Brokeback Mountain [WS]

Director: Ang Lee Ang Lee

Overview

Ang Lee's adaptation of E. Annie Proulx's story Brokeback Mountain stars Jake Gyllenhaal and Heath Ledger as young cowboys named Jack Twist and Ennis Del Mar. Each of them is hired to corral sheep on the title location and they soon bond very closely. Their platonic relationship explodes into a physical one, but eventually the two are separated when their job comes to an end. Although the two follow different life paths -- one becoming a father of two and the other marrying into a successful business -- they have a reunion years later. Each is affected profoundly by the rekindling of their old feelings for each other. Those feelings lead each to consider what continuing their hidden relationship would cost them. The screenplay was written by Pulitzer Prize-winning author Larry McMurtry and Diana Ossana.

Product Details

Release Date:	04/04/2006
UPC:	0025192631528
Original Release:	2005
Rating:	R
Source:	STUDIO DISTRIBUTION SERVS LLC
Region Code:	1
Sound:	[Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround]
Language:	English
Time:	2:15:00
Sales rank:	29,980

Special Features

Directing from the heart: Ang Lee; Sharing the story: the making of Brokeback Mountain; From script to screen: interviews with Larry McMurtry & Diana Ossana; And more!

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Heath Ledger	Ennis Del Mar
Jake Gyllenhaal	Jack Twist
Randy Quaid	Joe Aguirre
Valerie Planche	Waitress
Dave Trimble	Basque(as David Trimble),Basque
Victor Reyes	Chilean Sheepherder #1
Lachlan Mackintosh	Chilean Sheepherder #2
Larry Reese	Jolly Minister
Marty Antonini	Timmy
Tom Carey	Rodeo Clown
Don Bland	Biker #1
Steven Cree Molison	Biker #2
Anne Hathaway	Lureen Newsome
Duval Lang	Announcer
Dean Barrett	Bartender #2
Hannah Stewart	Alma Jr., Age 3
Scott Michael Campbell	Monroe
Mary Liboiron	Fayette Newsome
Graham Beckel	L.D. Newsome
Kade Philps	Ennis, Age 9
Michelle Williams	Alma
Linda Cardellini	Cassie
Kate Mara	Alma Jr. Age 19
Anna Faris	Lashawn Malone
Dan McDougall	Bartender 1
Steffen Cole Moster	K.E. Del Mar, Age 11
Brooklynn Proulx	Jenny, Age 4
Keanna Dubé	Alma Jr. Age 5
James Baker	Farmer
Pete Seadon	Farmer
Sarah Hyslop	Alma Jr. Age 9-12
Jacey Kenny	Jenny, Age 7-8
Jerry Callaghan	Judge
Cayla Wolever	Jenny, Age 11
Cheyenne Hill	Alma Jr. Age 13
Jake Church	Bobby, Age 10
Ken Zilka	Roughneck
John Tench	Roughneck
David Harbour	Randall Monroe
Will Martin	Carl
Gary Lauder	Killer Mechanic
Christian Fraser	Grease Monkey
Cam A. Sutherland	Assailant
Roberta Maxwell	Jack's Mother
Peter McRobbie	John Twist
Chyanne Hodgson	Barrel Racer
David Leader	Bull Fighter
Jory Vine	Bull Fighter
Mark Van Tienhoven	Bull Fighter
Greg Schlosser	Bull Rider
Dwayne Wiley	Bull Rider
Shane Pollitt	Bull Dogger 1
T.J. Bews	Rodeo Hazer
Lynn Ivall	Rodeo Hazer
Richard Emerson	Conductor
Gustavo Santaolalla	Composer
Gustavo Santaolaya	Composer

Technical Credits

Larry McMurtry

Diana Ossana

Ang Lee	Director
Michael Costigan	Executive Producer
Tom Cox	Executive Producer
Michael Hausman	Executive Producer
Larry McMurtry	Executive Producer,Screenwriter
Murray Ord	Executive Producer
Bill Pohlad	Executive Producer
Diana Ossana	Producer,Screenwriter
James Schamus	Producer
Trish Robinson	Casting
Alberta Film Entertainment	Executive Producer
Deb Green	Casting
Avy Kaufman	Casting
Drew Kunin	Sound/Sound Designer

Editorial Reviews

For all the fuss whipped up by the media about this "gay cowboy movie," the fact is, Brokeback Mountain is nothing more or less than a star-crossed romance -- a romance that just happens to involve two men. Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal play young cowboys Ennis and Jack, who meet in the summer of 1963 while tending sheep in a remote Wyoming mountain range. Their initially awkward relationship blossoms into a torrid physical affair, and while the job comes to an end, their romance perseveres. Both men marry and raise families, but at periodic intervals over the next 20 years they slip away to join each other in fleeting attempts to recapture the bliss they felt all those years ago on Brokeback Mountain. The basis of this yarn is Annie Proulx's wistful short story, which has been brilliantly adapted by screenwriters Larry McMurtry and Diana Ossana and translated to celluloid with unusual sensitivity by director Ang Lee (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon), who won this year's Best Director Oscar for his marvelous work. Contrary to the hoopla generated by the film's attackers and defenders alike, Brokeback is neither a deconstruction of the "macho cowboy" myth nor an endorsement of the gay lifestyle. It does dwell on the secret sorrow that all too often accompanies closeted same-sex romances, and it doesn't shy away from depicting the damage done to the lovers' families. Michelle Williams, Ledger's real-life significant other, delivers a tightly controlled, heartbreakingly poignant portrayal as Ennis's wife, who is devastated by her accidental discovery of her husband's secret love life. Anne Hathaway is nearly as good as the pampered, willful daddy's girl who marries down-and-out rodeo rider Jack and takes him into the family business. In fact, there isn't a weak performance in the film, and even such supporting players as Randy Quaid and Anna Faris make significant contributions in their limited screen time. An insightful drama that never descends to the tawdry or sensational, Brokeback Mountain richly deserves the plaudits it has received.