Brokeback Mountain: Story to Screenplay

I rarely go a day without thinking about this story since I read it. It’s a short read, I finished it in an afternoon without pausing, but I didn’t mind that. It sets out to tell a story and it does, without dilly dallying. It was a beautiful, heart wrenching read. I look forward to finally seeing the movie!

Have seen the amazing movie. Its finally great to read the short story. Such a beautiful story that ends tragically

First published in the New Yorker magazine in 1997, this powerful short story won the National Magazine Award for Fiction and an O. Henry Award. Exploding the stereotype of the cowboy, author Annie Proulx creates a passionate love story between two young ranch hands who believe their love and relationship are unique. Both are nineteen, and neither will entertain the thought that he might be gay ("I'm not no queer...it's a one-shot thing."). In vibrant prose filled with unusual images of nature, Proulx depicts the intensity of their love, which first begins in a high pasture on Brokeback Mountain, where they tend sheep to protect them from predators, and sleep in a tent at night. From the outset, nineteen-year-old Ennis del Mar is so elated with the company of the equally young Jack Twist that he "felt he could paw the white out of the moon." When their attraction suddenly bursts into passion, they feel themselves "flying in the euphoric, bitter air, looking down on the hawk's back." And when, at the end of the season, they bring the sheep down the mountain, "the mountain boiled with demonic energy," and Ennis "felt he was in a slow-motion, but headlong, irreversible fall." At the end of the season, they separate, and over the next twenty years they both live as straight men, seeing each other rarely, and keeping their love a secret. Ennis has never forgotten the time when he was nine and his father took him to see the remains of a gay man who was tortured, then beaten to death with a tire iron. His father laughed about this atrocity, regarding it as appropriate punishment for the man's violation of the "western code." Proulx concentrates on themes and on the intensity of the men's love story, subordinating everything else, including her imagery and character development, to it. The dramatic ending conjures up images from the beginning of the story on Brokeback Mountain and ties all the details together, while the thematic line "If you can't fix it, you gotta stand it," which is first spoken at the story's turning point, is repeated in the conclusion for emphasis. Inexorable forces act on Ennis and Jack throughout the story, some forces originating in nature and some coming from other men--and Ennis and Jack just "gotta stand it." Mary Whipple

First and foremost, this is a very quick read. As a matter of fact, Cliff Notes versions of books are usually longer than this one is. The screenplay for the movie was based on this, and to make it full length, parts have been added. There is no part of the story that is not in the movie. If you have already seen the movie, then nothing is surprising here. The scene where Ennis attacks the rowdy people at the fireworks show and the scenes about the beginning of Jack's marriage are not here in the story. That being said, this story is not lessened by not having it. Whereas the movie had a lot of great shots of the scenery, this book doesn't have that kind of pastoral flair. The focus is on the characters, their reactions, gestures, and speech. I thought this really well done. This is a good story, but I would not recommend buying it as the size doesn't really warrant the money spent for a book. I would recommend purchasing the screenplay before buying this story.

I know this area is for reviewing the book Brokeback Mountain and not the film, but I had to respond to another reviewer's comments about the movie. I found my way to this page because I was so moved by the film I wanted to read the story upon which it was based. I am pretty picky and tough to please when it comes to both books and films, I'm not particularly liberal, and I rented this movie with no expectations beyond that it was a quirky little "gay cowboy movie." IT BLEW ME AWAY. I watched it three times. I can't remember the last time a film affected me like this. It stayed with me for days, mostly thanks to Heath Ledger's haunting portrayal of Ennis Del Mar. This is truly one of the best performances I've ever seen on the screen. This movie cuts to the heart as much because of what is not said between characters as what is said. It has startlingly few gay love scenes, and even those are nongratuitous and brief; in fact, the two male leads have more sex scenes with the women characters than with each other. There is more "gayness" in an average episode of "Will & Grace." I never doubted for a minute that Jack and Ennis were in love, it's in every gesture, every look, and the fact that they continue to see each other for over 20 years despite the risks involved. Remember that men especially in those days were conditioned not to express their true feelings, even when it didn't involve a social taboo. The Jack Twist character only solicits prostitutes because he yearns to be with Ennis but can't. He like Ennis is a homosexual man living in a time and place where he is forced to deny that reality and live a lie. If he was only looking for sex, he wouldn't drive hundreds of miles just because he learns that Ennis got divorced. He is even willing to leave his family to be with Ennis. Calling this a "gay cowboy movie" does it a great injustice. I don't think Ang Lee could have done a better job. It deserved to win the Oscar not because it's "politically correct" or it tackles a controversial subject, but because it's brilliantly written, directed, and most of all acted. If you haven't seen the movie yet and maybe are hesitating because you think it will make you uncomfortable, see it and you won't regret it. And if you're like me and had thought of Heath Ledger as a pretty-boy actor who did costume movies, you're in for a rude awakening. This film is one of the best I've ever seen, and I can't wait to read the story.

Folks, before you buy this book, note that this is a **short** story from "Close Range: Wyoming Stories" by Annie Proulx. People stating distructive criticism towards the "shortness" or the "lack of depth" of the characters should find their time elsewhere. It is unfair to expect the level of character development from a short story. I digress. I normally would not read these type of fiction, but I thought why not. I went over to my university library, checked out "Close Range: Wyoming Stories," and went to the last selection on "Brokeback Mountain." I was speechless with a heavy heart when I reached the conclusion to the story. Wow! Ms. Proulx's style and language is **superb!** Pick up or (borrow) and read "Brokeback Mountain" to feel or get a sense of what I am refering to. I have no words to describe because I am not a seasoned literary reader. My reading is mainly scientific microbiology journals. As Levar Burton of "Reading Rainbow" would say, "You don't have to take my word for it."

A story of love in a place where it is unexpected and how two people can't even name the feeling they have for each other because of the consequences and their own insecurities. The main characters are not written as angels by any means. They're exposed with their faults and failings. What makes the book so haunting is how even when they were together away from their wives they were so emotionally afraid of who they were that they can't come to terms with their identities as evidenced toward the end of the story. Their love is immature but strong which is a testament to the human spirit being able to love even when it has no guideposts. I think Ennis sums it up best - "I been lookin' at people on the street. This happen a other people? What the hell do they do?" Although the issues in the book are much less an issue nowadays, the time and place make for a good read. The anthology stories in Close Range of which this is included are excellent as well. All in all, a tragic story of unfullfilled dreams and only memories of a place called Brokeback. Yes, I even broke a tear at the end which is something for me. PS: There are only two places where the story gets into "mature subject matter" if you know what I mean. It's very brief and doesn't take away from the story for the straight fellas out there. And yes Virginia, there are gay cowboys, know one in Central TX myself. :-)