'Brokeback Mounta': Ang Lee & Jam Scham on Gay Romance Film - Variety

Contents:

• JAKE GYLLENHAAL SAID THERE WAS A 'STIGMA' ATTACHED TO PLAYG A GAY MAN 'BROKEBACK MOUNTA'
• 'BROKEBACK MOUNTA' USHERED A NEW ERA OF GAY CEMA
• 'BROKEBACK MOUNTA' AT 15: JAKE GYLLENHAAL ON HOW FILMG GAY ROMANCE 'WAS UNFORTABLE AT TIM BUT WE KNEW THE BIGGER PICTURE'
• WAS IT GOOD FOR THE GAYS: ‘BROKEBACK MOUNTA’
• THAT “GAY COWBOY MOVIE”QUEER PEOPLE REFLECT ON 15 YEARS OF “BROKEBACK MOUNTA”

JAKE GYLLENHAAL SAID THERE WAS A 'STIGMA' ATTACHED TO PLAYG A GAY MAN 'BROKEBACK MOUNTA'

"However, the directors warned uld lose 's stat as the ultimate gay movie as queer cema evolv and the film dtry starts to embrace LGBT reprentatn Insir's homepage for more stori. We've had the first-ever mastream LGBT rom- "Love, Simon, " cultural juggernts like "Call Me By Your Name" and "Carol, " about three Disney movi featurg Disney's "first-ever" LGBTQ character ("Bety and the Beast, " "Onward, " and "Zootopia"), and "Moonlight, " which did what "Brokeback Mounta" uldn't and beme the first-ever queer movie to w bt picture at the Amy "Brokeback Mounta" is still viewed as the go-to gay movie. David Calhoun, wrg for Time Out, said: "Lee has taken a story of gay love and placed where should be — the mastream.

"Strikg a siar was Roger Ebert, wrg for the Chigo Sun-Tim: "'Brokeback Mounta' has been scribed as 'a gay wboy movie, ' which is a cel simplifitn. "Brokeback Mounta" straddl this le expertly, prentg their leadg queer characters and their forbidn love wh so much sympathy that turns to are gay, and while most dience members may not unrstand exactly what is like to love someone, and be somethg, that is emed so taboo uld lead you to tastrophe, or, "Brokeback Mounta's" se, ath, Lee's movie picts forbidn love, somethg a lot of people know of, so expertly and touchgly that 's hard not to get sucked to rg thoroughly about the characters — whether you're gay or Lee is rponsible for that.

The gay nversn mp drama "Boy Erased, " while ably acted by s st (particularly Lus Hedg), almost seems sred of the subject matter.

'BROKEBACK MOUNTA' USHERED A NEW ERA OF GAY CEMA

It felt tailored to straight dienc, whereas "Brokeback Mounta, " while not exactly tailored to queer dienc the way that a morn TV show like "Pose" is, is so direct s pictn of queer love and the dangers of beg gay that feels absolutely thentic. "I me out as gay durg the time 'Brokeback Mounta' me out, so cid wh this time of me feelg like I uldn't live a lie anymore and wantg to fally embrace fully who I am, " Johnson told Insir. Jam Wilby, who starred as one half of an inic gay uple himself Jam Ivory's 1987 masterpiece "Mrice, " told Insir that he was "irrated" by the movie spe also thkg was "remarkable.

"In "Mrice, " Hugh Grant's Clive reprs his sexualy and liv life as a straight man, whereas Wilby's tular character embrac his inty as a gay man Edwardian England. "I thought the way that Jam Ivory handled Clive's transn om, if you want to ll him or gay or if you want to ll him somethg oteric, to beg straight was better [than 'Brokeback'], " Wilby told Insir. Of urse, 's themselv that they actually hate bee of their reprsed homosexualy, so anger is an unrstandable rponse those circumstanc.

'BROKEBACK MOUNTA' AT 15: JAKE GYLLENHAAL ON HOW FILMG GAY ROMANCE 'WAS UNFORTABLE AT TIM BUT WE KNEW THE BIGGER PICTURE'

We serve Disney-like happy endgs'"Philalphia" follows a gay man wh HIV (Tom Hanks) tryg to sue his former pany for wrongful dismissal.

"Love, Simon" was a groundbreakg movie purely for exisg, but gave the fun and happy gay rom- we've been dyg for, for years.

Craig Johnson's "Alex Strangelove" followed su — a reee, upliftg edy that also wisely picts one gay man's journey to "Moonlight" and "Carol, " both set reprsive societi, manage to squeeze posive moments, upliftg msag, and hopeful endgs to their artfully ma stori. 'Brokeback Mounta' will lose s stat as the go-to gay movie, but that's a good thgWhat will never change is the qualy of "Brokeback.

WAS IT GOOD FOR THE GAYS: ‘BROKEBACK MOUNTA’

However, Gyllenhaal, who was nomated for bt supportg actor at the 2006 Osrs, has recently spoken about the "stigma" that was attached to takg on and playg a gay role a film about two wboys who embark on a plex and emotnal relatnship across several an terview wh The Sunday Tim, Gyllenhaal was asked if people would have "a different reactn" to two straight men takg on the rol "Brokeback Mounta" today than they had back 2005.

"Brokeback Mounta" was one of only a few stanc where straight actors had taken on mastream gay rol, and beme arguably the most succsful movie of s kd wh eight Osr nomatns and three ws, cludg bt director for Ang movie was a landmark event for queer cema and still has a cultural impact to this day and fluenc many LGBTQ+ filmmakers. Many straight actors have actually been praised for their performanc as queer characters and have gone on to w several awards for dog recently, Ewan McGregor won an Emmy for playg gay fashn signer Roy Halston Netflix's "Halston.

McGregor, who is straight, spoke about takg on the role an terview wh The Hollywood Reporter: "If had been a story about Halston's sexualy more, then maybe 's right that gay actors should play that role.

THAT “GAY COWBOY MOVIE”QUEER PEOPLE REFLECT ON 15 YEARS OF “BROKEBACK MOUNTA”

The dialogue around gay marriage tensified, rultg a historic Supreme Court cisn forcg all 50 stat to legally regnize same sex marriag. And Apple's Tim Cook beme the first openly gay CEO of a Fortune 500 pany, provg that the tech giant is livg up to s "Thk Different" 2005, LGBT rights have equently been at the foreont of some larger nversatns about visibily, equaly, and jtice, often wh pop culture guidg the discsns. The film is jt one of the mastream's new addns to the non of gay cema, jog the ranks of Milk, The Kids Are Alright, Blue Is The Warmt Color, and more as the next stage what film cric and profsor B.