The Ultimate Brokeback Forum

Author Topic: BBM General Discussion 2  (Read 591192 times)

Offline BayCityJohn

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Re: BBM General Discussion 2
« Reply #870 on: June 28, 2010, 02:48:25 PM »
This is the thought that I totally agree with. I've posted about this a few times over the years, and i know not everyone agrees, but this is the way I felt and still do:


Quote
The press – the well-intentioned, liberal press – rallied around this message, appropriating Brokeback Mountain as a universal love story and rejecting notions of gay specificity. Many reviewers hastened to deride the “gay cowboys movie” description as reductive, offering, in erroneously praising the universal nature of the protagonists’ tragedy of repressed love, an even more reductive reading of the film. Reading those reviews I felt robbed of the elation I’d experienced leaving the cinema that first morning. I was deprived of the immense relief I’d felt, that finally this unique story had been gotten right without compromise or populist attempts at oversimplification.

Matt Riviera who wrote the article also posted in one of his responses:

Quote
The self-loathing of the queer closet is not common to doomed loves/lives. Saying of Ennis and Jack's that theirs is a universal tragedy ("they just happen to be men") is sending them right back inside the cinematic closet.
« Last Edit: June 28, 2010, 03:01:35 PM by BayCityJohn »

Offline janjo

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Re: BBM General Discussion 2
« Reply #871 on: June 28, 2010, 03:38:04 PM »
Brokeback Mountain was both specific and general. Of course it was about two gay men, of course it was an overdue story that had been waiting to be told. A revelation of the truth to all people gay and straight. But it was also about mortality and love, denial and emotion, and that affected all of us.
It was not just gay people who emerged blinking back into real life with tear streaked faces wondering what had hit them.
Brokeback short stories at storybyjanjo.livejournal.com

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Offline kathy

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Re: BBM General Discussion 2
« Reply #872 on: June 28, 2010, 04:18:44 PM »
A question was posted on Yahoo this week:

In Brokeback Mountain, one of the guys says 'Heres a stick, you might want to bite down on it'. What is the meaning behind this line?

http://uk.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20100628082116AArjrTR

**But - this line is not in the ss or film. What is  Yahoo doing by posting this "line" anyway - it's a made up line.  Are they trying to be funny or something -  or worse - derogatory about BBM?   >:( 
I just don't get it at all**.  ???   
kathy   
"Tell you what...the truth is...sometimes I miss you so much I can hardly stand it".

Offline BayCityJohn

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Re: BBM General Discussion 2
« Reply #873 on: June 28, 2010, 04:20:55 PM »
**But - this line is not in the ss or film. What is  Yahoo doing by posting this "line" anyway - it's a made up line.  Are they trying to be funny or something -  or worse - derogatory about BBM?   >:( 

Yes, I think that was the intention of the person who posted the question.

Offline Sason

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Re: BBM General Discussion 2
« Reply #874 on: June 28, 2010, 04:45:33 PM »
Stepping out of the cinema that morning felt like stepping out into a new world, a world, put simply, with Brokeback Mountain in it.

This line from his article really resonated with me. I can't count the number of times I've thought of an event from my life in the past decade and tried to recall which year it occurred by asking myself, "Was that pre- or post-Brokeback?"

I do the same. Brokeback is my frame of reference timewise nowadays.

Düva pööp is a förce of natüre

Offline Sason

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Re: BBM General Discussion 2
« Reply #875 on: June 28, 2010, 04:50:15 PM »
Brokeback Mountain was both specific and general. Of course it was about two gay men, of course it was an overdue story that had been waiting to be told. A revelation of the truth to all people gay and straight. But it was also about mortality and love, denial and emotion, and that affected all of us.
It was not just gay people who emerged blinking back into real life with tear streaked faces wondering what had hit them.

Well said, Jess!

Yes, specific and general, that's the unique greatness of Brokeback Mountain.

Düva pööp is a förce of natüre

Offline janjo

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Re: BBM General Discussion 2
« Reply #876 on: June 29, 2010, 04:23:05 AM »
I do so understand why our gay friends here think that finally their story had been told, and why they need to own that. But........... I'm not gay, and Brokeback Mountain hit me like a train.
It certainly opened my eyes to the lives and contribution to society made by our gay friends, and just how many gay people there were/are in all walks of life, but also there are many features of the story and the film which are universal and affect all humanity.
Maybe the ultimate legacy of the whole experience is that it brought us all together in love, friendship and support of each other.
Brokeback short stories at storybyjanjo.livejournal.com

"Are birds free from the chains of the skyway?"
Ballad in plain D: Bob Dylan

Offline BayCityJohn

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Re: BBM General Discussion 2
« Reply #877 on: June 29, 2010, 09:59:23 AM »
I do so understand why our gay friends here think that finally their story had been told, and why they need to own that. But........... I'm not gay, and Brokeback Mountain hit me like a train.
It certainly opened my eyes to the lives and contribution to society made by our gay friends, and just how many gay people there were/are in all walks of life, but also there are many features of the story and the film which are universal and affect all humanity.
Maybe the ultimate legacy of the whole experience is that it brought us all together in love, friendship and support of each other.

You Bet!

But what upsets me is when I read reviews and forum posts where people say something like "It's not a gay story, it's a love story". As if the two are mutually exclusive.


Offline janjo

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Re: BBM General Discussion 2
« Reply #878 on: June 29, 2010, 12:36:59 PM »
I agree, and it certainly showed us straight people that love between two people of the same sex is no differerent in its essentials from love between people of different sexes. It seems to me now that I must have been incredibly stupid not to have grasped that in its entirety before, but despite knowing it, it took Brokeback to make me feel it!
Brokeback short stories at storybyjanjo.livejournal.com

"Are birds free from the chains of the skyway?"
Ballad in plain D: Bob Dylan

Offline ConstantReader

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Re: BBM General Discussion 2
« Reply #879 on: June 29, 2010, 07:47:03 PM »
Setting the record straight:

The word bite does not appear in the short story.

The word stick appears once: ...poking the flame with a stick...

Stick shows up in the plural once: ...tossing sticks on the fire...

Other references are:

...dirty spoon sticking out of the can..."

...checked with a horn dipstick...

Offline BayCityJohn

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Re: BBM General Discussion 2
« Reply #880 on: June 29, 2010, 07:57:58 PM »
Screenplay:


"I'll stick with beans"  

"We got a stick this out"

"stick close to them sheep"  (Deleted Scenes - Truck Scene)

Offline Sason

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Re: BBM General Discussion 2
« Reply #881 on: June 30, 2010, 03:33:42 PM »
You Bet!

But what upsets me is when I read reviews and forum posts where people say something like "It's not a gay story, it's a love story". As if the two are mutually exclusive.



IMO it's a gay love story. Some of the elements in it can be generalized, some can't. Internalized homophobia e g, can not be generalized. But the result of it, in this case, can be true for other people/situations too.

That's the greatness of BBM, that despite it's specific subject matter, there are so many levels and aspects of it that the movie affects also straight people, just as hard.

Düva pööp is a förce of natüre

Offline BayCityJohn

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Re: BBM General Discussion 2
« Reply #882 on: July 02, 2010, 01:25:55 PM »
Pride Films and Plays Chicago

We are looknig for performers of all kinds to perform scenes or monologues from great gay screenplays for our benefit at Halsted/Hydrate on August 22. If you have ever wanted to perform a great movie monologue, or have a great scene up your sleeve, send an email to PrideActor@gmail.com with August in the subject line. Thanks!

Offline BayCityJohn

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Re: BBM General Discussion 2
« Reply #883 on: July 04, 2010, 08:52:16 PM »
Reunion Steps in Disrepair...

Today Mouk, royandronnie and Oregondoggie made it up onto Brokeback/Moose Mountain.  they stayed awhile at the I Ain't Queer Site.  Rebuilt the cairn with the faded Ennis/Jack written on the top slab.  Someone had left a small bouquet of Alpine flowers.  Sure more than a one-shot thing we got goin here....

On a serious note, there is the matter of the deterioration of the Reunion Steps at Ft. Macleod.
Peeling paint.  Steps beginning to rot.  WHAT is happening? Seems strange given the owners' acknowledgement that there are frequent Brokeback visitors..  Could Brokeback tourists
be possibly annoying?  The owner did say they mostly don't come into his shop... not that there is a lot of photo merchandise.

Since the town of Ft. McLeod has made an obvious effort to make the streets look attractive (flowers hanging... re-adjusted curbs) perhaps they might be interested in asking him to keep the stairs presentable.  The stairs will last about one more year, in our opinion.

Perhaps the Brokeback fans could make him an offer he wouldn't refuse.  It will be a tragedy to lose the stairs.

On another note: weeds now grow where Jack first got out of his truck.  Posters are gone from both Ranchman's in Calgary and the beef jerky place in Cowley.  And of course the bus depot in Ft. McLeod is closed....
« Last Edit: July 04, 2010, 08:58:26 PM by BayCityJohn »

Offline gnash

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Re: BBM General Discussion 2
« Reply #884 on: July 04, 2010, 09:22:30 PM »
Screenplay:


"I'll stick with beans"  

"We got a stick this out"

"stick close to them sheep"  (Deleted Scenes - Truck Scene)

and didn't jack order sticky rice in the deleted thai restaurant scenes?  ;)



that's sad about the state of the reunion stairs. and i wonder if the locals are getting annoyed with the brokeback tourists. you never know. you'd think they'd like the legacy of the film, but seeing as it's a 'gay' story, maybe they're over it now and want to move on. they should have filmed the scene in the castro. we wouldn't have to worry about it none. i'm just glad they never filmed twilight in my neighborhood and don't have to dodge rabid team cullen fans.........  >:D

perhaps the stairs could be moved somewhere. an interior location in a movie memorabilia museum. there's a recreation of roddy mcdowell's studio city bathroom at the max factor in hollywood. there's a photo of bette davis on top of his toilet tank. she signed it, "what a dump!"

and it's too bad they can't reopen the bus station cafe... they might get famous for their apple pies, they could offer the "cassie burger" and the original "carl dog".

regarding the BBM posters being taken down (were they signed? maybe they were stolen by fans!)... i wonder how many people complained about them. you know how those vocal homophobes can be, unafraid to say what pisses them off... i understand that on the word cloud making www.wordle.net website, people (teachers) email to ask the site owner to remove the "SEXSMITH" font, because "children" use the website. ::)





"Brokeback is about a lost paradise, an Eden."  – Ang Lee