Here is yet another awsome review of our favourite movie, and it was written just days ago!
It's a real good one, so here you go:
http://www.the-trades.com/article.php?id=5179Brokeback Mountain (Collector's Edition)
DVD Review by Andrea Maclam
Published: February 1, 2007
No, I have NOT been hiding in a cave. But this was my first viewing of the Academy Award winning film, and I have to wonder why I missed it on the big screen.
Yes, everyone knows the gist of the movie. As I was told by several people, it's about gay cowboys. But I disagree. This is a love story, plain and simple. And what a grand love story it is. Forced together by employment, they grudgingly become friends, and then, lovers. The fact that the players are MEN, and the time is a very unforgiving and closed-minded 1963, makes it that much more poignant and wrenching.
Allow me to share a quote that someone once sent me: "Love has no rules. It happens when we least expect it, often when we don't want it, many times when we can't handle it. It often times scares you, surprises you, shakes you down to your very core." But it's that kind of love that makes life worth living.
This isn't a romance, by any stretch of the imagination or definition, but there is a sense of romance there. It's not cute, it has its funny moments, but it's a very real portrayal of two people living double lives. Two people who have this deep, abiding, obsessive friendship and love for each other that time, distance, and other people simply cannot break. It's what we all search for: the kind of love that is timeless, the kind of love that we cannot live without.
It's the most beautiful movie I think I've ever seen.
My colleague, Raul Burriel, reviewed the movie upon it's release on DVD back in April. His review can be found here.
Before I get to the extras from this 2 DVD Collectors Edition, allow me to wax poetic about the performances, for a moment. Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal are brilliant in their portrayals of Ennis Del Mar and Jack Twist respectively. I don't think I've ever seen two performances that tore my heart out, while lifting it up at the same time. I've loved them both since I saw "Donnie Darko" and "10 Things I Hate About You". They were such a joy to watch. Reaching down to the depths of his soul for this performance, Heath played Ennis's internalized struggle to maintain a level of normalcy with Alma and the children with such grace, and silent desperation to be with Jack, that I found myself despising poor Alma, who's only crime was loving a man who was unable to love her the way she needed. As Jack, an emotionally available Jake, whose gotta-love-me hang-dog puppy-eyes had me smiling from the beginning, managed to maintain normalcy with Lureen and Bobby, as well as his in-laws, but in every scene, his eyes hold some secret, and you know that he's thinking of Ennis.
Ledger plays the dual side of this affair to the hilt, in what has been the finest role yet in his young career. Ennis is both emotionally repressed, and yet liberated by his love for Jack. One minute he's tight lipped and distant, the next, emotional and vulnerable. Gyllenhaal is eager and open, no matter the disappointments he endures. He always believes that there is a time for the two of them (sorry, "West Side Story" moment), and his unfailing belief in that is what keeps Ennis anchored.
What else I enjoyed about this story was that the one who had the most to lose, Jack, was the one who was willing to chuck it all away and live with Ennis as an outsider. You know he would have been happy with the cabin, raising the sheep just the two of them. But as the witness of a hate crime when he was nine, Ennis cannot give in to this desire. He has to keep a hold on what society has drilled into him and in doing so, pushes Jack further and further away. And yet, love still endures, until the bitter end.
Bonus Features
I was hoping that this edition would have more bonus features than the original did. And, while I was right, I was also very disappointed in the bonus material. I agree with my colleague that a feature length commentary from any of the main players would have been welcome, but they still didn't put it on this one. Instead, we are treated to:
Music from the Mountain shows how the Academy Award winning score from Gustavo Santaolalla complemented the movie. Unless you are TRULY interested in music, or are planning on writing a score, it was a snooze.
Impressions from the Movie is nothing but a montage of photo stills set to the score. If I just watched the movie, why do I need to see those?
Sharing the Story: The Making of Brokeback Mountain wasn't too bad. It was interesting to see how the actors prepared for the movie, and to hear comments from all parties on everything from pre-production to the filiming itself.
From Script to Screen is interviews with Larry McMurtry and Diana Ossana about the process of bringing this movie from short story to screen. While informative, it wasn't something the general public might want to see. Of course, I've been known to be wrong once in awhile.
A Groundbreaking Success discusses public reaction to the film, the industry's reaction to Ang Lee choosing to make the film, and the emotional impact it has had, not just in the gay community, but worldwide.
On Being a Cowboy is probably the most interesting feature out of them all. In this segment, Jake and Heath discuss their preparation for their roles, including cowboy boot camp.
I think it would have been very fascinating to see some outtakes, bloopers, or even the unedited footage, but alas, they did not appear. Nevertheless, it is worth picking up this Collectors Edition simply for the eight postcards that are included. They are beautiful, and will remind you always of what a groundbreaking, important and beautiful film this truly is.
A haunting commentary on society and gender roles, this movie is one for the ages. It will go down in cinematic history as one of the greatest love stories of our time.
