Product Description

This sweeping epic that explores the lives of two young men a ranch-hand & a rodeo cowboy who meet in the summer of 1963 & unexpectedly forge a lifelong connection. The complications joys & heartbreak they experience provide a testament to the endurance & power of love. Studio: Uni Dist Corp. (mca) Release Date: 01/22/2008 Starring: Heath Ledger Michelle Williams Run time: 135 minutes Rating: R

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #2343 in DVD
• Brand: Universal
• Released on: 2006-04-04
• Rating: R (Restricted)
• Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
• Formats: Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, DVD-Video, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Subtitled in: English, Spanish, French
• Dubbed in: French
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: .20 pounds
• Running time: 134 minutes

Amazon.com
A sad, melancholy ache pervades Brokeback Mountain, Ang Lee's haunting, moving film that, like his other movies, explores societal constraints and the passions that lurk underneath. This time, however, instead of taking on ancient China, 19th-century England, or '70s suburbia, Lee uses the tableau of the American West in the early '60s to show how two lovers are bound by their expected roles, how they rebel against them, and the repercussions for each of doing so--but the romance here is between two men. Ennis Del Mar (Heath Ledger) and Jack Twist (Jake Gyllenhaal) are two itinerant ranchers looking for work in Wyoming when they meet and embark on a summer sheepherding job in the shadow of titular Brokeback Mountain. The taciturn Ennis, uncommunicative in the extreme, finds himself opening up around the gregarious Jack, and the two form a bond that surprisingly catches fire one cold night out in the wilderness. Separating at the end of the summer, each goes on to marry and have children, but a reunion years later proves that, if anything, their passion for each other has grown significantly. And while Jack harbors dreams of a life together, the tight-lipped Ennis is unable to bring himself to even consider something so revolutionary.

Its open, unforced depiction of love between two men made Brokeback an instant cultural touchstone, for both good and bad, as it was tagged derisively as the "gay cowboy movie," but also heralded as a breakthrough for mainstream cinema. Amidst all the hoopla of various agendas, though, was a quiet, heartbreaking love story that was both of its time and universal--it was the quintessential tale of star-crossed lovers, but grounded in an ever-changing America that promised both hope and despair. Adapted by Larry McMurtry and Diana Ossana from Annie Proulx's short story, the movie echoes the sparse bleakness of McMurtry's The Last Picture Show with its fading of the once-glorious West; but with Lee at the helm, it also resembles The Ice Storm, as it showed the ripple effects of a singular event over a number of people. As always, Lee's work with actors is unparalleled, as he elicits graceful, nuanced performances from Michelle Williams and Anne Hathaway as the wives affected overtly and subliminally by their husbands' affair, and Gyllenhaal brings surprising dimensions to a character that could have easily just been a puppy dog of a boy. It's Ledger, however, who's the breakthrough in the film, and his portrait of an emotionally repressed man both undone and liberated by his feelings is mesmerizing and devastating. Spare in style but rich with emotion, Brokeback Mountain earns its place as a classic modern love story. --Mark Englehart

Customer Reviews

2.5 stars out of 4
The Bottom Line:

A movie that was embraced as a homosexual anthem (despite being about bisexuals), Brokeback Mountain has beautiful cinematography and a compelling first hour, but is much less successful when attempting to show the characters being consumed with longing.

Not Your Typical Tear Jerker
Went into this movie cautiously, eyes wide open. I have to admit, I really liked it. At first it was pretty startling. Perhaps the movie would have been easier to watch if it didn't involve cowboys. I think as Americans we have a preconceived idea of the rugged cowboy and homosexuality doesn't really play into it, so it takes a while to digest that part of the movie. However, once you get past that point and further into the movie, it really doesn't matter much about the sexual orientation; it could be anyone. It actually does become more about just two people in love and how they decide to deal with it based on the stereotypes of the period. The only thing I had a problem with in the movie was understand Heath Ledger's "western twang" as it was too heavily influenced by his native Australian accent. It was interesting to see how the women in the men's lives dealt with what their husbands sexuality entailed. That was the only part in the movie in which I felt no sadness for Ennis and Jack because of the pain they inadvertly placed upon their families.

Excellent!!!
Brand new movie. Looks like from the store "new", which is good. The shipping box was small and compact, environmentally friendly, not like the other huge packets I've received before with my previous orders. Despite the size of the packet, my item was not damaged at all, so don't worry. The shipping service was fast, so really really good.