In case you somehow missed all the attention the film got when released in 2005, Brokeback Mountain is the story of the doomed love affair between Ennis and Jack. They meet in the early 1960s when they’re hired to spend a summer on the mountain, herding sheep for Joe Aguirre (Randy Quaid). Both are somewhat lost in the world, with little family. Unwillingly (particularly in Ennis’ case), they’re drawn together and ultimately fall in love. But it’s the 1960s, and it’s Wyoming, and once the summer’s over, they go their separate ways.
Ennis marries Alma, his long-time girlfriend, and they have two children together. Jack marries Lureen, a rodeo rider whose daddy owns a car business. They have a son together. But neither woman can fill what’s missing in the men’s lives. After about five years, they get back together, and that begins a series of yearly meetings. Lureen may suspect that Jack has other interests, but it’s Alma who sees Ennis and Jack kissing, and she and Ennis ultimately split up. Jack comes to a bad end, leaving behind a heartbroken Ennis, who only then realizes just what he’s lost.
Brokeback is short on dialogue and long on poignant gazes and scenery as heartbreaking as the story. Much of the shooting was done in Canada, and the big sky and towering trees, along with a wrenching musical score, tell much of the story of loneliness and isolation. And the way that scenery looks in high def is the primary reason to buy this Blu-ray. The special features are all retreads from the two-disc DVD that was released a few years ago. But, of course, that was DVD and this is Blu-Ray, 1080p high def widescreen, to be precise. And Santaolalla’s score sounds gorgeous in English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1. (The Spanish and French versions are DTS 5.1.) Subtitles options are English, French and Spanish.
There are a lot of special features, all in 480i/p standard def, with sound in English Dolby 2.0. Most were originally filmed specifically for the DVD release, and include lots of footage with Lee, a number of the producers, and all of the main cast members except Michelle Williams. “A Groundbreaking Success” is the least interesting of the lot, mostly because it goes on way too long in talking about what a statement the film made and how it defied expectations about who would go to see a “gay movie.” “Music from the Mountain” looks at how the score and the songs came together and is quite good, especially followed as it on the disc by “Impressions from the Film,” which is on-set stills set to the music of the soundtrack.
“On Being a Cowboy” looks at how Gyllenhaal and Hathaway learned to ride; there’s some there on Ledger, too, but he came to the film with a lot of riding experience both from growing up in Australia’s farm country and from previous films. “Directing from the Heart: Ang Lee” lets most of the cast talk about what a great director Lee is, while also giving him a chance to talk about his approach to the film. “From Script to Screen: Interviews with Larry McMurtry and Diana Ossana” is just what it sounds like, and most interesting for the insight into how they turned a short story into an epic film script.
The final special feature is a behind the scenes featurette done by the LOGO Network, “Sharing the Story: The Making of Brokeback Mountain.” (Williams does show up in this one.) It’s a pretty standard making-of.