Found another article from the same week in a different paper. It adds a few more details - the fact that Diana Ossana also accompanied Ang Lee - and some more heartfelt appreciations from the Alberta crew.
To further fly in the face of standard Hollywood fare, Lee arrived in Calgary Tuesday to host a special screening and party for local cast and crew members who worked on the film. It's a kind gesture that industry insiders say is rarely -- if ever -- extended. "I've never seen a filmmaker do this. There may be a screening of the movie, but the director doesn't come," says sound technician Geo Major, who has worked on several movies in Alberta including The Claim and Open Range, directed by Kevin Costner.
There was hardly a dry eye in the house as Lee walked into the southwest Calgary Coliseum following the credits of a screening Tuesday night. He waved to the crowd, which rose with applause. He shook hands and hugged old friends he hadn't seen since the film's wrap party in the fall of 2004. "I just wanted to thank them and see them all again. I wanted to see them watch the movie they made. After all their work I think it's a nice thing to do," he says simply. "These people are the best. They're devoted and I knew I had to make the effort to do this for them."
Diana Ossana, who was also in attendance at the Coliseum. "Coming back here is a really emotional thing for me," said Ossana, greeting old friends and colleagues inside the theatre Tuesday night. "Working on this film was an incredible experience for me. You are like my family. For all your work and dedication, I'm so honoured to be able to come back and present this beautiful film to you."
The film's effect on the audience was a sight to behold. "I was almost speechless," said Tom Benz, a longtime Albertan and the film's production manager. "Being around people like Jake Gyllenhaal and Heath Ledger you don't really realize how difficult it is to do an acting job well. I really saw what those guys are made of. Being around them all day long I still needed to see the film to see how powerfully they could pull it off."
Beyond Oscar buzz-worthy performances, the film has an impressive visual impact. From tight, textured shots of a horse's hooves stepping carefully through the moss flooring of the Kananaskis forest to some of the most spectacular Alberta vistas ever caught on film, Brokeback Mountain showcases the province from beginning to end.Curtly hailed as a gay western, the film manages to dig deeper than the issue of homosexuality into the guts of a heartbreaking love that can never be truly realized.
"There are films that are made because there is an entertainment industry out there and then there are films that are made to make a difference -- this one will inevitably make a difference," says Benz. "The thing is we're all growing. Your stereotypical redneck cowboy will likely walk out of this film thinking differently."
Although his film may prove to have an effect on audiences, Lee continues to break the mould by refusing to take his movies too seriously. "I just want to make the movie," he says. "I didn't set out to intentionally change anything. In life I have statements, I have my issues, but I don't make statements in my movies. I want to make it as pure and truthful as possible. The rest is up to the audience."
