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| | Label: Focus Features
Salesrank: 102788
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| Our Price: $7.93 |
| Used Price: $7.14 |
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MPAA Rating: NC-17
Media: DVD |
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Editorial Review:
A sad, melancholy ache pervades Brokeback Mountain, Ang Lee's haunting, moving film that, like his other movies, explores societal constraints and the passions that lurk underneath. This time, however, instead of taking on ancient China, 19th-century England, or '70s suburbia, Lee uses the tableau of the American West in the early '60s to show how two lovers are bound by their expected roles, how they rebel against them, and the repercussions for each of doing so--but the romance here is between two men. Ennis Del Mar (Heath Ledger) and Jack Twist (Jake Gyllenhaal) are two itinerant ranchers looking for work in Wyoming when they meet and embark on a summer sheepherding job in the shadow of titular Brokeback Mountain. The taciturn Ennis, uncommunicative in the extreme, finds himself opening up around the gregarious Jack, and the two form a bond that surprisingly catches fire one cold night out in the wilderness. Separating at the end of the summer, each goes on to marry and have children, but a reunion years later proves that, if anything, their passion for each other has grown significantly. And while Jack harbors dreams of a life together, the tight-lipped Ennis is unable to bring himself to even consider something so revolutionary.
Its open, unforced depiction of love between two men made Brokeback an instant cultural touchstone, for both good and bad, as it was tagged derisively as the "gay cowboy movie," but also heralded as a breakthrough for mainstream cinema. Amidst all the hoopla of various agendas, though, was a quiet, heartbreaking love story that was both of its time and universal--it was the quintessential tale of star-crossed lovers, but grounded in an ever-changing America that promised both hope and despair. Adapted by Larry McMurtry and Diana Ossana from Annie Proulx's short story, the movie echoes the sparse bleakness of McMurtry's The Last Picture Show with its fading of the once-glorious West; but with Lee at the helm, it also resembles The Ice Storm, as it showed the ripple effects of a singular event over a number of people. As always, Lee's work with actors is unparalleled, as he elicits graceful, nuanced performances from Michelle Williams and Anne Hathaway as the wives affected overtly and subliminally by their husbands' affair, and Gyllenhaal brings surprising dimensions to a character that could have easily just been a puppy dog of a boy. It's Ledger, however, who's the breakthrough in the film, and his portrait of an emotionally repressed man both undone and liberated by his feelings is mesmerizing and devastating. Spare in style but rich with emotion, Brokeback Mountain earns its place as a classic modern love story. --Mark Englehart
Brokeback Mountain Reviews:
A definite Collector's Item 
2008-09-01 - If you are a fan of the late actor Heath Ledger, this 2-discs Brokeback Mountain DVD is definitely a collector's item. It comes with a bonus DVD fills with special features with interviews with the cast, crews, and the director, Ang Lee (in my opinion, one of the best directors). You will get to learn/know more about the film and the challenges they encountered to bring this excellent film into reality. Also, there are eight high quality postcards (with still images from the movie)included in this purchase. All in all, a worthwhile purchase and a great way to remember one of the greatest & most talented actors ever lived, Heath Ledger!!!
you want to talk about great acting?
2008-08-30 - A couple years ago I was staying with family that has digital cable. Let me digress: Ever read _Amusing Ourselves to Death: Public Discourse in the Age of Show Business_by Neil Postman? It's worth checking out. Anyway, I was hanging around the house a lot and this movie was playing on the HBO channels. At first I wasn't too interested to be honest. You know, seemed it might be a liberal Hollywood "message movie" and the subject matter didn't particularly appeal me. Plus there was so much buzz around it cause it's the "gay cowboy movie" and people are retarded and trip, in large part because of entertainment industry TV shows and magazines that are mainly responsible for generating publicity. But I started catching parts of it when I was hanging out channel surfing and ended up seeing the whole thing. ANYWAY, this is a very good movie, plain and simple.
The motivation for writting an Amazon review for BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN is Heath Ledger's performance. Seeing him in that role it was clear to me at the time that Ledger was going to be one of his generation's finest actors. I've heard from fan boys a million times over how awesome Ledger's performance as The Joker is - and it really is an amazing performance and I completely agree. However, long before ever seeing THE DARK KNIGHT I knew Heath Ledger was going to be a super-star. I knew well before ever even seeing a clip of him as The Joker he was going to be great as The Joker solely based on his performance in this film and that THE DARK KNIGHT would make him a star.
I'd also add that BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN is a much better pictire than CRASH which won for "Best Picture" that year. Ang Lee is a truly great drama film director. ICE STORM and RIDE WITH THE DEVIL are also great and unique films.
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"Ledger's magnificent performance is an acting miracle. He seems to tear it from his insides. Ledger doesn't just know how Ennis moves, speaks and listens; he knows how he breathes. To see him inhale the scent of a shirt hanging in Jack's closet is to take measure of the pain of love lost.
Rare is the performance that can honestly be called a "revelation," but that's what it felt like to watch Heath Ledger in "Brokeback Mountain." Not only did he bring iconic life and nuance to the existential loneliness of Ennis Del Mar, a taciturn but complex (and conflicted) character, but for such mature work to spring from the teen-idol star of "10 Things I Hate About You" and "A Knight's Tale" was... well, revelatory itself -- the astonishing revelation of a suddenly, fully developed actor whose juvenile efforts scarcely hinted he'd be capable of such moving depth and clarity. Ledger emerged as if from a cocoon, gleaming with promise and flexing his wings.
Only two years after he received his first Oscar nomination for this iconic, star-making performance, it seems unthinkable that we should be mourning his death, at the age of 28...."
-- outstanding film critic Jim Emerson.
Couldn't say it better.
Brokeback Mountain 
2008-08-24 - Didn't care much for the movie. I think that the only thing that I enjoyed watching was the backgound settings. There was no "chemistry" as they say where Heath Ledger was concern. At times he looked like he was really uncomfortable with the role. Like you could tell that he wasn't really gay. Jake on the other hand, was really into the character role. Overall, I didn't like the entire movie. I was expecting more.
Boring 
2008-08-23 - I caught this on TV and found it kind of a boring cycle of hurt and comfort with a predictable ending. It just can't do justice to the Annie Proulx story. I actually didn't finish watching it. You could probably read the story in the same amount of time.
open your mind and your heart...
2008-08-12 - and you will be deeply touched. I just rented this movie and am so glad I finally did. It is one of the most toching, raw and honest love stories I have ever seen...and it will stay with you long after the movie is over. This has easily become one of my new favorite movies. The acting is done so well...that you feel like you are there with them...going through all they are experiencing. Love doesn't know gender, age or race. I would say to watch this film more than once, because there can be so much you didn't catch the first time you see it. It took my breath away. This is love in it's purest form...consumming, inconvenient, crazy...can't live without each other love.
