Wednesday, January 18, 2006

Brokeback Mountain

Was so happy to see Brokeback Mountain bagging Golden Globes yesterday. Went to see it the night before I flew back with my sister and brother-in-law. As you know, I'm always heart in mouth about films based on books I've loved. And as you also know if you've read me for a while, Annie Proulx sits on my shoulder when I write and Brokeback Mountain is a favourite of mine. So I had plenty of reason to be scared ...

But the film is as close to perfect as the film of a book can be. Fleshed out the experience of the page. Visually stunning, perfectly cast and as grittily unsentimental as the book.

So erm ... why isn't it on in the cinema in Malaysia? Was it officially banned? Are the cinemas censoring themselves just in case there's an outcry about a "gay love story" (if you want to reduce this soul-touching heartbreak of a film to such a trite little phrase)?

Never mind I suppose there's always the pirates ...

And the book of course, Close Range, with Brokeback and other Wyoming stories.

11 comments:

Chet said...

I read "Brokeback Mountain" (don't ask where I got it) and was completely taken by surprise with the ending and the tears (mine) that came with it. You can say I should've seen it coming, but well, if it had been a woman's story, maybe. This is trully beautifully and sensitively written.

So, do you think we're getting the first Chinese winner for a Best Director Oscar this year?

bibliobibuli said...

Wouldn't be at all surprised if Ang Lee took the Oscar ...

Allan Koay 郭少樺 said...

UiP said they won't even bother trying to bring the film to Malaysia, as they think it's not suitable for Malaysian audiences (ie. won't get past censorship).

BUT, they are going to bring Spielberg's controversial Munich, about the assassination of Israeli athletes at the 1972 Olympic Games, because they think people would want to see it.

someone, upon reading the news, said "hey, i thought there are more gay people in Malaysia than Jews!"

hahaha!

bibliobibuli said...

What a crapulous piece of defeatism on the part of UiP!! Doing the bloody censors job for them ... Any way of fighting this???????

Allan Koay 郭少樺 said...

i. dont. think. so.

u can start a petition. i'd sign it. :)


think i'd rather make a trip to Singapore to see it there.

lainieyeoh said...

...i think it doesn't matter what the story's ABOUT, as long as there's gayness involved :)

Anonymous said...

Our censors aren't the only narrow-minded ones - a major cinema chain in Utah pulled the movie at the last minute too. Here's the Guardian story and a nice article about it by Blurbomat (husband to blog icon Dooce).

Anonymous said...

Idiots, I tell you. They are all idiots!

*goes away ranting and raving about the injustice of it all*

__mars said...

hah, there's always the internet. this is one of those instances which we'll appreciate internet piracy. =)

Anonymous said...

Can't wait for the pirated copy :)

Anonymous said...

Yes,god bless the pirates!Our last bastion of resistance against Retired Civil Servants sitting on a board that decides any movie with gays,sympathetic Jews,werewolves/vampires(Gore-fiends,don't get too excited about those Underworld 2:Evolution posters.I don't think sexy Kate in leather is gonna make it past THOSE OLD BOYS!) and carrying the words BAD or DEVIL in the title is unworthy of consumption.
Good thing I held off filming my script "Bad Devils:Blood Buggers" about 2 homosexual vampires on the run from Jewish Werewolves.
I'll patiently wait for my single layer-DVD 5 to see Heath and Jake get it on once my friendly neighbourhood bootlegger returns from his New Year break:-)You can't beat the price("3 for RM20"!)or the service("any problem can bring back one!").And love those black plastic bags.......