Zuraffo,
Hey! Long time no hear! Hope you are well.
On the one hand, I see you checked in to this thread to see what was happening...lol...
On the other hand, as you can see by that article, I'm not the only one who still thinks
about this...
I don't know if I'd use the word obsessed in my feelings about the oscar loss, but
because I love movies and have followed the oscars as long as I can remember and
because I love Brokeback Mountain, it is certainly something I am quite interested in.
What I decided a long time ago was that, as it is certainly something that I cannot
change, what I "can" do is make sure the reason Brokeback Mountain lost the bp
award is not forgotten. (The reason being homophobia in large part.) So, when I see
articles like the one in last November's issue of Entertainment Weekly that state
homophobia was the reason, I can applaud that. When the next week I see a letter
in the magazine from academy president Bruce Davis refuting it, I can write to him and
to EW and on the internet and rebutt it with all the knowledge I have about it. This snub
did hurt alot of us and what I can do is always set the record straight, so to speak, so
that the reason is never lost or diluted.
As for the academy and the oscars... If I blot out the academy it means I am blotting
out something in my life that gives me a great deal of pleasure. I live in Los Angeles and the
academy has a plethora of film screenings each year in two of the best equipped theatres in the
world for showing any kind of film and any kind of print. I have seen nearly every film that
I've always wanted to see on a big screen. And they always show the BEST available prints.
Many times people involved in making the films are there to talk about them. I got to see
Sidney Poitier at an In the Heat of the Night screening. I met a dozen people who were
in or worked on one of my favorite films, The Sting, and I got to talk to most of them—
Charles Durning, Dmitra Arliss, Harold Gould, Henry Bumstead, Sally Kirkland and David S. Ward
among them! I met Arthur Hiller, Feyard Nicholas and Karl Malden in the bathroom! I saw Olivia
DeHavilland in person for a tribute evening to her! I saw a restored silent film called Speedy that the
Harold Lloyd family had sponsored. I saw June Lockhart telling stories—reminiscing about working
with Gary Cooper and Stanley Kubrick’s right hand man telling what it was like to work with him in all
candor and honesty, meaning the good and the bad. I saw some people who worked and lived for a time
with James Dean when they filmed Giant. I saw John Schlesinger’s partner (boyfriend, mate, lover—to be
clear) talking about him and Midnight Cowboy.
*****(About the Harold Lloyd screening: For $5.00 on a rainy L.A. night, I went to the theatre and saw a
spectacularly restored film from 1927. The silent score was performed by an orchestra. Afterwards, and
after remarks from all of his relatives, we got to go up to the gallery and see a selection of framed portraits
of the famous people of Harold Lloyd's time that were all autographed to him--a gift that his wife had
occasioned for him. The one I remember most was Amelia Earhart's. A signature you could only see in a
certain light because she wrote it on a dark part of the photograph--and considering her fate it was really
eerie. After that, an unexpected champagne and dessert reception was held. All for $5.00! )*****
I saw a 50th anniversary commemoration of D-Day hosted by Bob Hope and special guests. I saw a
two-day GWTW weekend with David O. Selznick's personal print of the film and a six hour "making of"
seminar with film clips, screen tests, etc. which included makers of the film who were still with us at the
time. I saw a tribute to Richard Rodgers hosted by Julie Andrews. I saw Jackie Cooper talking about Skippy and The Champ that were made in the early 1930’s! I've seen exhibitions in the gallery devoted to people
like W.C. Fields or Hitchcock. All kinds of movie poster displays or photography exhibits.
I could go on for a long time.
So, yes, I desperately wanted Brokeback Mountain to be included on that imperfect list of films
that won Best Picture, because we all want to be part of the family, as I’ve said. I daresay if we all
personally chose the Best Film of the year we’d have entirely different lists of 80 films. But each
year the oscars is a way to see and talk about the best films of the year. To argue about them and
even trash them. That’s what oscar was designed to do. And, yes, this one hurt me to the core and
even made me rethink a multitude of things. If felt like a betrayal, a spouse cheating on you or any
number of other references.
But, as I hope I’ve explained, I get a great deal of pleasure from the academy. And there are a huge
group of peeople within that academy who absolutely agree with us about Brokeback Mountain. And
I don’t know if this is a quote from someone else, but on a television commercial once the narrator
begins by saying "If something is loved, it shows." And on August 4th when the academy has their
screening of Brokeback Mountain, it will be seen by all how much Brokeback Mountain is loved.
Lyle P.
