First Public Screening of Brokeback Mountain.

[chowhound]

A friend has recently asked me whether or not the first public viewing of Brokeback Mountain was on Monday September 5, 2005, at the Venice Film Festival. I've always assumed that Venice was where the public saw the movie first - she kindly supplied the Monday, Sept 5 date - and that its first North American showing was at The Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) about ten days later. However, confirmation of all of this would be most welcome.

[Front-Ranger]

A friend of mine was there, I think. It was Luigi (or luigival), who is a member of BetterMost. 

[Penthesilea]

Here's the list from IMDB. It dates the premier at Venice on Sept, second, not fifth. I'm not sure which is correct, I've also heard it was the 5th.

Interesting it the second entry:
USA 3 September 2005 (Telluride Film Festival)

Should be possible to research and verify (or falsify) since there's an exact date and place named.



Country Date
Italy 2 September 2005 (Venice Film Festival)
USA 3 September 2005 (Telluride Film Festival)
Canada 10 September 2005 (Toronto International Film Festival)
Brazil 6 October 2005 (Rio de Janeiro International Film Festival)
Norway 22 October 2005 (Bergen International Film Festival)
Spain 22 October 2005 (Valladolid International Film Festival)
Brazil 23 October 2005 (São Paulo International Film Festival)
France 23 October 2005 (Paris Gay and Lesbian Film Festival)
USA 19 November 2005 (Starz Denver International Film Festival)
USA 30 November 2005 (Los Angeles, California) (premiere)
USA 6 December 2005 (New York City, New York) (premiere)
USA 9 December 2005 (limited)
USA 16 December 2005 
Canada 23 December 2005 (limited)
Denmark 25 December 2005 
Croatia 5 January 2006 
Canada 6 January 2006 
UK 6 January 2006 (limited)
Spain 8 January 2006 (Actual Film Festival)
Puerto Rico 12 January 2006 (Miramar)
Iceland 13 January 2006 
UK 13 January 2006 
France 18 January 2006 
Switzerland 18 January 2006 (French speaking region)
Israel 19 January 2006 
Italy 20 January 2006 
Norway 20 January 2006 
Spain 20 January 2006 
Taiwan 20 January 2006 
Netherlands 25 January 2006 (International Film Festival Rotterdam)
Australia 26 January 2006 
Finland 27 January 2006 
Argentina 2 February 2006 
Brazil 3 February 2006 
Latvia 3 February 2006 
Sweden 3 February 2006 
New Zealand 9 February 2006 
Portugal 9 February 2006 
Philippines 15 February 2006 
Greece 16 February 2006 
Netherlands 16 February 2006 
Singapore 16 February 2006 
Switzerland 16 February 2006 (German speaking region)
Thailand 16 February 2006 
Belgium 22 February 2006 
Mexico 22 February 2006 (Festival Internacional de Cine Contemporáneo de la Ciudad de México)
Hong Kong 23 February 2006 
Estonia 24 February 2006 
Panama 24 February 2006 
Poland 24 February 2006 
Venezuela 24 February 2006 
South Korea 1 March 2006 
Czech Republic 2 March 2006 
Mexico 3 March 2006 
Japan 4 March 2006 
Austria 9 March 2006 
Germany 9 March 2006 
South Africa 10 March 2006 
Russia 16 March 2006 
Turkey 24 March 2006 
Hungary 30 March 2006 
Bulgaria 31 March 2006 
Slovakia 6 April 2006

[Penthesilea]

Ok, curiosity got the better of me and I went searching the net .

BBM was indeed shown on the Telluride Film Festival in 2005, which took place from Sept 1st to Sept 5th.
I couldn't find out the exact day when BBM was shown, but have no reason to doubt IMDB's entry.

Concluding I say that BBM's first North American showing was not at TIFF, but in Colorado!
(BTW only 6 hours from FRiend Lee - if you had known Lee, hunh?)

[Penthesilea]

While researching Telluride Film Festival 2005, I came across this review. It starts out a tad strange, but go on with reading .


It’s what we always knew to be true: beneath the tight jeans, sweaty chaps, and weathered countenance, the American Cowboy is an ass-pounder waiting to be born. Like the impressionable teenager who joins the army or the youngster who insists on a stint with the wresting team, the cowboy willingly spends every waking moment in the exclusive company of men, hoping to catch that glistening, yet forbidden patch of butt cheek, or feel the heavy, scratchy breath of masculinity. Obvious truths aside, Ang Lee’s Brokeback Mountain shocked the hell out of me. It’s a gracious, tender film of such depth and dignity that were this nation not packed to the gills with homophobic creeps, it would go down as the year’s most powerful love story. Jake Gyllenhaal and Heath Ledger give Oscar-worthy performances (you heard me) as Jack and Ennis, two lonely ranch hands who meet during a shepherding job in the mountains of Wyoming (filmed in Alberta, Canada, however) and form a lifelong bond that yes, involves sex. A whole lotta sex, in fact. Ennis remains in Wyoming while Jack moves to Texas, yet they continue to meet several times a year for friendship and outbursts of passion. Visually, this film has the texture of a Terence Malick piece and in some ways, the same overall tone. There’s nothing lurid, or exploitive, or even shocking about this relationship; in fact, it’s handled with such quiet power that gender all but slips away. These are two simple, inarticulate men, yet they are driven by complex emotions and longings that even they could not hope to explain. But as Woody Allen has said, the heart wants what the heart wants, and what better case could be made for letting love take its course? One of the year’s best.

Source: http://www.ruthlessreviews.com/1288/telluride-film-festival-2005/

[Marge_Innavera]

It’s what we always knew to be true: beneath the tight jeans, sweaty chaps, and weathered countenance, the American Cowboy is an ass-pounder waiting to be born. Like the impressionable teenager who joins the army or the youngster who insists on a stint with the wresting team, the cowboy willingly spends every waking moment in the exclusive company of men, hoping to catch that glistening, yet forbidden patch of butt cheek, or feel the heavy, scratchy breath of masculinity.

Glad I wasn't there, if this clip is any indication.  Heard enough sniggering on TV during that time as it is.

[Penthesilea]

It’s what we always knew to be true: beneath the tight jeans, sweaty chaps, and weathered countenance, the American Cowboy is an ass-pounder waiting to be born. Like the impressionable teenager who joins the army or the youngster who insists on a stint with the wresting team, the cowboy willingly spends every waking moment in the exclusive company of men, hoping to catch that glistening, yet forbidden patch of butt cheek, or feel the heavy, scratchy breath of masculinity.

Glad I wasn't there, if this clip is any indication.  Heard enough sniggering on TV during that time as it is.

  That's why I posted the review with a qualifier. I also started to roll my eyes, but then was somewhat surprised that I found the rest of the review pretty appropriate.

[Marge_Innavera]

Yeah it was; but that "glistening butt cheek" part was too distracting.  It sounded like really bad fanfiction.   

[Front-Ranger]

Concluding I say that BBM's first North American showing was not at TIFF, but in Colorado!
(BTW only 6 hours from FRiend Lee - if you had known Lee, hunh?)

Actually, I did know about it...but I was in denial at the time. I couldn't believe that teen heartthrobs Jake Gyllenhall and Heath Ledger had been cast in the parts of Jack and Ennis. I had read and loved the story in 1997, and couldn't see anyone other than a young Lyle Lovett and a young Bob Dylan in those roles. So, there was no way I was going to view it, that is until my daughter dragged me to the movie (as her Xmas present to me) in early 2006!

[chowhound]

Ok, curiosity got the better of me and I went searching the net .

BBM was indeed shown on the Telluride Film Festival in 2005, which took place from Sept 1st to Sept 5th.
I couldn't find out the exact day when BBM was shown, but have no reason to doubt IMDB's entry.

Concluding I say that BBM's first North American showing was not at TIFF, but in Colorado!
(BTW only 6 hours from FRiend Lee - if you had known Lee, hunh?)

Hi there Penthesilea,
   I must confess that up to a couple of days ago I'd never heard of the Teluride Film Festival. However, it does look as though Toronto must cede to Teluride the honour of providing the movie`s first North American screening. However, as a long time Toronto resident and supporter of TIFF, we can claim that we provided the first North American screening with the cast in attendance. However, I`m not sure if Ang Lee made it back from Venice in time to be there.

By the way, I have found confirmation that the IMDb date of Sept 2 is correct. Oddly, the confirmation came through a ``fashion`` site which also had pictures of the cast attending the premiere. Unfortunately I wasn`t able to open them otherwise I would have posted them here. Have you ever come across these photos or indeed other photos of the cast at the film`s first screening?

[chowhound]

I thought, Penthesiliea, if you hadn't seen this press interview with the cast at TIFF in 2005, you might like to have a look at it. There's something touching about it, knowing, as we now do, what llies ahead, for Heath especially:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gwu1qnqZ9aw