After great
anticipation, I have finally seen "Brokeback
Mountain". While the story is undeniably beautiful, the
cinematography sumptuous, and the acting excellent -- this
movie hardly deserves it's claim to the hype that it
is a "ground-breaking" movie. After all, this is
2005/2006 and gays in Canada and elsewhere have been
marrying for some time now. Considering our "gay history" of
the last 25 to 35 years, this movie should be seen as what
it really is -- colossally disappointing!
1976, early
October -- the International Gay Rodeo Association (IGRA)
holds the first gay rodeo in Reno. 1981 -- Vito Russo first
publishes "The Celluloid Closet", a "must read". 1982
-- "Making Love" with Harry Hamlin and Michael Ontkean
is released. (For those who may have missed this
movie, here is a synopsis of the story. A handsome
young doctor (Michael Ontkean) discovers his preference
for men during a passionate affair with a handsome young
writer (Harry Hamlin). The doctor leaves and divorces
his wife (Kate Jackson), and at the end of the movie
is living "happily ever after" in New York with his
new love, a lawyer.) Released 25 years ago, this is a TRULY
ground breaking movie, and a "must see". 1990 -- "Longtime
Companion" with Stephen Caffrey, Dermot Mulroney, and
Campbell Scott is released. 1993 -- "Philadelphia"
with Tom Hanks and Antonio Banderas is released. 1995
-- "The Celluloid Closet" is released as a documentary
film, another "must see".
Nearly 25 years
after "Making Love", a movie about the love between
two men (one or both of them married) hardly breaks new
ground. Nearly 25 years after "Making Love", a
"gay-themed" movie starring two good-looking actors at
the beginnings of their careers hardly breaks new
ground. Nearly 30 years after the establishment of the
International Gay Rodeo Association, a movie about gay
cowboys hardly breaks new ground. So I must ask, what
"new ground" has been broken? "Brokeback Mountain"
begins in the early 1960's and runs through into the
1980's. By the 1980's (let alone today in 2005/2006), it
should no longer be necessary to separate the lovers and
have one of them beaten to death. Yet this is a common
device required by Hollywood in order to get a
"gay-themed" movie made and distributed, which Vito
Russo pointed out in his book "The Celluloid Closet" 25
years ago. Also, "they" awarded the writer a Pulitzer Prize
for separating the lovers and having one of them
beaten to death in her short story.
Considering the
number of gays in Hollywood, the number of gays in
positions of power and influence there, and our history over
the last 35 years, I come to only two conclusions.
First, the last truly ground breaking gay-themed movie
was "Making Love" released in 1982, 25 years ago.
Second, "Brokeback Mountain" is good, but not ground
breaking. Thanks for taking the time to read my rant.