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List Price: $14.98 | | Label: Universal
Salesrank: 6490
Released: April 4, 2006 |
| Our Price: $3.57 |
| Used Price: $1.92 |
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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).
Description of Brokeback Mountain (Full Screen 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 (Full Screen Edition) Reviews:
I fell for it, too 
2008-09-28 - Ok, gay cowboys. I'd heard all the jokes. Still, this one is as good as you've heard. Sure, it gets a little icky here and there. And Jake really does look a little gay. I could barely understand Heath Ledger's cowboy accent, filtered through Aussie. Yet, the story is compelling, and the female stars as the wives are very good, indeed. Watch it. You won't be sorry.
Handsome Actors Does Not Create History 
2008-09-21 - I WONDER IF ENNIS & JACK WERE PLAYED BY GENE WILDER & WOODY ALLEN WOULD THESE REVIEWERS OPINIONS ABOUT HOW HISTORICALLY RELEVENT BROKEBACK MOUNTIAN REALLY IS STILL BE IMPORTANT TO THEM?
ARE THEY DEFENDING BBM SO WE CAN GET SOME MORE HANDSOME CRUMBS FROM THE HOLLYWOOD TABLE?
SICK AS THAT MAY SOUND, ISN'T THAT WHAT HOLLYWOOD HAS ALWAYS DONE?
LET'S FACE IT, DEATH SELLS, AND GAY DEATH SELLS EVEN MORE.
BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN IS A FORMULA FILM. TAKE 2 GORGEOUS ACTORS, PUT THEM BACK IN TIME FOR JUSTIFICATION, ADD TERRIFIC SCENERY, STIR IN SOME WILD GAY LOVEMAKING, KILL ONE OFF FOR THE GAY GUILT SYNDROME AND WHAT DO YOU HAVE? ANOTHER DESCRIPTIVE HORRIFIC MOVIE OF THE MURDER OF A GAY MAN.
SALES WERE GREAT!
THOSE OF US WHO SAW THROUGH THE CELULOID PACKAGING OF BBM WERE JUST CRUSHED TO SEE ANOTHER GENERATION FALLING FOR THE SAME OLD GUILT GAME.
Breaking My Spirit Mountain
2008-09-20 - It is with great reluctance that I write this review. I have waiting and soul searching long and hard to find the appopriate words to fit. I anticipated this movie with great enthusiasm as it was heralded as the next best thing since the wheel all over hollywood. When the reviews came in I was pushed even further in my reverie. Then came the nominations, and I was certain this was 'the one.' I was sadly incorrect in my assumption. This picture is well acted and the cinematography is breath taking. However, it is only a reminder that gay people never get a happy ending in hollywood and even has the nerve to go way beyond that. (Tip: If you have not seen this picture stop reading now as I will reveal the ending.) Ang Lee is a very creative director and Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal are both extremely good actors. Let me get that out of the way right now. There is a line in a movie called "The Boys In The Band" that states 'not all faggots get bumped off at the end of the story.' Unfortunately that is not the case here. Although this is my opinion, the money spent on this disaster could very well have been put to better use. There is no reason whatsoever the lead character has to be brutally murdered in such a violent fasion. Nor was there a reason the scene had to be so long and graphic! There is an entire generation of young people that left the theater or removed this DVD from their home systems thinking this was status quo. That gay people DO always get killed violently, or worse, deserve it. It saddens my heart to think that somewhere a teenager who does not know any better has begun to beleive it! I realize this picture is depicting an era of time where things like this actually did happen. We have, however, come a long way since then and opinions have changed dramatically. We are no longer categorized as sick twisted individuals who must come to a brutal violent ending. There was a simple fix to this: Jakes character could easily have moved to another state and the two men just not see each other anymore. Not in Hollywood dear. It seems the powers that be insisted on the murder, and that is what you are left with. What a tragedy. I lived through the violent years of being gay myself, and am very proud of the struggles and progress we have made. This picture has thrown the gay rights movement back thirty years. The reason I am writing this review is because many people beleive what they read or see or hear. It is with my sincerest hope that this may help someone realize.....it isn't always like it happens in plays or in this case a hollywood movie. There is more to life. I have since thrown out my DVD and the book for fear if I donate it to a library or sell it, it would do more harm than good. Perhaps someday Hollywood will get this right......It just wasn't with this one.
True Lies 
2008-09-18 - I had a feeling I wasn't going to like this movie. I loved the cinematography and I thought Heath Ledger's performance was the most genuine, believable and less restrained out of the two. Jake Gyeggenhal's performance seemed rehearsed and not from the heart. It was the first time I noticed Heath Ledger was a very soulful person, I could tell by his performance. The problem I had with the movie is the characters. They both led double lives and were I'm assuming, "bisexual". I live the gay lifestyle and let me tell you there is nothing worse than a man trying to come off as straight when he is totally gay, especially "cowboys"! They knew what they really wanted, yet they deceived woman in the process and had kids no less. I'm sorry but in my book, that's called BEING PHONY, and is also counter-productive for the gay community. I don't care where they lived or what time this story took place in (the early 60's). They could have moved to New York or West Hollywood, they had resources back then. Don't tell me they didn't know anything about it, that's why the Jack character went all the way down to Mexico to get it. He knew where to get it. It's these type of people who ruin it for REAL homosexuals. they give us a bad name and they confuse everybody in the process. It would have been better if Jack was the true homosexual instead of making them both bisexual. I liked the story of "Boy's Don't Cry" better. At least Hillary Swank's character knew what she wanted and went to no lenths to become a boy to avoid all this confusion and blurred lines of sexuality. In my own oppinion, it's these white cowboys who need to stop playing games and represent. Confused individuals are ironically back in the closet again and it's time for another generation to learn AGAIN how to love themselves and live their authentic lives. It can be no other way. The consequences of deceiving people about your lifestyle have great reprocussions later on in life as this movie demonstrates. Gay people need to be proud of who they are.
one of my favorites 
2008-09-16 - this is by far one of my favorite movies of all time. truly one of the most beautifully haunting love stories ever brought to the screen. usually i hate cheesy romances and love stories, but this is nothing of the sort- the actors do a superb job of capturing the conflicting emotions of being in love with someone that society deems unnatural or a crime, and the heart-wrenching angst that they feel is beautifully conveyed through their actions and expressions. i would highly recommend this film to anyone- i can watch it over and over and every time it makes me cry thinking about a) how difficult it was to be a gay man in a small town back in the 60s and how many people suffered because of that, and b) sadly how this is still true for many individuals growing up in closed-minded or strictly religious communities
