some of my questions. I mean, one reason being that otherwise this board (and others) would lose their fascination and possibly their reason to exist..
Don't know if my rambling is clear.. but while I was writing, I realized, that I want to be "kept in the dark" about some things, even if it's nagging me and even if I'm desperate to know..
Ok, that's not much clearer.. :-\ I’ll shut up now ;D
j. U. d. E.
serious crayons:
--- Quote from: nakymaton on September 01, 2006, 06:43:58 pm ---I don't want to hear any of it. (And if it turns out it's there, I won't buy the DVD, and I'll avoid discussion boards. Seriously. I don't want to know.)
--- End quote ---
Mel, you can probably go ahead and buy the DVD. I don't own the one that's out now, but I've rented it a few times. Yet I have never watched any of the commentary. None of it. I have a different reason: I can't stand to see any BBM star in "real life." I don't want to hear Heath speaking in an Australian accent and wearing sunglasses, don't want to see Jake looking like a self-assured 21st-century movie star. I wouldn't mind seeing Ang, I guess, but I haven't been curious enough to watch even him because I fear that, as Chrissi says, the level of discussion would be too superficial.
Discussions here might be a problem, though. If you like, we could label all the DVD-commentary threads accordingly, the way posters on imdb warn of SPOILERS.
jpwagoneer1964:
--- Quote from: latjoreme on September 02, 2006, 12:36:27 am ---Mel, you can probably go ahead and buy the DVD. I don't own the one that's out now, but I've rented it a few times. Yet I have never watched any of the commentary. None of it. I have a different reason: I can't stand to see any BBM star in "real life." I don't want to hear Heath speaking in an Australian accent and wearing sunglasses, don't want to see Jake looking like a self-assured 21st-century movie star. I wouldn't mind seeing Ang, I guess, but I haven't been curious enough to watch even him because I fear that, as Chrissi says, the level of discussion would be too superficial.
Discussions here might be a problem, though. If you like, we could label all the DVD-commentary threads accordingly, the way posters on imdb warn of SPOILERS.
--- End quote ---
I have the DVD but have ony seen the interview a couple of times. While Jake and Heath seen like very nice guys I will always think if them as Jack and Ennis.
Mikaela:
Funny (or charming) how different we are in this! I love hearing Heath talking in his native tongue, wearing sunglasses and all.
And I'd like commentaries, because I don't take the director's or the actors' statements about their views and interpretations as gospel or the ultimate final immutable say on anything. They can shed lots of new light on topics, they can provide additional insights, they can explain how they themselves thought at the time - obviously given how they've immersed themselves in the story, the characters, their motivation, the meaning - but at the end of the day the film means what it means to me. Ennis and Jack and their story have a meaning that's uniquely mine - just as there's one that's uniquely Ang Lee's. It's not processed till I've interpreted it myself, - I think a lot of what comes across in the film was not even in all respects intentional, or at least came together in ways that worked better or on more levels than the filmmakers could consciously have envisaged.
I think from the interviews I've seen that both Ang Lee and the actors are aware of this and entirely respectful of their audience's views and interpretations - never wanting to come across as if they have the one true answer to what anything means or what any character feels. They hardly could, after having striven so hard to make ambiguity the name of the BBM game. I remember one Jake interview during Oscar season where he seemed to have seen the film in somewhat of a new light himself after having read a review that got much attention on the discussion boards as well.
So I would love to listen to commentary tracks - in all honesty, Jake and Heath could read the New York telephone directory in their normal voices and dialects and I'd be majorly pleased. I like both their voices so much. (Why isn't there a blushing icon available when you need it? ;) ) Just hearing them all reminiscing about the shooting etc. would be great. :)
The one thing I do not want to see, is an extended version of the film. I'd love to see each and every outtake and scene cut for time, but not inserted into the film. No way. The film is perfect as it is. Tinkering with it to insert hippies, or an additional Ennis-vision of Jack's death or any other scene we know was actually filmed might ruin it for me. The flow of the thinkg, the emotions, the characters...... one little scene might change too much. So while I'm ready to campaign for a DVD with each and every deleted scene as a bonus feature on the side, and I wouldn't say no to seeing every single first night and second night and reunion takes while I'm dreaming - I'm saying: Please Focus - don't give us no extended film! Don't change what's perfect already!
Front-Ranger:
I agree with you about the extended version, Mik. But, do you think we're ever going to get any kind of special edition? It seems like all of the players have gone on to other things and "forgotton" our beautiful film. :( 'Xept for us devoted Brokies, who carry the torch. (My husband asks me exasperatedly, when will I be done with this? But I reply that at least it's a cheap obsession.)
But what I would like Ang to talk about is the "ink blot" or "bookends" structure of the film, was it intentional, and has this been done on other of his films or those of his mentors? Or was he thinking more in terms of showing dualities? I know that he has commented before on building a yin/yang structure into his films. I was reading about this on the "A Ninth Viewing Observation" Thread, which is an awesome thread, for any of you who have missed it.
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