The Best Director

Chapter 423: Chapter 423: The Year of the Cowboy

“Jack, I swear…”

The theater was silent, accompanied by the sorrowful yet bright guitar music, Ennis, his temples graying, gazed at a set of clothes hanging on the wardrobe door. His plaid shirt was draped over Jack’s denim jacket, a beautiful and aged postcard pinned to the top right. Ennis silently did up the buttons of the cowboy jacket, his eyes brimming with tears, his nose reddening, as he pressed his lips together to hold back sobs and whispered softly.

The seats, hardly any empty, were enveloped in an indescribable melancholy. A wave of emotion surged silently through the audience, a mixture of being moved, helpless, sad, heartbroken, and pained. Why did Ennis, the quiet and reticent, speak these words only after the active and optimistic Jack had passed away?

Watching the rolling end credits on the big screen, many viewers also had moist eyes and a sour nose, amid soft sounds of sobbing. The homosexual members of the audience were mostly unable to control their emotions, feeling an impulse to scream and vent inside.

“Woo woo woo…” Evelyn cried unstoppably, tears pouring down like rain. She could not stop sobbing as she wiped her face, her tissue instantly soaked, while the popcorn bucket beside her was already filled with wads of tissue. My God, she should have come to watch it earlier! It was fantastic, and so distressing. How could this happen? She simply wanted to become a gay man… The more Evelyn thought about it, the more unpleasant she felt. Why couldn’t people in love be together? How many Jacks and Ennises had tragic endings because of societal restraints?

She recalled the scene of the two fighting on the slopes of Brokeback Mountain, that bloodstained plaid shirt—it turned out Jack had taken it and kept it all along! He always complained so much, as though he was going to leave Ennis, but in reality, Jack had always loved him deeply! Evelyn could not help but cry aloud, “Ahh ahh ahh, woo woo woo…”

Her heart-wrenching cries made some of the surrounding audience also cry out, while many of the departing viewers suddenly looked over. Kelly put a hand on her best friend’s shoulder, “Don’t be so sad, I don’t want to see you faint from crying.” Evelyn hugged her tightly, crying, “Kelly, why, Ang Lee, Heath Ledger… ‘Brokeback Mountain’…” Her voice was frantic with emotion. Kelly saw the “understanding” looks of people passing by and wanted to say, “We’re not lesbians, we both have boyfriends…”

Evelyn cried out, “I can’t, I just can’t! Kelly, I swear… I just can’t do it!” The passersby felt some sympathy for her. Kelly sighed, there was no use explaining, but she was not going to watch “500 Days of Summer” with Evelyn.

“Brokeback Mountain” had been released on the 9th of December. Due to conservative opposition and its genre, this controversial film wasn’t suitable for a widespread release initially. In its first week, there were only 8 North American cinemas showing it, and by the 16th of the second week, this had increased to 76. When word-of-mouth built up, they gradually expanded the screening areas, so many more traditionally conservative states slowly joined in its release.

However, in the list for the second week, Utah, one of the most conservative states, was surprisingly included. But in the end, only 75 cinemas received tickets because one of the Utah cinemas impulsively canceled the screening, sparking outrage and widespread discussion across America and the world.

It was the Megaplex Theaters located in the suburbs of Salt Lake City, just a few hours before the premiere of “Brokeback Mountain” when the cinema’s management suddenly informed Focus Features it would not be showing the film. The staff simply put up a notice at the box office stating, “Due to theater scheduling, ‘Brokeback Mountain’ will not be screened. We apologize for any inconvenience caused.” The cinema’s manager refused to comment on the matter.

Gail Ruzicka, the president of the local conservative group “Utah Eagle Forum,” stated that not screening “Brokeback Mountain” set an example for the people of Utah, “I think the action of canceling the screening plan tells the public that there’s something problematic about the content of this film.” Local LGBTQ rights organization “Equality Utah’s” CEO Mike Thompson, on the other hand, expressed disappointment at the cancellation, “Such a beautiful and frequently awarded film, while receiving praises and applause, is not available to the wider Utah residents because of personal prejudice. It’s a shame.”

“We are very, very disappointed,” Fiona-Hassen, a spokesperson for Flame Film, said, “If Megaplex theatres didn’t have the courage to show the film, they should have informed everyone earlier, not breach the distribution contract abruptly just as the film was about to release, getting Utah’s movie fans’ hopes up for nothing; but all of these are trivial matters, what’s more important is the nature of the act itself! Fiona-Hassen said, “What we lost is merely the cost to transport a copy of the film, what the residents of Utah lost is an opportunity for a profound experience, they lost the freedom to choose what to watch.”

Whether ‘Brokeback Mountain’ will eventually be seen on Utah’s big screens remains a question, but it certainly has been pushed even further into the limelight.

Also this week, Gene Shalit, a film critic on NBC’s long-established morning news and talk show ‘Today Show,’ described the character “Jack” from ‘Brokeback Mountain’ as a “sexual predator who stalks Ennis and seduces him into secret trysts” during his review segment on Thursday.

The Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation immediately protested against this, asserting that Shalit had the right to review ‘Brokeback Mountain’ in any way he wished, but to describe “Jack” as a “sexual predator” merely because he fell in love with a man was a smear, ignorant and irresponsible statement that also reflected Shalit’s homophobic nature. “We do not believe he would’ve called Jack from ‘Titanic’ a ‘sexual predator,’ just because Jack was pursuing a woman named Rose,” they said.

“Anna is just an ordinary girl, standing in front of a boy she loves, asking him to love her; Jack is just an ordinary boy, standing in front of a boy he loves, asking him to love him. Is this what you call a sexual predator? If so, then we all are!” Wang Yang publicly expressed his support for “Jack,” and of course, as the chairman of the production and distribution company and one of the producers of ‘Brokeback Mountain,’ he didn’t need to say much to make his stance clear.

Nevertheless, he was truly annoyed; what era were they living in when the Courage and Opportunity rovers had been on Mars for more than two years, yet society couldn’t tolerate different sexual orientations? Even if not accepting, one should learn to respect, and he was most disgusted by discrimination of all sorts, by this ignorant sense of superiority.

“Yang, we’re so sorry this happened! We just can’t keep up, and we’re furious, too.” Wang Yang’s outrage had NBC’s entertainment department trembling with fear and anger. Kevin Reilly and other executives would have been happy to get rid of Gene Shalit! They knew full well that he was the producer of ‘Brokeback Mountain,’ ‘The Big Bang Theory!’ They knew that NBC was relying on him! What good would it do to offend Wang Yang and the Flame Group?! Moreover, it attracted condemnation from LGBTQ+ organizations and public criticism! Did that guy have any idea how many young people, teenagers look up to Wang Yang?

Little did they expect that a small satire due to Wang Yang would turn into such a disaster, and Gene Shalit rushed to make a public apology: “That was not intentional, I didn’t realize it was an inappropriate description, I just wanted to say something witty, but I didn’t think it’d hurt someone, it wasn’t funny, on the contrary, it was very inappropriate and ignorant, I feel deeply ashamed, please accept my heartfelt and sincere apologies.” He defended himself by saying, “I’m not prejudiced against any sexual orientation, those who know me are aware of that, and I have many close gay friends, I wouldn’t do such a thing.”

No matter what Shalit said, it was too late, although he was not fired, he was still put on indefinite suspension by NBC because his remarks were “entirely inappropriate,” and the headache-ridden NBC further stated that they would invite another film critic to ‘Today Show’ to make a fair assessment of ‘Brokeback Mountain.’

In spite of all the controversy, director Ang Lee doesn’t agree with categorizing ‘Brokeback Mountain’ as a gay film; in his view, the film depicts love:”Love in its broadest sense, should not be constrained whether the people in love are male or female.” However, evidently ‘Brokeback Mountain’ will forever be associated with the title of a gay film, some media outlets even defined it as “a western gay epic.”

‘Brokeback Mountain’ is destined to be unlike any other LGBTQ+ film, whether it’s its reputation, its story, its genre, along with Flame Film’s strong marketing, it is considered highly likely to set a new box office record for LGBTQ+ films.

The current champion is the 1996 dark comedy ‘The Birdcage,’ with $124 million in North America/$185 million worldwide, the broadest release across 2,285 theatres, an Oscar nomination for Best Art Direction; the runner-up, the 1994 fantasy horror film ‘Interview with the Vampire,’ with a production budget of $60 million/$105 million in North America/$223 million worldwide, and the broadest release across 2,604 theatres, Oscar nominations for Best Original Score, Art Direction; in the third place, the 1999 thriller drama ‘The Talented Mr. Ripley,’ with a production budget of $40 million/$81 million in North America/$128 million worldwide, the broadest release across 2,369 theatres, Oscar nominations for Best Costume Design, Art Direction, Adapted Screenplay, Original Score, and Best Supporting Actor.

“The Crying Game” broke through at the 1993 Oscars with 1 win (Best Original Screenplay) out of 6 nominations, earning a box office of $62.54 million; “Philadelphia” made Tom Hanks an Oscar-winning Best Actor in 1994 (2/5, Best Original Song), with $77 million in North America and $206 million worldwide.

The $11.54 million box office hit “Boys Don’t Cry” made Hilary Swank an Oscar-winning Best Actress in 2000 (1/2); “Monster” turned Charlize Theron into an Oscar-winning Best Actress in 2004 (1/1), with $34 million in North America and $60 million worldwide; “The Hours,” back at the 2003 Oscars already had Nicole Kidman leaping to Best Actress (1/9), its 9 nominations also being the highest for a LGBTQ+ film to date, although at its widest, it only showed in 1010 North American cinemas, and garnered $41 million globally / $108 million worldwide.

That’s about the recent performance of films with LGBTQ+ themes or elements, but now “Brokeback Mountain” isn’t just aiming for Best Art Direction but the major awards like Best Picture, Director, and Best Actor. However, under the strong push of “Firefly” and the traditional Oscar style, its prospects for winning awards are still worrisome. It’s worth noting that since the 40th Oscars in 1970, there has been no Best Picture winner with a gay theme, nor has there been a Best Director for a gay film—The Academy seems to be getting more conservative.

The 1969 film “Midnight Cowboy” is considered the pioneer of gay cinema. Back then, in an even more conservative America that valued “Puritan spirit,” homosexuality was a taboo subject. This representative work of “New Hollywood cinema” was the first to openly discuss the subject of homosexuality in the American film industry, and naturally, it caused an even bigger stir upon its release. Conservatives condemned the film as “dirty” and “immoral,” while reformers saw it as a serious exploration of a long-overdue social phenomenon.

That year, “Midnight Cowboy” took in $44.78 million at the box office and won the 1970 Oscars for Best Picture, Best Director (John Schlesinger, John Voight), and Best Adaptation (Waldo Salt) with 6 nominations.

In addition to being a gay-themed film, it is the only X-rated film to win the Oscar for Best Picture; another nominated X-rated movie was the 1971 sci-fi film “A Clockwork Orange.”

X-rating is an unregistered trademark classification, which anyone can use to indicate content is restricted to adult viewers over 18. To attract attention, film distributors would even flaunt XX or XXX ratings. In 1990, the MPAA introduced the new trademark classification NC-17 to put an end to this disorder; however, critics believe “Midnight Cowboy” should have been rated R.

36 years later, if the Oscars once again prove to be unpredictable and “Brokeback Mountain” is chosen for Best Picture and Best Director, its groundbreaking significance would be nearly the same as that of a sci-fi film winning. Therefore, the contention between “Brokeback Mountain” and “Firefly” is an intense battle shrouded in fog, with both having reasons to win and to lose. Nobody knows what the judges are thinking now. Interestingly, the word “cowboy” is present in “Midnight Cowboy,” and 36 years later, we have the cowboys of “Brokeback Mountain”; and “Firefly” features cowboys as well.

On the other hand, the widest release of a gay-themed movie in North America to date is “Interview with the Vampire” with 2604 theaters. According to the predictions and plans of Fire Flame Film Distribution, “Brokeback Mountain” will likely have its widest release in around 2500 theaters. With saturation at that number, investing further in distribution would only be a waste of expenses for copies and transport, but the actual strategy will depend on the film’s real box office performance.

This year’s award season is not only “The Year of the Cowboy” but also “The Year of Gay Cinema” largely because another hot film, “Capote,” tells the controversial tale of the gay writer Capote. It was released on September 30 and has accumulated only $10.48 million in box office receipts (at its widest in 317 theaters), which is quite disappointing.

However, as Ang Lee said, “Brokeback Mountain” tells a poignant and moving love story and it certainly did not disappoint in any way!

After its release, “Brokeback Mountain” boasts a Rotten Tomatoes freshness of 87%/91% (135/155) and an audience approval of 81% (with 31,643 participating users). Besides film critics who are prejudiced against homosexuality, claiming “gay love has never been so sacred” and “I am not moved in the slightest,” everyone else gave it two enthusiastic thumbs up. Roger Ebert from the Chicago Sun-Times gave it 4 out of 4 stars, “The producers understand the true feelings of Jack and Ennis, working with such care and concentration.” Bill Muller from The Arizona Republic scored it 3.5 out of 4, “Without any competition, ‘Brokeback Mountain’ is this year’s best love story.”

Peter Travers from “Rolling Stone” rated it 4/4 stars, “Not to be missed and unforgettable, Ang Lee’s ‘Brokeback Mountain’ is like a shot through the heart. It’s a milestone movie, as well as a victory for Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal.” …

User critic Jamison Wallis gave five stars: “An excellent movie. I must admit, I wanted to hate these films because of their controversial topics, but I couldn’t… It has changed my attitude towards homosexuality, and it is a great work. Everything about it, the story, characters, acting, music, and so on, is beautiful, and I love it. User critic KJ-P rated it four and a half stars: “If some people choose not to watch this movie because they are homophobes, they should really be ashamed of themselves. The love story between these two men is one of the greatest ever told, and their gender doesn’t matter. They fell in love for one reason, love. A masterpiece!”

Of course, the 81% approval rating indicates that some users gave negative reviews. Aside from homophobes, most people disliked the film’s slow narrative pace and found it boring. User Tan Ya-P wrote: “I want those two hours back.” However, Cindy-N was captivated: “So beautiful! Breathtaking scenery, a nearly perfect love story, I ended up crying at the end. It was very right of Wang Yang to decide to make it.” …

In fact, at that time, James Schamus was about to work with Focus Features. The takeover by Fire Fly Films allowed ‘Brokeback Mountain’ to develop better. The initial investment amount agreed by everyone was $15 million, but the final production costs were set at $20 million, whereas in Wang Yang’s mind, the version was $14 million. The higher costs meant that all aspects of the production were more finely crafted, for example, Wang Yang’s only dissatisfaction with the version in his mind: makeup.

The film spans 20 years from beginning to end, and the faces of characters like Jack and Ennis hardly aged, with only their hair and beards changing. This naturally was due to budget constraints, considering the original 2008 ‘The Curious Case of Benjamin Button’ cost as much as $150 million to produce. But Wang Yang would not allow this to happen again, sparing no expense to invite Greg Cannom (from ‘The Curious Case of Benjamin Button’) as the makeup artist to do the job right, making sure the characters aged but not so much that it ruined the aesthetic.

Cannom was also the makeup director for ‘Firefly,’ but by the time ‘Brokeback Mountain’ had wrapped up, ‘Firefly’ was still in the preparation stage, so there was no conflict. Indeed, he lived up to the “Best Makeup at the Oscars” as both cowboy movies were made up excellently.

From December 9 to 15, during that week, ‘Brokeback Mountain’ grossed $1.044 million from 8 North American Cinemas, ranking 14th with an average of $130,529 per theatre, marking a strong start; while the champion of the week was the Disney/Walden fantasy epic ‘The Chronicles of Narnia,’ which grossed $81.33 million in its opening week from 3,616 theaters, averaging $22,492 per theatre, which wasn’t considered spectacular. The following weekend, December 16 to 18, ‘Brokeback Mountain’ grossed $3.027 million from 75 theaters (averaging $40,368 per theater), maintaining strength.n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

“Jack, I swear…”

The night in Los Angeles glittered with lights, yet the movie theatre was a silent sea of solemn faces. Wang Yang and Jessica sat in the middle of the audience, surrounded by sighs and sobs from the viewers around them.

Because their baby daughter, Keke, born just over ten days ago, was being cared for by Wang’s mother and others, and after a full-term pregnancy, the couple hadn’t had a “world of two” for a while. Today, they found a night for a date, and although ‘Brokeback Mountain’ had been showing for so many days, they had not yet come to the cinema to watch it.

At that moment, Wang Yang’s eyes were moist, his mouth moved involuntarily, and he looked choked up; Jessica, too, was silent, with reddened eyes as their hands clasped tightly together. (