Upon hearing about the divorce, Jack drives to Wyoming and tells Ennis that they should live together, but Ennis refuses to move away from his children. Lureen abandons the rodeo and goes into business with her father, which causes Jack to work in sales. Ennis and Jack continue to infrequently meet for fishing trips while their respective marriages deteriorate. Jack broaches the subject of creating a life with Ennis on a ranch, but Ennis refuses, as he is unwilling to abandon his family and is haunted by a childhood memory of his father showing him the body of a man who was tortured and killed for suspected homosexuality.
Upon meeting, the two passionately kiss, which a stunned Alma inadvertently witnesses. Jack moves to Texas, where he meets wealthy rodeo rider Lureen Newsome they marry and have a son.Īfter four years apart, Jack visits Ennis. Jack returns the next summer seeking work, but Aguirre, who had observed Jack and Ennis on the mountain, refuses to hire him again. Ennis later marries his longtime fiancée Alma Beers and has two daughters with her–Alma Jr.
Before parting ways, Ennis and Jack have a brawl that leaves both of them bloodied. Despite Ennis telling Jack that it was a one-time incident, they develop a sexual and emotional relationship. While initially reluctant, Ennis becomes receptive, and he and Jack have sex in their tent. After a night of heavy drinking, Jack makes a pass at Ennis. In Wyoming in 1963, cowboys Ennis Del Mar and Jack Twist are hired by foreman Joe Aguirre to herd his sheep through the summer on grazing pastures on Brokeback Mountain. In 2018, the film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant". Brokeback Mountain has also been regarded as a turning point for the advancement of queer cinema into the mainstream. The sexuality of the main characters has been subject to discussion. At the 59th British Academy Film Awards, Brokeback Mountain was nominated for nine awards, winning Best Film, Best Direction, Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Supporting Actor (Gyllenhaal).īrokeback Mountain was subject to controversies its loss to Crash (2004) for the Academy Award for Best Picture, subsequent censorship, and criticism from conservative media outlets received significant attention. It garnered seven nominations at the 63rd Golden Globe Awards, and won four awards. At the 78th Academy Awards, Brokeback Mountain was nominated for Best Picture and won for Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay, and Original Score. The film received universal acclaim, in particular for Lee's direction, its screenplay, and the performances of the cast (especially Ledger, Gyllenhaal, and Williams) and was a commercial success, grossing over $178 million worldwide against its $14 million budget. Gustavo Santaolalla scored the film's original soundtrack. Brokeback Mountain premiered at the 2005 Venice Film Festival and was released to theaters on December 9 that year. After Ledger and Gyllenhaal's casting was announced in 2003, filming commenced in various locations in Alberta, Canada in 2004. Focus Features and River Road Entertainment would jointly produce and distribute the film. Lee became attached to the project in 2001 after previous attempts to adapt Proulx's story into a film did not materialize. The film stars Heath Ledger, Jake Gyllenhaal, Anne Hathaway, and Michelle Williams and depicts the complex romantic relationship between two American cowboys, Ennis Del Mar and Jack Twist, in the American West from 1963 to 1983.
Adapted from the 1997 short story of the same name by Annie Proulx, the screenplay was written by Ossana and Larry McMurtry. Brokeback Mountain is a 2005 American neo-Western romantic drama film directed by Ang Lee and produced by Diana Ossana and James Schamus.