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Academy Shines on Brokeback Mountain
Phillip Dampier:
The Associated Press calls it a “major upset” as Brokeback Mountain missed the widely anticipated Academy Award honor of Best Picture, which was won by Crash. But tolerance was the ultimate winner of the Academy Awards this evening, as movies promoting mutual understanding and acceptance were all big winners. Crash spoke more towards racial tolerance, but its awards do not come at the expense of Brokeback Mountain, which itself takes home three Oscars.
Ang Lee, Academy Award Winner for Best Achievement in Directing – Brokeback Mountain.
“I wish I knew how to quit you,” Lee told the audience crowd, reiterating the film’s most-quoted line.
Gustavo Santaolalla, Academy Award Winner for Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures, Original Score – Brokeback Mountain.
Santaolalla could have been an unusual choice to develop the score for Brokeback Mountain being an Argentinian, which is far away from rural Wyoming. But his contemplative score captured the scenery and mood of the film.
Diana Ossana and Larry McMurtry delivered the most passionate Oscar moment for Brokeback Mountain as Ossana pounded home the profound message of love and tolerance the film engenders.
Together, they share the Academy Award for Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material Previously Produced or Published.
John Passaniti:
--- Quote from: Phillip on March 06, 2006, 01:05:47 am ---Santaolalla could have been an unusual choice to develop the score for Brokeback Mountain being an Argentinian, which is far away from rural Wyoming. But his contemplative score captured the scenery and mood of the film.
--- End quote ---
It probably isn't that far... Argentina has their own rural cowboy tradition-- gauchos.
backtobrokeback:
You know, it's so wonderful that those amazing people won. I was thrilled to see Santaolalla, in particular, get the recognition he deserves. But the Academy didn't "shine" on Brokeback, it tireironed it with a Best Picture snub.
It's very interesting. I'm not in tears, but I am angry. Mostly, though, I'm puzzled by WHY this happened. Unfortunately, the only answer I can reach is that it simply isn't okay to be gay. The Academy simply would not allow a film about men who love each other to take its place in the pantheon. The film no one would touch for six years is still the one they won't touch.
In a year when every nominated film was great, when every one of them: "Brokeback Mountain", "Capote", "Crash", "Good Night and Good Luck", "Munich", deserved the Oscar, it's simply too easy to brush it off as chance, as 'one great film among many' and 'they all stood a chance of winning or losing."
I've given it a lot of thought over the past week, since the "Crash" buzz began, and I keep coming back to the same sad, but ultimately calming thought - this had to happen. The story, as Annie Proulx has said, had one outcome, from the beginning. It was a story about the power of homophobia, and Jack, because of his openness, had a particular destiny that he was headed toward. His twenty years of happiness with Ennis had to end, but Ennis lives on, and his story lives on. That Ennis and Jack found love makes the story eternal; that their love was denied makes the story meaningful. Jack, unfortunately, got a tireiron to the face for being who he was.
Despite winning virtually every other best film award, Brokeback Mountain, the movie, was tireironed tonight, in full view of everyone, for being what it was, for speaking its truth. It had to be. The Academy members simply could not reward a film that made them so very uncomfortable, a film they could not tell others to see, a film that could make them a target.
The Oscar snub stands as a notable aberration in a season of praise and recognition, the only major award for the film not given to it. And yet Jack's story doesn't die, because Ennis lived it too. Brokeback doesn't die because the story and the other awards and the viewers carry it on. More importantly, the culture carries it now. Which leaves it in some good company, among the non-winners that people remember and return
The question remains - why didn't they give Best Picture to Brokeback?
Their reasoning I cannot know but can assume, based on my own experiences with people who do not know what to do with me and my life, who react with silence, with backs turned, or worse, with pitying glances, all the more politically correct forms of hate speech.
BBMGrandma:
I'm SOOO Happy for the awards our movie won.
When Jake didn't get the Oscar....I felt as though I almost didn't want Heath to win either. I think they were BOTH superb and could never have taken our movie to the heights it achieved without BOTH of them..working as a unit. !! So if they BOTH couldn't take it oscar...I didn't want either of them to have it. ! Does that make any sense? It's as though I didn't want a 'wedge' to be formed in their friendship.
I think these two developed a real comaraderie while creating this work of art. BTW...did you all hear that Heath and Michelle asked Jake to be Godfather to little Matilda Rose? Now THAT'S friendship and trust...and love!!!
Nancy
Denyys:
After the incredible "high" I got riding "Brokeback Mountain" all through its very successful gallop through the award season I couldn't help but emotionally crash when Jack Nicholson announced "CRASH" as the Oscar winner for best picture. It simply didn't feel right. I was in shock. My heart sank. It was like watching the entire movie fade away through my rear view mirror as I drove off for who knows where, yes with tears streaming down my cheek....no shame in feeling this heartbreak. Jack knows it only too well.
The absolutely saddest and gut wrenching sight was seeing Ang Lee walking aimlessly with his "Oscar" in hand in a state of shock before and after his post award ceremony with the "E" network. He mentioned the shock of accepting best director award only ro see Brokeback Mountains victorious ways come to a "Crash"ing halt after so many wins this award season. I almost got the sense that he would have gladly traded his best director oscar for a best picture one.
AFter all the post award interviews I went to bed but couldn't fall asleep even with the strings of the BbM soundtrack in the background. I feel so sad, empty "unfullfilled" to see the object of my affection come up short of such high expectations. I can't help but feel, dispite the three well deserved Oscars, that it's still a loss and it's a loss and dissapointment that I suspect is deeply felt by the entire cast, crew, writers and perhaps felt most deeply by Ang Lee. I've so embraced this movie and its characters and as I listen to "Brokeback Mountain Radio" as I write this I simply want to crawl in a tent and just cry.
I read much about the groundswell of support for "Crash" after it won its assemble cast award from the Screen Actors Guild (their version of best picture). I also read that the aging demographic of the majority of academy
membership may have had a deciding impact on the more universally acceptance and appeal of "Crash" over Brokeback Mountain for best picture.
In any case I'll take solace in the fact that Brokeback Mountain and Crash both brought to the forefront powerful messages of the importance of love and tollerance.
Thanks for being here Phillip and Company.
Man, this really hurts! I guess Brokeback Mountain got me good.
Denyys
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