I admit this is terribly petty, but I avoided seeing Brokeback Mountain because of Annie Proulx's freakout rant in the Guardian. But that was this year, you say, what about the theaters. As a parent of small children I am close to exclusively DVD these days.
Anyway, I'm glad I finally did as the movie has four excellent, even surprisingly so, performances. It also manages the trick of being sad without being maudlin or overly manipulative. It has one of my favorite literary themes, the idea that you if you do not pursue what you want, you will suffer for it. As Ennis and Jack surely do.
Tuesday, October 24, 2006
Brokeback
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4 comments:
Yes, the movie has a good way of extracting tears.
The little novella- which I read first, captures a different mood and relationship which is not totally expressed in the movie. But they came very close on the ending. I'll have to go read that rant now-
My cousin had the same sentiments re: the book. Did you prefer the book? I find that I tend to like best whichever form of the story I encouter first. Much like covers. I sometimes prefer the cover, if I hear it first. No logic to it, sadly.
I actually liked both book & film, they were both done well and worked in different way. Where the book had an emotional response, I cried more in the movie.
The book was good at creating the time line and internalized mood of the relationship, where the movies did a good job at drawing one in and presenting the characters.
Anyway- it worked. The rant wasn't so bad, just a disappointed person...life in LA- so easy to dismiss.
My issue with the rant is that a highly successful, prize laden, no doubt wealthy 70 year old shouldn't write columns that look they were written in a school paper by the loser of the student council elections.
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