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List Price: $14.98 | | Label: Universal
Salesrank: 1626
Released: April 4, 2006 |
| Our Price: $4.96 |
| Used Price: $2.99 |
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MPAA Rating: NC-17
Media: DVD |
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Editorial Review:
Brokeback Mountain is a sweeping epic that explores the lives of two young men a ranch hand and a rodeo cowboy who meet in the summer of 1963 and unexpectedly forge a lifelong connection. The complications joys and heartbreak they experience provide a testament to the endurance and power of love. Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal deliver emotionally charged remarkably moving performances in "a movie that is destined to become one of the great classics of our time" (Clay Smith The Insider).Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: DRAMA Rating: R UPC: 025192631528 Manufacturer No: 26315
Description of Brokeback Mountain (Widescreen Edition):
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 (Widescreen Edition) Reviews:
interesting subject but I thought it dragged 
2008-07-05 - The main thing I didn't understand was if these two guys really wanted to be together, why didn't they move someplace where they could be accepted? There have been many cities that accepted gays. NY, SF, New O., Chicago, and most major cites in the north. Why not go there? If they they were gay why did they marry women? None of this made sense to me. I remember the 60's and there were gay people who were out, and nobody cared. I don't think the movie was a true perspective of gay life when these 2 guys got together. It wasn't until the 80's and HIV came along that homosexuality became a big scare, and with good reason. But back in the 60s and 70's gays were accepted in many cities.
If they wanted to ride around in the mountains, and get married, then they made their choices. Nobody can have it all.
Cowboys in Love 
2008-06-26 - Mr. Lee has directed a romantic masterpiece for the 21st century with the magnificent Brokeback Mountain, creating an instant classic. A story that could possibly shock due to the two men looking and behaving as typical family men involved with women and children. The perfectly cast leads not only excel in their acting but capture the essence of the intensely passionate relationship that seemingly develops out of the blue between two handsome,masculine,rugged cowboys hired to manage a flock of sheep in a spectacularly majestic mountain setting. An environment so outrageously romantic and isolated that it's impossible to imagine resisting any kind of attraction from occuring...between any two human beings.
This beautifully handled film allows anyone who watches it to identify with the emotions of erotic attraction,electric passion, tender romance,internal conflict,dramatic tragedy and life changing loss that are a big part of the human experience. The elegant, leisurely pace and classic-mythic-cinematography heightens the gut-wrenching story as it unfolds.A stunning achievement in all catagories that sets a new standard for cinematic love-story-telling for the 21st century. A classic love between opposites that anyone can relate to and identify with ,opposites not in gender, but in personality and spirit. One cowboy is the optimistic extrovert who wants it all with his man by his side and the cowboy he falls for, is the emotionally tortured intovert....who owns the film from his first shot. Mr.Gyllenhaal and Mr.Ledger's on-screen couple has become a modern legend. It'll be a long time before anyone will be able to out do this work by a pair of intelligent, brave, extremely secure and gifted actors at the peak of their craft....who really understood and felt the characters and the difficulty of this very complicated, highly emotional situation. How fantastically refreshing to see homosexual desire portrayed by two very believably masculine young men with absolutely no trace of any theatrical, selfconcious, Will & Jack style-"gay" mannerisms. And in doing so, showing the world that there are plenty of "regular" men discreetly enjoying the "power of love/lust" privately with each other right under everyone's noses! Wishing Mr. Ledger's soul peace and love...he left us with a piece of work that will hopefully inspire people to seek inner happiness by bravely facing one's inner, deeper truth. An important film for women to see to help them better understand those men who were never able to fully commit to them.
Good Acting BUT
2008-06-26 - This movie deserves the 3 academy awards for its excellent acting ... but because I knew in advance that both main actors where hetero I was not drawn into the plot. I even good bore.
Sure, it's a good thing that this movie was made, if only to bring forth the fact, that gay people are not "freaks of nature" or "abomination from hell" as repeatedly told to us by the conservative righteous holier-than-thou evangelists.
I much preferred "SOLDIER'S GIRL" which is an extremely moving "true" story that shows the drastic impact and consequences, when we are dealing with hatred, bigotry, ignorance, homo-odium and intolerance.
Oprah was RIGHT! 
2008-06-18 - I ordered this movie as soon as Oprah talked about it on her show. This movie truly tugs at your heart! The lead actors were amazing in this movie and lived their characters.
A great love story!
Merna
A five star rating, however..............
2008-06-16 - Brokeback has its share of issues.
Is it just me or is everyone sick of seeing dysfunctional gay characters?
The movie was brilliant don't get me wrong.
Brilliantly directed, superbly acted, I can't watch it without shedding a few tears.
And that is my biggest complaint. Why can't there be a happy movie involving two gay characters that doesn't make fun of us by making the characters stereotypes?
How bout a gay cowboy movie where the cowboys fall in love and ride off into the sunset without any of the drama?
As a gay man I'm tired of the HIV movies (Philadelphia) even though they're important to educate the ignorant public.
The gay comedies that make us look stupid.
Or even Brokeback that just makes us look dysfunctional.
If you haven't seen Brokeback, by all means go rent or buy it.
I'd just like to see a little more variety in gay cinema instead of the same old, same old from Hollywood.
