Two years ago today - Ennis Del Mar and the Joker - celebrated

Many of us remember the day that we first saw Brokeback Mountain - when an event, in whatever form, changes or alters your life in someway, it's hard to forget. Today is my second anniversary. I remember celebrating the date last year - I could never have imagined that, in 2008, 29 January would coincide with the first week's anniversary of Heath's death. But it has, and so, in remembering and celebrating the glorious fallout that Brokeback Mountain showered on my life (hopefully never to be undone), this time I am also remembering and cherishing its two men.


Brokeback Mountain's 'classic' status has perhaps been sealed, even for those still in doubt, by the tragedy of last Tuesday. There is also a good possibility that Heath's death will tempt new audiences to see this film and another gang of Brokies will measure their lives against Jack's dream in Brokeback, find them wanting, and change them. We have a lot to thank Heath for, and not just Heath, Jake too. And all those involved with Brokeback Mountain, at every level.


I have a real sense of inadequacy when it comes to expressing what Brokeback Mountain means to me. So better to look at an essay or elegy such as this, which, written in the aftermath of Heath's loss, bears witness to the achievement of Heath, Jake and Ang in creating this 'imperishable' masterpiece. Here are some quotes that spoke to me.

'In their comments about the actor, some, seeking to express their sense of loss, have said that it's especially sad because he was at the start of what promised to be a great career. I understand what they mean, but we should recognize that, because of his commitment to his art, Heath Ledger already had attained greatness.'


'While I'm unable to aspire to poetry, I can appreciate and attempt to describe the beauty of what Heath Ledger did in Brokeback Mountain. His performance is poetry enough. I think it's appropriate to honor the man who did so much to make the film so powerful with an elegy recognizing and celebrating what he achieved.'

'The sensitivity and beauty with which Ledger and Gyllenhaal present the men is deeply moving; Gyllenhaal gently embraces and reassures Ledger, who gradually relaxes and embraces him, showing not merely the sexual desire, but more importantly the deep need to be close to another man which motivates both men. At least for those with eyes to see and hearts to feel, the scene is as beautiful and moving as any depicting a man and a woman.'


'His incredible ability in projecting Ennis's raw rage culminates in the awful final argument with Jack, when Ennis threatens to kill the man he loves for needing sexual involvement with other men, since Ennis's fear and shame have caused him to refuse to accept Jack's invitation to live together. It's frightening, especially in light of Ledger's death, to think of the cost such acting must have exacted. I'm fortunate, in my teaching, to be able to teach the astonishing poetry of Emily Dickinson; Ledger's acting spontaneously brings to mind the opening line of one of her most searingly confessional poems, in which she demands, "Dare you see a Soul at the White Heat?" In Ledger's performance as Ennis, we do. Though I want to resist involvement in speculation about the causes of his death, it's impossible not to have noted that some have speculated that he put so much into preparing for and incarnating himself in every role he took on that it may have led to impossible stress, sleeplessness, and dependence on medicines. I have no idea whether this is correct, but it's possible to think it, given the intensity with which Ledger gave himself over to representing the torment of Ennis del Mar.'

This elegy was written by Eric Patterson, an associate professor of American studies and American literature at Hobart and William Smith Colleges. 'He is the author of a newly published book On Brokeback Mountain: Meditations about Masculinity, Fear, and Love in the Story and the Film.' This title is available for Europeans here.


Philip French's tribute for Heath in Sunday's Observer newspaper in the UK culminated with: 'Ledger inhabits his character to an overwhelming degree as he charts Ennis's painful emotional progress over two decades. The visit to the home of his dead lover's parents, where he silently inspects Jack's old bedroom, is among the most poignant, delicately understated sequences in movie history.' Without doubt, this is the most painful scene that I have ever seen in any film, and I doubt that will change through my life. It's good to see it recognised here.


It's a sad state of affairs, but it's true, that many people, especially men, maybe even our men, have yet to see Brokeback Mountain, put off by its tabloid tag as the 'gay cowboy movie'. This is what was addressed in Tony Parson's tribute in the UK's Mirror newspaper: 'I have an amazing number of mates who have never seen Brokeback Mountain because it's "that movie about two gay cowboys". What they are missing is an almost perfect storm of talent. Brokeback Mountain was directed by the great Ang Lee from a classic short story by Annie Proulx. It has an Oscar-winning screenplay by Diana Ossana and Larry McMurtry (a great novelist himself and author of The Last Picture Show), and Jake Gyllenhaal will never be better than he was as rodeo cowboy Jack Twist.'


'Most of all, what my friends are missing is the portrayal of ranch hand Ennis Del Mar by Heath Ledger. A performance that ranks up there with Al Pacino in the first Godfather film, Robert de Niro in the second Godfather, Brando when he was young and thin, Montgomery Clift in From Here To Eternity, and James Dean in the three films he made before his early death. Heath Ledger truly was as good as that, and nobody who has seen Brokeback Mountain could ever doubt it. Heath Ledger had the kind of talent that only comes along once every 20 years and his death is a horrible waste.'


Brokeback Mountain is a film you rarely see the like of but Heath had more to offer us. We were all looking forward to the new Batman movie, The Dark Knight, many of us had some red carpet expectations as well. By the time The Dark Knight is released - in July - we will no doubt be ready to celebrate Heath's portrayal of this iconic figure. The film's director Christopher Nolan doesn't have the luxury of the time. He is currently working on his film in post-production and has to cope with the raw pain of seeing Heath on film everyday.

Here is part of Chris' tribute to Heath in Newsweek: 'One night, as I'm standing on LaSalle Street in Chicago, trying to line up a shot for "The Dark Knight," a production assistant skateboards into my line of sight. Silently, I curse the moment that Heath first skated onto our set in full character makeup. I'd fretted about the reaction of Batman fans to a skateboarding Joker, but the actual result was a proliferation of skateboards among the younger crew members. If you'd asked those kids why they had chosen to bring their boards to work, they would have answered honestly that they didn't know. That's real charisma—as invisible and natural as gravity. That's what Heath had.'


'Heath was bursting with creativity. It was in his every gesture. He once told me that he liked to wait between jobs until he was creatively hungry. Until he needed it again. He brought that attitude to our set every day. There aren't many actors who can make you feel ashamed of how often you complain about doing the best job in the world. Heath was one of them.'

'When you get into the edit suite after shooting a movie, you feel a responsibility to an actor who has trusted you, and Heath gave us everything. As we started my cut, I would wonder about each take we chose, each trim we made. I would visualize the screening where we'd have to show him the finished film—sitting three or four rows behind him, watching the movements of his head for clues to what he was thinking about what we'd done with all that he'd given us. Now that screening will never be real. I see him every day in my edit suite. I study his face, his voice. And I miss him terribly.'


I'd been looking forward to my anniversary Brokeback Mountain post - I would never have dreamed... Includes pictures from IHJ and AP.