The following letter was written by Diana Ossana in
response to “It’s
Very Brave of Them,” an
Advocate.com exclusive commentary by regular
contributor Karel. Ossana, who granted Advocate.com
permission to reprint her letter unedited and in
its entirety, cowrote the screenplay for
Brokeback Mountain with her writing partner, Larry McMurtry.
Dear Karel,
Your article
regarding fear in moviemaking is cogent, timely, relevant,
and impassioned. It is an honest journalistic piece and
extremely well-written. As the cowriter of the
screenplay and a producer on the film Brokeback
Mountain, I hope my responses might serve to restore some
of your faith in the creative process of screenwriting and
filmmaking.
I read Annie
Proulx’s short story in October 1997 when it appeared
in The New Yorker magazine. I was deeply moved by
her telling of a doomed love between two unremarkable men,
young ranch hands in 1963 Wyoming. Larry McMurtry and
I acted immediately to option the short story with our
own money, and I felt exhilarated at the opportunity
to be actively involved with getting Brokeback
Mountain out into the world in a major, major way
from the very beginning. Never once did fear enter my
mind, not until nearly a year after the screenplay was
finished and young Matthew Shepard was found not five
minutes from my daughter’s apartment in
Laramie, Wyo. (She was attending the university there on a
basketball scholarship. My fear then was for the
safety of my child.) But we remained determined to get
our screenplay made into a fine and honest film.
A close friend of
mine said to me once that people are mainly motivated
by two emotions: fear and love. Brokeback Mountain
was not a labor of love for most of us; it was a labor
of great passion and belief.
Karel: Bravery?
No. When I look at Brokeback Mountain all I see is
fear. In the story, I see the fear of two obviously gay
people too afraid to actually commit to their love, so
they run off and marry women and live a life
unfulfilled out of fear.
Ennis and Jack
may be obviously gay to the reader/viewer, but in 1963 and
even beyond, gays within the working classes barely had a
context within which to operate, let alone identify
themselves. The character of Jack is much more open to
his sexuality and to the possibilities of life than
Ennis, and has little fear. Ennis, on the other hand, comes
from a place of deep homophobia--not unlike some gays
today, sadly enough.
I see the fear in
two major stars of actually admitting they played gay,
as they downplay in the press their characters’
sexuality.
Heath Ledger
actively pursued the role of Ennis once he read the script.
The script itself, and we feel the film too, are unabashed
and straightforward regarding the sex and affection
between these two men.
I see the fear of
movie studios too afraid to make the movie with Gus Van
Sant years ago.
Columbia Studios
and Scott Rudin came on board as soon as Gus Van Sant
committed to direct. Once their options ran, however, it was
extremely difficult to find funding for our
screenplay/film. However, we would not have
compromised our screenplay by removing or altering integral
scenes in the story line.
I see the fear of
countless Hollywood actors who wouldn’t take the
parts.
It is our strong
belief that the actors who read our screenplay and
ultimately did not take the parts were dissuaded by their
various representatives, in the mistaken belief that
it would be "career suicide" to take on the roles. As
we’ve said before, Heath Ledger actively
pursued his role. Even after Heath and Jake committed to
their roles, rumors floated around Hollywood,
triggered by noncreative types, that they were
committing "career suicide," which is eye-rolling
ridiculous.
I see the fear of
a still-homophobic corporate press, which grabs onto
the stars’ sexuality instead of the script’s
quality. A press that gives these stars an outlet to
gauge their "comfort level" with playing these roles.
A press that throws around words like bravery and courage
when referring to pampered stars playing well-scripted
roles.
I agree with you
regarding much of the press; however, none of us were
"pampered" on the set of Brokeback. This was a
low-budget film. We worked 16-hour days, often seven
days a week, while in production. More than 80% of our
story takes place outside, and the weather in Alberta
tends to the extreme year-round. The reason Ang Lee
and the actors came on board this project had very much to
do with the quality and potency of our screenplay. It
would be refreshing if the media knew and actually
printed that.
I see the fear in
filmmakers like Lee who make "gay" movies without the
"gay," meaning gay people are deluged with images of
heterosexual lovemaking everywhere, but should a gay couple
show it on-screen—oh, no, we must hide the sex.
None of
us—including the actors—ever expressed fear
regarding the sex in our screenplay/film. We all felt
it was integral to telling our story and felt it was
very straightforward and honest in its portrayal of these
men and their passion for one another.
I see the fear of
the critics, who say things like New York Daily
News critic Jack Mathews did when he predicted that it
may be “too much for red-state audiences, but
it gives the liberal-leaning Academy a great chance to
stick its thumb in conservatives’ eyes.”
Red state/blue
state—people are people. People between the coasts
are a lot more intelligent and compassionate than the
media give them credit for.
Yes, I see a lot
of fear around Brokeback Mountain.
Heath was asked
by an interviewer recently if he felt brave taking on the
role of Ennis. He replied, "Brave? Firefighters and
policemen are brave. I’m just an actor, getting
paid to act. I feel lucky to be involved with this
project.”
Karel, we never
once felt fear regarding the subject matter of our
screenplay. What we feared was the possibility of losing the
essence of our landscape and our dialogue, and of
watering down the unsentimental nature of our script.
When anyone sets out on a creative endeavor of any
kind, they run the risk of failure. That’s what makes
“creating” challenging and
exciting—because the euphoria of success is so
potent.
I, for one, never
doubted the power of Annie Proulx’s story or our
screenplay. That is why we optioned the short story with our
own money and why Larry and I have been relentless in
getting it up on-screen. That is why I am a producer
on the film, and that is why we have insisted upon
getting it made in an honest and truthful manner.
Thank you, Karel,
for your thoughtful consideration of Brokeback
Mountain. We hope you see—and are moved—by
our little film.
All best,
Diana Ossana
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