Liberal Hollywood’s ‘Unspoken Fears and Unconscious Prejudices’ Doomed ‘Brokeback Mountain’

I don’t usually care which film wins the Oscars, but last night I was rooting for “Brokeback Mountain” so the fact that it lost to “Crash” was a disappointment. Film reviewer Kenneth Turan says what I privately suspected in the Los Angeles Times this morning:

Sometimes you win by losing, and nothing has proved what a powerful, taboo-breaking, necessary film “Brokeback Mountain” was more than its loss Sunday night to “Crash” in the Oscar best picture category…

More than any other of the nominated films, “Brokeback Mountain” was the one people told me they really didn’t feel like seeing, didn’t really get, didn’t understand the fuss over. Did I really like it, they wanted to know. Yes, I really did.

In the privacy of the voting booth, as many political candidates who’ve led in polls only to lose elections have found out, people are free to act out the unspoken fears and unconscious prejudices that they would never breathe to another soul, or, likely, acknowledge to themselves. And at least this year, that acting out doomed “Brokeback Mountain.”

For Hollywood, as a whole laundry list of people announced from the podium Sunday night and a lengthy montage of clips tried to emphasize, is a liberal place, a place that prides itself on its progressive agenda. If this were a year when voters had no other palatable options, they might have taken a deep breath and voted for “Brokeback.” This year, however, “Crash” was poised to be the spoiler.

Movies as exquisitely made as “Brokeback” — I’m talking about the artistry, not the topic — come along once in a generation, if we’re lucky.

“Brokeback Mountain” did not lose last night because “Crash” is a better made film. “Brokeback Mountain” lost because a majority of Oscar voters were uncomfortable with its theme.

As a film geek, I’ll say this: In 50 years — when homophobia is looked at as an old fashioned prejudice the way anti-semiticism is now — “Brokeback” will be in the pantheon of great American films like “Casablanca,” “Citizen Kane” and “Gone with the Wind.” And last night will be considered a low point in Oscar history.

Just for the record, here is a list of the awards “Brokeback Mountain” won:

78th Academy Awards:
– Best Director – Ang Lee
– Best Adapted Screenplay (Larry McMurtry and Diana Ossana)
– Best Original Score – (Gustavo Santaolalla)
59th BAFTA Awards:
– Best Film
– Best Supporting Actor (Jake Gyllenhaal)
– Best Director (Ang Lee)
– Best Adapted Screenplay (Larry McMurty and Diana Ossana)
Boston Society of Film Critics:
– Best Picture
– Best Director (Ang Lee)
Box Office Mojo: The Ten Most Impressive Box Office Performances of 2005: first one [46].
Central Ohio Film Critics Association: Top 10 Films, Best Lead Performance (Heath Ledger), Best Screenplay
Chicago Film Critics Association:
– Best Screenplay (Larry McMurtry and Diana Ossana)
– Best Score (Gustavo Santaolalla)
Critics’ Choice Award:
– Best Picture
– Best Director (Ang Lee)
– Best Supporting Actress (Michelle Williams)
Dallas-Fort Worth Film Critics Association:
– Top 10 Films
– Best Picture
– Best Director (Ang Lee)
– Best Screenplay (Larry McMurtry and Diana Ossana)
– Best Cinematography (Roberto Prieto)
Directors Guild of America Awards: Director of the Year Award – Theatrical Motion Picture (Ang Lee)
European Film Awards: Best Director (Ang Lee)
Florida Film Critics Circle: [47]
– Best Picture
– Best Director (Ang Lee)
– Best Screenplay (Larry McMurtry and Diana Ossana)
– Cinematography (Roberto Prieto)
63rd Golden Globe Awards
– Best Motion Picture – Drama
– Best Director – Motion Picture (Ang Lee)
– Best Screenplay (Larry McMurtry and Diana Ossana)
– Best Song (Gustavo Santaolalla and Bernie Taupin, “A Love That Will Never Grow Old”)
Independent Spirit Awards:[48]
– Best Picture
– Best Director (Ang Lee)
Iowa Film Critics: Best Picture, Best Director (Ang Lee)
Las Vegas Film Critics Society:
– Best Picture
– Best Actor (Heath Ledger)
– Best Director (Ang Lee)
London Film Critics Circle: [49]
– Best Film
– Best Director of the Year
Los Angeles Film Critics Association: [50]
– Best Picture
– Best Director (Ang Lee)
National Board of Review:
– Top 10 Films,
– Best Director (Ang Lee)
– Best Supporting Actor (Jake Gyllenhaal)
National Public Radio:
– Bob Mondello’s Top Films for 2005 [51]
New York Film Critics Circle:
– Best Picture
– Best Director (Ang Lee)
– Best Actor (Heath Ledger)
Online Film Critics Society:[52]
– Best Adapted Screenplay (Larry McMurtry and Diana Ossana)
– Best Score (Gustavo Santaolalla)
Phoenix Film Critics Society:
– Top Ten Films
– Best Performance by an Actor in a Lead Role (Heath Ledger)
– Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role (Jake Gyllenhaal)
– Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role (Michelle Williams)
– Best Screenplay adapted from another medium
– Best Cinematography
Producer’s Guild Awards: Producer of the Year Award – Theatrical Motion Picture
Satellite Awards:
– Outstanding Motion Picture, Drama
– Outstanding Director (Ang Lee)
– Outstanding Film Editing (Geraldine Peroni and Dylan Tichenor)
– Outstanding Original Song (Gustavo Santaolalla and Bernie Taupin, for the song “A Love That Will Never Grow Old”)
Southeastern Film Critics Association:
– Top 10 Films
– Best Picture
– Best Director (Ang Lee)
– Best Adapted Screenplay (Larry McMurtry and Diana Ossana)
St. Louis Gateway Film Critics Association:
– Best Picture
– Best Actor (Heath Ledger)
– Best Director (Ang Lee)
– Best Screenplay (Larry McMurtry and Diana Ossana)
Utah Film Critics:
– Best Film
– Best Director (Ang Lee)
62nd Venice International Film Festival: “Golden Lion” for Best Film
Writers Guild of America Awards: Best Adapted Screenplay (Larry McMurtry and Diana Ossana)

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