I first saw Brokeback Mountain at its very first public screening in Australia, on 26 January 2006 (the Australia Day public holiday), at the Broadway cinema complex in Sydney. It was a hot, high-summer day and we were glad to be in the air-conditioned cinema.
I went to the morning session with my dear friend, George, and we were surprised to find the theatre packed (unusual for a morning session). It's in a trendy part of the city, close to the gay precinct, and there was a sprinkling of celebrity A-Listers in attendance. It was an eclectic mix of gays and straight, probably slightly more women than men.
Though the theatre was full, there was not so much as a whisper throughout the screening. And at the end, most people stayed respectfully to the end of the credits, with lots of sniffling and nose blowing evident.
We had heard the publicity, though knew nothing of the actual plot, and were curious to see the movie. I think I may have been expecting something trashy and crass, because the local media had been pushing the "gay cowboys" line. Nothing could have prepared me for the life-changing event that was to come. I was a lamb to the slaughter.
I had not read the short story and, indeed, had never heard of Annie Proulx (boy, have I made up lost time on that score), so the ending was a totally traumatic revelation to me.
We went to lunch afterwards and talked non-stop about different aspects of the plot and how we should interpret the ending. We missed a lot of what was said by Ennis because of his mumbling, but we agreed that that was an endearing and integral aspect of his persona. Little did I know that I would still be discussing it two years later.
There were tears of course. Great, gushing, wailing sobs. That happened often, in the early days, and more so when I got the CD, book and screenplay. At times, I couldn't read the printed page for the tears. All I could do was put the book down and sob out loud.
I saw it about 20 times at various cinemas around the city (many more times on DVD), sometimes with George, sometimes alone. It ran for over two months in Sydney. A long run for this town.
