Book Movie Group

Janice suggested that our book group go out for a chick flick for a change, so we went to see "Brokeback Mountain" (which Andy thought was a curious choice, although I don't think there was a single guy in the audience last night!). I've been just dying in anticipation of seeing it, because I so loved Annie Proulx's short story when it first appeared in The New Yorker in 1997. It's impossible for anyone now not to know that it's about "gay cowboys," but when I sat down to read the story I of course had no idea. The story just blew me away; I even read it twice (which I pretty much never do). It was so sad and poignant and real—to say it was "moving" just scratches the surface. It didn't even occur to me to think about it just—or even mostly—as a gay love story, because it was thoroughly successful just as a star-crossed lovers' story; their stars just happened to be crossed because they were gay at the wrong time and place.

All the reviewers are raving about Heath Ledger, and I have to concur. He totally nailed that character (whoops!). I don't recall ever seeing him before, but he was perfect. His pain and longing and confusion were so palpable, and his gruff, terse voice only added to it. Jake Gyllenhaal was really terrific too; he was supposed to be the more eager, idealistic, doe-eyed one, so it made sense that he was less gravelly. Here's what Annie Proulx said about them:

I thought they were magnificent, both of them. Jake Gyllenhall's Jack Twist ... wasn't the Jack Twist that I had in mind when I wrote this story. The Jack that I saw was jumpier, homely. But Gyllenhall's sensitivity and subtleness in this role is just huge. The scenes he's in have a kind of quicksilver feel to them. Heath Ledger is just almost really beyond description as far as I'm concerned. He got inside the story more deeply than I did. All that thinking about the character of Ennis that was so hard for me to get, Ledger just was there. He did indeed move inside the skin of the character, not just in the shirt but inside the person. It was remarkable.

I think that must be fascinating, to create characters and then see them come to life. She also said this:

The thing that happened while I was writing the story eight years ago is that from thinking so much about the characters and putting so much time into them, they became embedded in my consciousness. They became as real to me as real, walk-around, breathe-oxygen people. It took a long time to get these characters out of my head so I could get on with work. Then when I saw the film, they came rushing back. It was extraordinary, just wham, they were with me again.

Anyhow, I'm stewing over what I imagined was either some ambiguity at the end of the movie or a difference between the movie and the story. I went to the bookstore today, at first just hoping to reread the story there but then planning to buy the newly released book that contains the story, the screenplay, and essays by the screenwriters, but everything Brokeback was sold out. Those of you who've both read the story and seen the movie, please chime in in the Comments so we can discuss it. Those who haven't might want to skip the Comments for fear of stumbling across spoilers, but do read the story and do see the movie—you're in for quite a thought-provoking and heart-wrenching experience. (And if you worry you might be squeamish about watching gay sex, have no fear: There's nothing truly graphic in the movie; the only real sex scene is certainly suggestive but not explicit. It's no more graphic than "Six Feet Under," for heaven's sake.)

Comments

[DJ]

I also loved the story and the entire collection of short stories it appears in (Wyoming Stories Volume 1, and by the way Wyoming Stories Volume 2 is for some reason nowhere near as good and has such ridiculous character names I'm convinced Proulx was sued between volumes by some real-life Jack Twist).
The story is great and the film is an accurate, although "filled out" to make it full-length, rendering of it. The characters are so believable and inspire such empathy I think (and sincerely hope) it will represent a big step forward for the acceptance of gays.

[Kate]

I downloaded the audio book from iTunes. I couldn't find it at the bookstore either. The audio book is read by Campbell Scott, so it's pretty decent and I think I only paid $4.95 so

[Kathryn]

I haven't read the story, but my take was that Jack's death wasn't accidental. I saw it as Jack's wife telling the version of his death the family chose to perpetuate, but Ennis knew what it really meant.

[Karen]

I bought a book that contains the story, the screenplay, and essays by Proulx and screenwriters Larry McMurtry & Diana Ossana.

*From the story:

Ennis didn't know about the accident for months until his postcard to Jack saying that November still looked like the first chance came back stamped DECEASED. He called Jack's number in Childress, something he had done only once before when Alma divorced him and Jack had misunderstood the reason for the call, had driven twelve hundred miles north for nothing. This would be all right, Jack would answer, had to answer. But he did not. It was Lureen and she said who? who is this? and when he told her again she said in a level voice yes, Jack was pumping up a flat on the truck out on a back road when the tire blew up. The bead was damaged somehow and the force of the explosion slammed the rim into his face, broke his nose and jaw and knocked him unconscious on his back. By the time someone came long he had drowned in his own blood.
No, he thought, they got him with the tire iron.
"Jack used to mention you," she said, "You're the fishing buddy or the hunting buddy, I know that. Would have let you know," she said, "but I wasn't sure about your name and address. Jack kept most a his friends' addresses in his head. It was a terrible thing. He was only thirty-nine years old."
The huge sadness of the northern plains rolled down on him. He didn't know which way it was, the tire iron or a real accident, blood choking down Jack's throat and nobody to turn him over.

*Then later, when Ennis goes to see Jack's parents:

The old man spoke angrily. "I can't get no help out here. Jack used a say 'Ennis del Mar,' he used a say, 'I'm goin a bring him up here one a these days and we'll lick this damn ranch into shape.' He had some half-baked idea the two a you was goin a move up here, build a log cabin and help me run this ranch and bring it up. Then, this spring he's got another one's goin a come up here with him and build a place and help run the ranch, some ranch neighbor a his from down in Texas. he's goin a split up with his wife and come back here. So he says. But like most a Jack's ideas it never come to pass."
So now he knew it had been the tire iron.

*And from the screenplay, after Lureen tells Ennis what happened:

EXT: RIVERTON, WYOMING; PAY TELEPHONE: DAY: CONTINUOUS: 1982:

WE'VE left LUREEN, and the screen holds only ENNIS.

ENNIS can't answer right away. He wonders, suddenly if it was the tire iron:

SHARP CUT TO

ENNIS'S POV: MIDDLE OF NOWHERE: DUSK: CONTINUOUS: 1982:

A FLASH--JUST A SECOND OR TWO--ENNIS and WE SEE, in the evening shadows, a MAN being beaten unmercifully by THREE ASSAILANTS, one of whom uses a tire iron.

SHARP CUT BACK TO

EXT: RIVERTON, WYOMING; PAY TELEPHONE: DAY: CONTINUOUS: 1982:

The huge sadness of the northern plains rolls down upon ENNIS. He doesn't know which way it was, the tire iron --or a real accident, blood choking down JACK's throat and nobody to turn him over.

*So it appears that it was deliberately left ambiguous in both the story and the film. Someone else said to me, "I still do think though that Jack's death was an accident but that Ennis is unable to believe it. I think he actually NEEDS to believe that it was the tire iron -- otherwise he gave up his love for no real reason." I think that hits the nail on the head!

[Trevor Martin]

I am quite sure that Jack died in an accident.
Proulx as the author states unambiguously in the short story: "Ennis didn't know about the accident until six months after ...."

All future references to the murder idea are from Ennis's point of view. All of this is in Ennis's mind and this is underscored earlier when Ennis tells Jack that if this 'thing' gets them at the wrong place or the wrong time they are 'dead'

Absoloutely no evidence in the story that Jack was murdered.

if an author states "Jill went up the hill and accidentally fell down" then this is exactly what happened to Jill.

If an author subsequently writes "Jack knew that someone had pushed her" then we know that Jack is wrong.