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Brokeback Mountain (HD DVD)
Universal // R // January 23, 2007 // Region 0
List Price: $34.98 [Buy now and save at Amazon]
It's an odd feeling, being subjected to more than a year's worth of glowing reviews, ceaseless water cooler chatter, and an unending stream of punchlines and parody trailers before finally getting around to seeing Brokeback Mountain. Writing this review seems like such an unnecessary postscript; I feel like I'm responding more to the endless hype than the film itself, and for a movie that's been discussed and dissected so extensively, I can't 
imagine that I have much of anything new or insightful to offer. So, those readers disinterested in one more review of Brokeback Mountain are more than welcome to skip to the particulars about the film's release on HD DVD.
The film, as if anyone needs a plot summary at this stage, opens in rural Wyoming in 1963. Two cowboys desperate for work -- Jack Twist (Jake Gyllenhaal) and the gruff, laconic Ennis Del Mar (Heath Ledger) -- tend to a couple thousand sheep on the hopelessly isolated Brokeback Mountain. Forming some sort of bond in those conditions is inevitable, and despite Ennis' initial reluctance, their friendship quickly turns physical. They both make some attempt at convincing themselves that they're not gay, but when Jack and Ennis cross paths again several years later, their passion is instantly rekindled. Brokeback Mountain follows the two of them over twenty years, from the doomed marriages they ensnare themselves to lead more conventional lives as well as an inability a repressive society shares in embracing the feelings they have for one another.
One of the key reasons why Brokeback Mountain sparked such a torrent of discussion is because there is so much room for interpretation. Ang Lee doesn't take an oversentimental approach, saddling his actors with melodramatic, twelve page monologues about the meaning of love or drenching the movie in sweeping, maudlin strings. There's no sense of exploitation nor an attempt to further some sort of political agenda. Lee resists the temptation to step up on his cinematic soapbox and preach, instead choosing to craft this quiet, stark film about longing.
Brokeback Mountain doesn't romanticize what transpires between these two men. Ennis in particular isn't a hero or a martyr but a product of his time and upbringing: uneducated, unambitious, and reared in the rural misogyny of the '50s. He's as flawed a creature as anyone else around him. The overly familiar 'gay cowboy' label is a gross oversimplification. In the case of Jake, the wide-eyed optimist who awkwardly flirts with rodeo cowboys and is seen skulking around Mexico for companionship in a fit of sexual frustration, it's less ambiguous. With Ennis, his interest in men extends purely to Jake, and if not for that summer on the mountain, he'd in all likelihood have led a completely normal life,
or at least as normal a life as an impoverished rural Wyoming ranch hand could afford. Ennis had it hammered into him at an early age that such things were not to be tolerated, and he's as reluctant to accept his feelings for Jake as society at large would be. Their stabs at normalcy lead to shattered lives and squandered decades, and there's something I find fascinating about the fact that Ennis and Jake are responsible for the sad decline of their lives as well as those of their families and yet the story realistically couldn't take any other direction.
I found Brokeback Mountain striking in part because it's willing to just unfold...to tell this story without hypersentimentality or feeling cloying or manipulative. Brokeback Mountain progresses not through drawn-out speeches or shoehorned exposition but often by facial expressions and silent emoting. The economy of the storytelling and the tremendous talent such an approach demands from both the director and his cast are truly remarkable. Brokeback Mountain had long ago earned a reputation as one of Hollywood's great unproduced screenplays, and the finished film fully lives up to that promise.
Video: Brokeback Mountain's 1.85:1 high definition presentation is outstanding. Admittedly, the more expansive vistas aren't as revelatory as, say, Seabiscuit; there is a slight tinge of softness to its wider shots, and it's not the sort of release in which every blade of grass is clear and distinct. However, the storytelling in Brokeback Mountain relies so heavily on the expressiveness of its actors that much of the movie is photographed using tight close-ups and medium shots, and the level of clarity and detail when the camera closes
in is often striking. There were several moments where I was so startled by the crisp and richly detailed image that it took me out of the movie, a reaction I very rarely have, and it can almost be too revealing when Ledger and Gyllenhaal are caked in their 'old age' makeup. The slightly grainy texture of the film is preserved on HD DVD, and no flaws in the source material or the authoring could be spotted.
A standard definition presentation is offered on the flipside of this 30 gig combo disc.
Audio: The sound design of this Dolby Digital Plus 5.1 mix is subdued but effective. The use of the surround channels is generally atmospheric and fairly subtle, and a couple of claps of thunder aside, the subwoofer's left with little to do. A shouted line or two of Jake's are slightly clipped, but the film's dialogue is otherwise rendered cleanly and clearly, and the stark, melancholy score is reproduced with equally impressive clarity.
Brokeback Mountain also includes a 5.1 dub in French alongside subtitles in both of the disc's languages.
Supplements: Brokeback Mountain features the same sparse set of extras as the recent two-disc special edition re-release on DVD. None of them are offered in high definition, but the three newer features are at least presented in anamorphic widescreen.
There are several new extras not found on the original DVD release, the most substantial of them being the eleven minute "Music on the Mountain". Gustavo Santaolalla discusses his approach to the distinctive, somber score and how some of this music was not only written before cameras started rolling but influenced Ang Lee's approach to the film. Some of the other artists who contributed their talents to Brokeback Mountain, including Rufus Wainwright and Willie Nelson, are also featured. "A Groundbreaking Success" centers on the response to the movie from both audiences and critics alike, but it's more self-congratulatory than insightful, squandering much of its seventeen minute runtime on the writers and producers noting how bold they were to make the movie the way they did. "Impressions from the Film" is nothing more than a couple minutes of
promotional stills with music from Brokeback Mountain playing underneath.
The remaining extras are all carryovers from the original DVD release, the majority of which are letterboxed but not enhanced for widescreen displays. The only one that doesn't feel like a warmed-over electronic press kit is a six minute piece on breaking the cast in as cowboys. "From Script to Screen: Interviews with Diane Ossana and Larry McMurty" (11 min.) starts off strong, discussing the challenges of adapting a short story with such an epic scope into a feature length film, but it too quickly devolves into an endless parade of praise for the screenplay. There's also a bland 21 minute promotional featurette with little of interest to anyone who's watched the movie and the other featurettes along with a puff piece where the cast and crew lavish Ang Lee with praise. There was a virtually identical extra on Universal's Hulk HD DVD; maybe it's written into Ang Lee's contract that every home video release has to tack on a few minutes of fawning idolatry.
Usually with these HD DVD combos, the DVD side of the disc contains just as many -- and often more -- extras than the high-def side. In the case of Brokeback Mountain, however, the DVD portion only offers the "A Groundbreaking Success" featurette.
Conclusion: No movie could ever hope to live up to the endless amount of praise and astronomical expectations surrounding Brokeback Mountain. Despite the unrelenting hyperbole swirling around it, Brokeback Mountain is by any conceivable standard an exceptionally well-made film and the sort of cultural touchstone that demands to be seen. This HD DVD looks wonderful, and only its anemic, self-congratulatory extras and the inevitability of yet another re-release stand as a deterrent. Those who've already purchased one of the existing releases may be understandably reluctant to upgrade, but otherwise, Brokeback Mountain is Highly Recommended.
The images in this review were culled from the DVD side of this combo disc and don't necessarily reflect the quality of the high-definition presentation.
imagine that I have much of anything new or insightful to offer. So, those readers disinterested in one more review of Brokeback Mountain are more than welcome to skip to the particulars about the film's release on HD DVD. The film, as if anyone needs a plot summary at this stage, opens in rural Wyoming in 1963. Two cowboys desperate for work -- Jack Twist (Jake Gyllenhaal) and the gruff, laconic Ennis Del Mar (Heath Ledger) -- tend to a couple thousand sheep on the hopelessly isolated Brokeback Mountain. Forming some sort of bond in those conditions is inevitable, and despite Ennis' initial reluctance, their friendship quickly turns physical. They both make some attempt at convincing themselves that they're not gay, but when Jack and Ennis cross paths again several years later, their passion is instantly rekindled. Brokeback Mountain follows the two of them over twenty years, from the doomed marriages they ensnare themselves to lead more conventional lives as well as an inability a repressive society shares in embracing the feelings they have for one another.
One of the key reasons why Brokeback Mountain sparked such a torrent of discussion is because there is so much room for interpretation. Ang Lee doesn't take an oversentimental approach, saddling his actors with melodramatic, twelve page monologues about the meaning of love or drenching the movie in sweeping, maudlin strings. There's no sense of exploitation nor an attempt to further some sort of political agenda. Lee resists the temptation to step up on his cinematic soapbox and preach, instead choosing to craft this quiet, stark film about longing.
Brokeback Mountain doesn't romanticize what transpires between these two men. Ennis in particular isn't a hero or a martyr but a product of his time and upbringing: uneducated, unambitious, and reared in the rural misogyny of the '50s. He's as flawed a creature as anyone else around him. The overly familiar 'gay cowboy' label is a gross oversimplification. In the case of Jake, the wide-eyed optimist who awkwardly flirts with rodeo cowboys and is seen skulking around Mexico for companionship in a fit of sexual frustration, it's less ambiguous. With Ennis, his interest in men extends purely to Jake, and if not for that summer on the mountain, he'd in all likelihood have led a completely normal life,
or at least as normal a life as an impoverished rural Wyoming ranch hand could afford. Ennis had it hammered into him at an early age that such things were not to be tolerated, and he's as reluctant to accept his feelings for Jake as society at large would be. Their stabs at normalcy lead to shattered lives and squandered decades, and there's something I find fascinating about the fact that Ennis and Jake are responsible for the sad decline of their lives as well as those of their families and yet the story realistically couldn't take any other direction. I found Brokeback Mountain striking in part because it's willing to just unfold...to tell this story without hypersentimentality or feeling cloying or manipulative. Brokeback Mountain progresses not through drawn-out speeches or shoehorned exposition but often by facial expressions and silent emoting. The economy of the storytelling and the tremendous talent such an approach demands from both the director and his cast are truly remarkable. Brokeback Mountain had long ago earned a reputation as one of Hollywood's great unproduced screenplays, and the finished film fully lives up to that promise.
Video: Brokeback Mountain's 1.85:1 high definition presentation is outstanding. Admittedly, the more expansive vistas aren't as revelatory as, say, Seabiscuit; there is a slight tinge of softness to its wider shots, and it's not the sort of release in which every blade of grass is clear and distinct. However, the storytelling in Brokeback Mountain relies so heavily on the expressiveness of its actors that much of the movie is photographed using tight close-ups and medium shots, and the level of clarity and detail when the camera closes
in is often striking. There were several moments where I was so startled by the crisp and richly detailed image that it took me out of the movie, a reaction I very rarely have, and it can almost be too revealing when Ledger and Gyllenhaal are caked in their 'old age' makeup. The slightly grainy texture of the film is preserved on HD DVD, and no flaws in the source material or the authoring could be spotted. A standard definition presentation is offered on the flipside of this 30 gig combo disc.
Audio: The sound design of this Dolby Digital Plus 5.1 mix is subdued but effective. The use of the surround channels is generally atmospheric and fairly subtle, and a couple of claps of thunder aside, the subwoofer's left with little to do. A shouted line or two of Jake's are slightly clipped, but the film's dialogue is otherwise rendered cleanly and clearly, and the stark, melancholy score is reproduced with equally impressive clarity.
Brokeback Mountain also includes a 5.1 dub in French alongside subtitles in both of the disc's languages.
Supplements: Brokeback Mountain features the same sparse set of extras as the recent two-disc special edition re-release on DVD. None of them are offered in high definition, but the three newer features are at least presented in anamorphic widescreen.
There are several new extras not found on the original DVD release, the most substantial of them being the eleven minute "Music on the Mountain". Gustavo Santaolalla discusses his approach to the distinctive, somber score and how some of this music was not only written before cameras started rolling but influenced Ang Lee's approach to the film. Some of the other artists who contributed their talents to Brokeback Mountain, including Rufus Wainwright and Willie Nelson, are also featured. "A Groundbreaking Success" centers on the response to the movie from both audiences and critics alike, but it's more self-congratulatory than insightful, squandering much of its seventeen minute runtime on the writers and producers noting how bold they were to make the movie the way they did. "Impressions from the Film" is nothing more than a couple minutes of
promotional stills with music from Brokeback Mountain playing underneath. The remaining extras are all carryovers from the original DVD release, the majority of which are letterboxed but not enhanced for widescreen displays. The only one that doesn't feel like a warmed-over electronic press kit is a six minute piece on breaking the cast in as cowboys. "From Script to Screen: Interviews with Diane Ossana and Larry McMurty" (11 min.) starts off strong, discussing the challenges of adapting a short story with such an epic scope into a feature length film, but it too quickly devolves into an endless parade of praise for the screenplay. There's also a bland 21 minute promotional featurette with little of interest to anyone who's watched the movie and the other featurettes along with a puff piece where the cast and crew lavish Ang Lee with praise. There was a virtually identical extra on Universal's Hulk HD DVD; maybe it's written into Ang Lee's contract that every home video release has to tack on a few minutes of fawning idolatry.
Usually with these HD DVD combos, the DVD side of the disc contains just as many -- and often more -- extras than the high-def side. In the case of Brokeback Mountain, however, the DVD portion only offers the "A Groundbreaking Success" featurette.
Conclusion: No movie could ever hope to live up to the endless amount of praise and astronomical expectations surrounding Brokeback Mountain. Despite the unrelenting hyperbole swirling around it, Brokeback Mountain is by any conceivable standard an exceptionally well-made film and the sort of cultural touchstone that demands to be seen. This HD DVD looks wonderful, and only its anemic, self-congratulatory extras and the inevitability of yet another re-release stand as a deterrent. Those who've already purchased one of the existing releases may be understandably reluctant to upgrade, but otherwise, Brokeback Mountain is Highly Recommended.
The images in this review were culled from the DVD side of this combo disc and don't necessarily reflect the quality of the high-definition presentation.
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