Today's topic of discussion.

[hackthis_archive]

In today's Variety there's an article on Brokeback Mountain, one of many that have come out over the last few months and which will doubtlessly be followed by many more. I mention this because in reading it this comment caught my eye,


I don't believe they would have ever allowed an openly queer director to make this movie, nor do I believe that actors of this calibre would have signed on. In a long line of ironic outcomes, it took these guys [Jake Gyllenhaal & Heath Ledger] with impeccable heterosexual credentials to make this kind of breakthrough.
-Critic and author B. Ruby Rich

Do you lot agree with that?

Discuss.

Comments

[villeinage.livejournal.com]

Oh, please.*rolls eyes sarcastically*

Did this critic not read the story this movie is based on?

The only reason this movie could be made at all is that it's a bloody tragedy in which things end badly for our gay romantic leads.

Now if our heroes rode off happily into the sunset together, that would be a mainstream movie breakthrough.

And yes, I realize that's a simplistic reading of the text, but still.

[green-queen.livejournal.com]

That's why it's being *critically* acclaimed, not why it's mainstream. Ang Lee made it mainstream just by signing on. Would he have signed on if it had a happy ending? Probably not, because that doesn't seem realistic for the story.