Known as the “gay cowboy movie” during pre-production, Brokeback Mountain has now come out on DVD with three Academy Awards (director, adapted screenplay and original score) under its belt. This film centers on two cowboys (Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal) who work together one summer on Brokeback Mountain and fall in love. Things get complicated when they return to their lives at home, but they can’t deny their true feelings.
The first three features are interviews that detail how the actors trained to become cowboys, director Ang Lee’s vision for the film and how the original short story of Brokeback Mountain by Annie Proulx was translated into a screenplay. The last extra is a making-of feature that shows details about production.
The interviews are a bit bland and lack enthusiasm, but the making-of feature includes funny commentary about making the movie, as well as things that go on behind the scenes, like Lee on a mechanical bull.
If you’re going to rent Brokeback, watch it for the movie itself, not the featurettes. But to make that Blockbuster rental worth your dime, watch the making-of extra for additional entertainment.
– Franklin Kao