Since I want to talk about motivation, I want to talk about “Brokeback Mountain.” And not about my motivation to see it.
Wife, a friend, and I saw “Brokeback Mountain” a few days ago, and after seeing it, wondered what all the fuss was about. OK, it’s a big-budget epic involving two gay characters, a first for Hollywood. But it’s still your basic love story, except with two guys, who can never be together because of the times in which they live. (Think of “Roman Holliday” without Audrey, Rome, Eddie Albert, or comedy). Lots of gorgeous scenery, horses, sheep, drinking, smoking, mumbling, averted stares. Just happens to be two guys.
Sadly, “Brokeback Mountain” moves about as fast as a vehicle in the middle of a ten-car pileup. The movie is all about love unfulfilled, love repressed, love stymied. Nobody is ever happy. This seems to be Ang Lee’s stock in trade. “Sense and Sensibility.” “The Wedding Banquet.” “The Ice Storm.”
Give me one good reason
Even in the totally awesome “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon,” the central tenet is that love does not conquer all. “Brokeback Mountain” is “Crouching Tiger” without any ass-kickin’ fights. I mean, if Chow Yun-Fat could not find it in his bones to jump Michelle Yeoh, he musta been seriously repressed.
There’s almost no sex in “Brokeback Mountain,” which even us straight men could have watched more of, if only to break up the boredom. (At least, a lot more hot man-on-man action* would make angry homophobes patently crawl with disgust — because they might like it.)
The specific motivations of the two cowpokes stuck up on Brokeback tending sheep, Ennis and Jack, are never given voice. We’re supposed to infer their hidden desire by sideways glances and furtive looks. And the fact that Ennis speaks an entire sentence to Jack.
As they share a tent one night in the mountains, they give in to their nature, and, though they proclaim they ain’t queer, it was a one-shot deal, their proclamation is about as convincing as me telling Wife, “Oh, my forgetting to flush the toilet — don’t worry, that was a one-shot deal.”
Their subconscious motivation — they’re gay, they’ve fallen in love, and opportunity presented itself — is obvious, even if they aren’t aware of it. And that is what I find interesting.
Motivation is the point, and it’s a sore spot of mine when it comes to writing. Because I’m lousy at it, and don’t think enough about it. Unfortunately, knowing a character’s motivations is about 95 percent of the battle.
In a fiction workshop, when one is asked the reason why one of your characters slept with his best friend’s girl or blew everyone away with a Kalashnikov or masturbated on the front lawn of his junior high school in front of Principal Skinner, the worst answer you can give, the one that will earn the most scorn of teacher and students and make you look like a Blithering Idiot is, “He did it because he just did.”
Sadly, yours truly was the one uttering those blasphemous words. As a young writer, the idea that characters needed motivation was alien to me. They did what they did because that’s what they did. Jesus Christ! Isn’t it obvious? But such insouciance does not a good writer make. Even if it’s not clear to the reader, the writer needs to know what makes their characters tick, beyond the usual lust for power type of stuff, which we know makes all men tick.
Actors totally have it over writers here. You go into any Acting 101 class, and you hear the same mantra everywhere: what’s the character’s motivation? Why is she doing this? What does she want out of this situation, this person, this life? Why does Ennis want to shag Jack, then keep him at arm’s length?
My motivation for writing this blog, for instance, is to garner all the power, wealth, fame, money, and chix that I can lay my grimy, ink-stained hands upon. (It’s working really well). That’s the only reason I write. That’s the only reason I live.
Don’t tell Wife.
*(I do not use the phrase “hot man-on-man action” as a cheap way to attract people looking for sexual content via search engines. I mean, if there’s hot man-on-man action, there’s hot man-on-man action, and no amount of mentioning hot man-on-man action is going to eliminate hot man-on-man action that’s in hot man-on-man action. I mean, hot man-on-man action.)
Well then BF, can you tell me why it’s banned from cinemas in my town??
Get this, a local fedral member reckons we don’t have gay cowboys in Queensland Australia LOL……dopey bastard.
Well then BF, can you tell me why it’s banned from cinemas in my town??
Get this, a local fedral member reckons we don’t have gay cowboys in Queensland Australia LOL……dopey bastard.
Well then BF, can you tell me why it’s banned from cinemas in my town??
Get this, a local fedral member reckons we don’t have gay cowboys in Queensland Australia LOL……dopey bastard.
Thanks for this post. I also thought Brokeback was underwritten and lacked movtivation. Not to mention the need for about 25 minutes hitting the cutting room floor. It’s beautifully shot and I think Heath Ledger plays pent-up, repressed homosexual well, but overall the film left me a bit bored. Maybe some more of that “spit-lube, man on man, tent sex” would have helped spice it up.
I’m curious about the short story by Annie Proulx which the movie is based on. Have you read it?
michelle: this i don’t get. i guess queensland is a bit behind the rest of australia. when i was there, there was a big row between sydney and melbourne about which had the better gay pride parade. you basically had civic leaders screaming, “we’re gayer!” “no, WE’RE gayer!” it really was amazing.
collin: right on. about 25 minutes less would have been much more. i also think that every movie should have more hot spit-lube sex — gay, straight, otherwise.
glitz: i have not read the short story, but wife has, and she reports that it is far more satisfying than the movie; i was surprised to hear that the story covers the exact amount of time (25 years or so) in just 20 pages. if you’re talented, you can get away with doing that…
Thanks for this post. I also thought Brokeback was underwritten and lacked movtivation. Not to mention the need for about 25 minutes hitting the cutting room floor. It’s beautifully shot and I think Heath Ledger plays pent-up, repressed homosexual well, but overall the film left me a bit bored. Maybe some more of that “spit-lube, man on man, tent sex” would have helped spice it up.
Thanks for this post. I also thought Brokeback was underwritten and lacked movtivation. Not to mention the need for about 25 minutes hitting the cutting room floor. It’s beautifully shot and I think Heath Ledger plays pent-up, repressed homosexual well, but overall the film left me a bit bored. Maybe some more of that “spit-lube, man on man, tent sex” would have helped spice it up.
I’m curious about the short story by Annie Proulx which the movie is based on. Have you read it?
I’m curious about the short story by Annie Proulx which the movie is based on. Have you read it?
Great post. I fell asleep during Lee’s THE ICE STORM while watching it at home. I didn’t like the parts I saw when awake and had no urge to watch it again to see what I missed.
BM sounds like a variation of the dreadful Merchant Ivory formula. A film designed for the Oscar voters.
michelle: this i don’t get. i guess queensland is a bit behind the rest of australia. when i was there, there was a big row between sydney and melbourne about which had the better gay pride parade. you basically had civic leaders screaming, “we’re gayer!” “no, WE’RE gayer!” it really was amazing.
michelle: this i don’t get. i guess queensland is a bit behind the rest of australia. when i was there, there was a big row between sydney and melbourne about which had the better gay pride parade. you basically had civic leaders screaming, “we’re gayer!” “no, WE’RE gayer!” it really was amazing.
collin: right on. about 25 minutes less would have been much more. i also think that every movie should have more hot spit-lube sex — gay, straight, otherwise.
glitz: i have not read the short story, but wife has, and she reports that it is far more satisfying than the movie; i was surprised to hear that the story covers the exact amount of time (25 years or so) in just 20 pages. if you’re talented, you can get away with doing that…
collin: right on. about 25 minutes less would have been much more. i also think that every movie should have more hot spit-lube sex — gay, straight, otherwise.
glitz: i have not read the short story, but wife has, and she reports that it is far more satisfying than the movie; i was surprised to hear that the story covers the exact amount of time (25 years or so) in just 20 pages. if you’re talented, you can get away with doing that…
I’ll take Merchant-Ivory’s brilliant “Maurice” over Brokeback anyday!
Great post. I fell asleep during Lee’s THE ICE STORM while watching it at home. I didn’t like the parts I saw when awake and had no urge to watch it again to see what I missed.
BM sounds like a variation of the dreadful Merchant Ivory formula. A film designed for the Oscar voters.
Great post. I fell asleep during Lee’s THE ICE STORM while watching it at home. I didn’t like the parts I saw when awake and had no urge to watch it again to see what I missed.
BM sounds like a variation of the dreadful Merchant Ivory formula. A film designed for the Oscar voters.
I’ll take Merchant-Ivory’s brilliant “Maurice” over Brokeback anyday!
I’ll take Merchant-Ivory’s brilliant “Maurice” over Brokeback anyday!
You’ve garnered a chick here-doubt your wife has any reason to worry though!
I think EVERYTHING needs more hot nasty sex.
Mm, sex.
And really, my entire motivation for wanting to see it is to see Heath and Jake kiss.
Someone needs to tell Mr. Lee that.
You’ve garnered a chick here-doubt your wife has any reason to worry though!
I think EVERYTHING needs more hot nasty sex.
Mm, sex.
And really, my entire motivation for wanting to see it is to see Heath and Jake kiss.
Someone needs to tell Mr. Lee that.
You’ve garnered a chick here-doubt your wife has any reason to worry though!
I think EVERYTHING needs more hot nasty sex.
Mm, sex.
And really, my entire motivation for wanting to see it is to see Heath and Jake kiss.
Someone needs to tell Mr. Lee that.
I agreed with your review – I didn’t see what all the critical snake dancing was about. I kept expecting some explosion – like Ennis’s daughter learning the truth – waiting for violence that never happened. It really needed a script written by Thomas Hardy.
Speaking of the explosion that never happened, what woman waits until Thanksgiving Day 2 years after the divorce to day, “Oh, by the way, I knew all about your male lover”??
peter: you know, i like ang lee, just he falls in love with his characters’ sadness sometimes. don’t think it’s a merchant-ivory thing, though i would have liked them do a martial arts flick.
collin: maurice over brokeback? what about “the hills have eyes”?
madame d: don’t worry about wife. she doesn’t have to know. (and i liked your homer simpson mmm, sex..).
gail white: i think that hardy (one of my faves) would have been a brilliant screenwriter — i think of “the mayor of casterbridge” and selling one’s family…he knew how to pack a punch.
i’ll tell you what woman waits. it’s a woman who is silent as the wyoming plain, as pained as her broken heart, and who is, off the set, boinging heath ledger and has his baby…
I agreed with your review – I didn’t see what all the critical snake dancing was about. I kept expecting some explosion – like Ennis’s daughter learning the truth – waiting for violence that never happened. It really needed a script written by Thomas Hardy.
Speaking of the explosion that never happened, what woman waits until Thanksgiving Day 2 years after the divorce to day, “Oh, by the way, I knew all about your male lover”??
I agreed with your review – I didn’t see what all the critical snake dancing was about. I kept expecting some explosion – like Ennis’s daughter learning the truth – waiting for violence that never happened. It really needed a script written by Thomas Hardy.
Speaking of the explosion that never happened, what woman waits until Thanksgiving Day 2 years after the divorce to day, “Oh, by the way, I knew all about your male lover”??
peter: you know, i like ang lee, just he falls in love with his characters’ sadness sometimes. don’t think it’s a merchant-ivory thing, though i would have liked them do a martial arts flick.
collin: maurice over brokeback? what about “the hills have eyes”?
peter: you know, i like ang lee, just he falls in love with his characters’ sadness sometimes. don’t think it’s a merchant-ivory thing, though i would have liked them do a martial arts flick.
collin: maurice over brokeback? what about “the hills have eyes”?
madame d: don’t worry about wife. she doesn’t have to know. (and i liked your homer simpson mmm, sex..).
gail white: i think that hardy (one of my faves) would have been a brilliant screenwriter — i think of “the mayor of casterbridge” and selling one’s family…he knew how to pack a punch.
i’ll tell you what woman waits. it’s a woman who is silent as the wyoming plain, as pained as her broken heart, and who is, off the set, boinging heath ledger and has his baby…
madame d: don’t worry about wife. she doesn’t have to know. (and i liked your homer simpson mmm, sex..).
gail white: i think that hardy (one of my faves) would have been a brilliant screenwriter — i think of “the mayor of casterbridge” and selling one’s family…he knew how to pack a punch.
i’ll tell you what woman waits. it’s a woman who is silent as the wyoming plain, as pained as her broken heart, and who is, off the set, boinging heath ledger and has his baby…
Well, the Oscars will show just how much you know. The short story was equally good.
Well, the Oscars will show just how much you know. The short story was equally good.
Well, the Oscars will show just how much you know. The short story was equally good.
OK, I’m here for the hot man-on-man action. When do we start?
….am I late?
brian f.: it’s never too late for hot man-on-man action. unfortunately, it’s not taking place here. not that there’s anything wrong.
OK, I’m here for the hot man-on-man action. When do we start?
….am I late?
OK, I’m here for the hot man-on-man action. When do we start?
….am I late?
brian f.: it’s never too late for hot man-on-man action. unfortunately, it’s not taking place here. not that there’s anything wrong.
brian f.: it’s never too late for hot man-on-man action. unfortunately, it’s not taking place here. not that there’s anything wrong.