Sunday, 23 October 2011

On Ang Lee's birthday, Brokeback thanks

Today is Ang Lee's birthday and Focus Features took the chance to wish their director happy returns by reminding their followers on Twitter of what is arguably Ang's finest film - it's certainly the one I love the most - Brokeback Mountain. Take a look at their Brokeback site and let it wash over you. Their Vice President of Global Operations, Gordon Ampel, picked his favourite scene from the film, which you can see here:

'This sequence in BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN comes very late in the movie. After learning that the love of his life, Jack Twist, has died, Ennis Del Mar (so beautifully incarnated by Heath Ledger) has come to pay his respects at the family homestead. The emotional crux of the movie has been Ennis’ internalizing his feelings, and not really expressing them – even with Jack, he would make only so much of an exception. Visiting Jack’s childhood room, gut-wrenching emotions come to the fore for Ennis – but, wordlessly, and without flashbacks to their time together or even audio echoes. It all plays out on Ennis’ heretofore stoic face, and when we see tears gathering, it is heartbreaking. The sequence builds powerfully with the nearly-silhouetted staging of the scene in the room’s closet where the full force of the love lost hits Ennis. The postscript to the sequence does include dialogue, but it’s what’s not being said that moves Ennis – and me, every time.' 

Thanks Ang and happy birthday.

My review of Contagion is now up at MovieBrit.
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10 comments:

  1. Wet Dark and Wild23 October 2011 at 23:02

    Night all! Hope you had a good Sunday :)

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  2. Susan24 October 2011 at 02:00

    Wonderful post, Kate. Brokeback Mountain is a beautiful, powerful movie and we owe a debt of thanks to Ang Lee, Focus Features, Ang Lee, and Jake for it. Happy birthday, Mr. Lee!

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  3. Anonymous24 October 2011 at 08:51

    Hello,
    Really wonderful post, Kate. Brought back a lot of memories. Brokeback Mountain is still my favourite movie. Thank you :-)
    Have a nice day everyone (although is's Monday).
    Christina

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  4. Paula C.24 October 2011 at 11:04

    Great post,Kate. That scene is also my favourite,Heath says so many without saying a word. I also love the "Jack I swear" scene, I cried so much watching that scene.

    I also would like to mention another of my favourite movies direct by the great Ang Lee, Crouching tiger, Hidden Dragon, the scene in the bamboo forest is just pure cinematography poetry, so thanks Mr Lee.

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  5. Anonymous24 October 2011 at 15:03

    happy belated birthday Ang! and thank you for changing my life and so many others lives too

    I can't say that is my fave scene but it sure is powerful.

    Thanks WDW

    sweetpea

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  6. Anonymous24 October 2011 at 15:17

    The most heartbreaking, most powerful scene in the movie. From the moment he pulls up to that house and goes in. It was like entering a sepluchre, a masoleum. The starkness of Jack's room, the spritual poverty that such a bright, vivacious, beautiful young man came out of, experiencing that was like a physical kick in the gut.
    Still hard to watch.

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  7. BBMISwear24 October 2011 at 18:40

    Awww, what a wonderful post WDW - thank you! I just love those Brokeback posts and what a nice way to say Happy Birthday to the King of the BBM world - Ang Lee!

    It's so nice to see some people commenting that have been reading and now decided to write - welcome!!

    Hope you're feeling better WDW. The NYC sightings have continued, of course, and nice new pics too. Still curious what *work related thing* might be going on. Practicing patience!

    :-)

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  8. mermon24 October 2011 at 19:50

    Great post, great reading you gave us Kate. It took me a while to go through everything, but it was worth. I love to go deep in that movie. Special people created that special movie, based on a special script and special short story. All of them had so many warm things to say about it.
    Thx Mr Lee.

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  9. Wet Dark and Wild24 October 2011 at 20:00

    Thanks Susan :) We have a lot to be grateful for/

    Thanks Christina! And mine too - I hope you had a good Monday!

    Glad you came back, Paula! That scene has left such a lasting impression on me. I remember the scene but I also remember the first time I saw it. Such powerful emotions.

    Thanks Sweetpea :)

    Thank you so much, BBMISwear :-) I just had to post it. I got quite emotional. I know I've been sick. That might be why, but I thought I'd do a post that didn't miss the point of why I was so gobsmacked by BBM - for its end. This scene had such an affect on me.

    I hope something work-related is going on - that would be so good!

    Thanks Mermon! That site is so good - I don't think I've ever spent time going around it before, but I did yesterday. I love to see how wrapped up the film is with love and care.

    I hope you all had a good day. Such a busy one for me.

    New post :)

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  10. Wet Dark and Wild24 October 2011 at 20:36

    Hi there 15:17! I don't know why but I missed your comment. You put it absolutely beautifully. No wonder it's so hard to let this scene go. Thank you!

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