Brokeback Mountain is a 2005 American romantic drama film directed by Ang Lee and produced by Diana Ossana and James Schamus. Adapted from the 1997 short story by Annie Proulx, the screenplay was written by Ossana and Larry McMurtry. The film stars Heath Ledger, Jake Gyllenhaal, Anne Hathaway, and Michelle Williams. Its plot depicts the complex romantic relationship between two American cowboys, Ennis Del Mar and Jack Twist, in the American West from 1963 to 1983.
Lee became attached to the project in 2001 after previous attempts to adapt Proulx's story into a film did not materialize. Focus Features and River Road Entertainment would jointly produce and distribute the film. After Ledger and Gyllenhaal's casting was announced in 2003, filming commenced in various locations in Alberta in 2004. Brokeback Mountain premiered at the 2005 Venice International Film Festival, where it won the Golden Lion, and was released to theaters on December 9 that year.
The neo-Western film received widespread critical acclaim, with high praise for the performances of Ledger and Gyllenhaal. It emerged as a commercial success at the box-office, grossing over $178 million worldwide against its $14 million budget, and won various accolades. At the 78th Academy Awards, Brokeback Mountain was nominated for Best Picture and won for Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay, and Original Score. It garnered seven nominations at the 63rd Golden Globe Awards, winning Best Motion Picture — Drama, Best Director, Best Screenplay and Best Song. At the 59th British Academy Film Awards, Brokeback Mountain had nine nominations, winning Best Film, Best Direction, Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Supporting Actor (Gyllenhaal). It was the film that topped the best of the year lists.
Brokeback Mountain was subject to controversies; its loss to Crash (2004) for the Academy Award for Best Picture, subsequent censorship, and criticism from conservative media outlets received significant attention. The sexuality of the main characters has been subject to discussion. In 2018, the film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant". It was listed on the ballot for the American Film Institute's list of AFI's 100 Years...100 Movies (10th Anniversary Edition). Since then, it has been ranked by several publications, film critics and scholars as one of the best films of the 2000s, the 21st century and of all time.
Plot
In Wyoming in 1963, Ennis Del Mar and Jack Twist are hired by the rancher Joe Aguirre to herd his sheep during the summer on Brokeback Mountain. Ennis and Jack gradually become close friends, and then have a sexual encounter after a night of drinking. At first they agree it was a one-time event, but they soon develop a long-term sexual and romantic relationship. At one point, Aguirre secretly observes them having an intimate moment. When their contract is cut short in August, Ennis and Jack have a brawl before parting ways.
Ennis marries his longtime fiancée Alma Beers and they have two daughters. When Jack seeks work the following summer, Aguirre refuses him based on his relationship with Ennis. Jack then moves to Texas and meets the rodeo rider Lureen Newsome, the daughter of a wealthy businessman. They marry and have a son. After four years apart, Jack visits Ennis and they kiss, unaware that a stunned Alma is watching. Jack says he wants to create a life with Ennis, but Ennis refuses to abandon his family. Ennis is also haunted by a childhood memory of his father showing him the body of a man who was tortured and killed for suspected homosexuality.
Ennis and Jack meet occasionally for trysts while their respective marriages deteriorate. Lureen abandons the rodeo and goes into business with her father, with Jack working in sales. Lureen's father dislikes Jack and belittles him in front of his family. After Ennis and Alma divorce in 1975, Jack drives to Wyoming and tells Ennis that they should live together, but Ennis refuses to move away from his children. Upset, Jack seeks solace with male prostitutes in Mexico.
Alma takes custody of her and Ennis' children and marries the manager of the grocery store where she works. When Ennis is invited to Thanksgiving dinner with Alma and her new husband, Alma confronts Ennis about Jack. Ennis spars with Alma and then cuts off contact with her. Afterwards, Ennis has a brief romantic relationship with a waitress. Ennis and Jack go on a trip together, but Ennis says he cannot see Jack again for months due to work demands. The pair argue about their relationship, before Jack embraces a crying Ennis.
A postcard Ennis sends to Jack is returned, stamped with, "Deceased". Ennis calls Jack's phone number and Lureen answers; she tells him that Jack died when a car tire exploded in his face. Ennis envisions a group of men beating Jack to death with a tire iron. Lureen says Jack requested that his ashes be scattered on Brokeback Mountain. Ennis visits Jack's parents, hoping to carry out his wish. However, Jack's father declares that Jack's ashes will be interred in the family plot. Jack's mother allows Ennis to visit Jack's old bedroom. Ennis weeps while holding one of Jack's shirts, which Jack's mother allows him to keep.
Years later, an aging Ennis lives alone in a trailer. His adult daughter visits him and invites him to her wedding; Ennis hesitates, but then agrees to attend. His daughter forgets her jacket, and Ennis hangs it in the closet with Jack's shirt. Tacked to the closet door is a postcard of Brokeback Mountain. With tears in his eyes, Ennis stares at the mementos and says, "Jack, I swear..."
Cast
Production
Development
Screenwriter Diana Ossana discovered Annie Proulx's short story, Brokeback Mountain, in October 1997, just days after its publication. She convinced writing partner Larry McMurtry to read it; he thought it was a "masterpiece". The pair asked Proulx if they could adapt it into a film screenplay; although she did not think that the story would work as a film, she agreed. In a 1999 interview with The Missouri Review, Proulx praised their screenplay. Ossana said that convincing a director and production company to make the film was a challenging and nonstop process. Gus Van Sant attempted to make the film, hoping to cast Matt Damon and Joaquin Phoenix as Ennis and Jack, respectively. He also considered Leonardo DiCaprio, Brad Pitt and Ryan Phillippe. Josh Hartnett was originally attached to the film but dropped out due to scheduling conflicts with The Black Dahlia. Damon, who previously worked with Van Sant on Good Will Hunting, told the director, "Gus, I did a gay movie (The Talented Mr. Ripley), then a cowboy movie (All the Pretty Horses). I can't follow it up with a gay-cowboy movie!" Van Sant assessed that most of the stars he approached were uncomfortable with the homosexual material.Gus Van Sant on Returning to Film Directing With 'Dead Man's Wire' and the Steamy Audition Tape That Cost Him 'Fifty Shades of Grey' Due to the casting struggles, Van Sant went on to make the 2008 biographical film Milk, based on the life of gay rights activist and politician Harvey Milk. According to Ossana, Edward Norton, Joel Schumacher and dozens of others were approached to direct: "They all came back saying they loved it but no one would commit."
Focus Features CEO James Schamus optioned the film rights in 2001, but thought it was a risky project. Pedro Almodóvar was initially offered the opportunity to direct, but turned it down, citing concerns about artistic freedom. At Ossana's request, Schamus showed the story and screenplay to director Ang Lee. Lee decided to make Hulk instead; his experience of Hulk, and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon from two years prior left him exhausted. In 2003, he considered retirement but Brokeback Mountain came back to his mind and tempted him back into filmmaking. Lee attempted to get the film made as an independent producer. However, this did not work out, and before Lee would take a break after finishing Hulk, he contacted Schamus about Brokeback Mountain. Schamus thought Brokeback Mountain embraced the American West without being a traditional Western, and told Lee that he should consider directing it. Lee said, "Towards the end [of the script] ... I got tears in my eyes". He was particularly drawn to the authentic rural American life and repression depicted in the story. Bill Pohlad of River Road Entertainment, who had a two-year partnership with Focus Features, helped finance the film.
Casting Casting director Avy Kaufman said Lee was very decisive about the actors for the lead roles. In 2003, screenwriters Ossana and McMurty suggested Heath Ledger (after being impressed by his performance in Monster's Ball), but the film studio thought he was not masculine enough. Regardless, Kaufman sent the script to Ledger, who thought it was "beautiful" and put himself forward. Gyllenhaal reacted to the script positively and signed on for the role; he also did not want to miss the opportunity to work with Lee and friend Ledger. Lee met with Mark Wahlberg for a role in the film, but Wahlberg declined as he was "creeped out" by the script. Gyllenhaal admired Ledger and described him as "way beyond his years as a human". Other actors were considered for the leads but Lee and Gyllenhaal said they were too afraid to take on the roles.
From the beginning, Ledger wanted to portray Ennis and not Jack. He opined that Ennis was more complex; a masculine and homophobic character. Ledger said, "The lack of words he [Ennis] had to express himself, his inability to love", made the role enjoyable. Ledger, who grew up around horses, researched his character's personal traits, and learned to speak in Wyoming and Texas accents. Lee gave Ledger and Gyllenhaal books about cowboys who were gay or shared similar experiences as the characters depicted in Proulx's story. Gyllenhaal later said:
Lee interviewed between 20 and 30 actresses for the roles of Alma and Lureen. Michelle Williams was one of the first to audition for the role of Alma, and Lee thought she was perfect for the part. Anne Hathaway, who was filming The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement at the time, showed up to the audition during her lunch break. She was wearing a ball gown and hairpiece "that was way over the top", but she still felt focused for the audition. At first, Lee did not think she was an obvious choice, but he was convinced with her audition and cast her as Lureen. Hathaway lied to Lee about her knowledge of horse riding in order to be cast. She took lessons for two months to prepare.Logo Movie Special: "Brokeback Mountain" 2005, TV Movie, Logo, (Interviews with Cast and Crew) December 5
Lee was happy with Ledger and Gyllenhaal portraying Ennis and Jack, respectively, because he thought their "young innocence" will help carry a love story until the end. Lee added, "I think these two are among the best in their age group [...] Jake plays the opposite of Heath and it creates a very good couple in terms of a romantic love story. The chemistry, I think, is great." Once all four leads were cast, Lee remembered being impressed with their maturity despite their young age; "It really scared me how good they were".
Filming