People who've followed this journey from the beginning will know that, when I can, I like to group two or three nominees together. This time the films in the double bill have certain things in common such as their romantic nature and the fact that they netted Best Director and Best Score Oscars at their respective ceremonies. However, if I'm honest, the reason that Brokeback Mountain and Slumdog Millionaire are in the same entry is due to the fact that I liked the title of the post.
We start with Brokeback Mountain whose lead characters Jack Twist and Ennis Del Mar are technically sheep herders rather than cowboys but lets not bogged down in semantics. Even if they haven't seen the film most people will have an idea about Brokeback Mountain's plot as the film's title has become synonymous with dubious male relationships. What I can say about Brokeback Mountain is that it has incredibly slow start in which Jack and Ennis meet herding sheep upon the eponymous rock. Eventually realising their feelings for one another, Jack and Ennis begin sleeping together before they go their separate ways over the summer. Where the film got more interesting for me was in director Ang Lee's portrayal of the years following the couple's first meeting where they had to handle their secret whilst trying to go about a normal daily routine. The more reserved Ennis started got married quite early and started a family with the likeable Alma. Meanwhile, Jack took to the rodeo circuit eventually marrying the daughter of a wealthy farming supplies company. However, the pair participated in a number of lengthy fishing trips in which they reigniting their passion for one another. Although Jack wanted to start a new life on a ranch with Ennis he wasn't convinced and was worried that he'd eventually be caught out for his feelings towards a fellow man. Eventually the meetings became more infrequent and the final scenes revealed that Jack died possibly due as the result of a beating. However, the film's closing shot was beautifully realised as Ennis realised that he couldn't let Jack go even in death.
At the time Brokeback Mountain was released on DVD I was working at a video store and rented it out several times but I have to admit that I was never really as crazy about it as other critics. But watching with my 2015 eyes I appreciated the beauty of the film a lot more and feel it was almost criminal that cinematographer Rodrigo Prieto didn't win an award for his capturing of the Canadian landscape. That being said I still hold that the sheep herding scenes were quite slow and I feel that I would've still understood that Jack and Ennis' work was incredibly dull without having to witness it myself. However, I liked following the characters over a number of years and I also enjoyed how the timeline could be best ascertained by how old Ennis' daughters were as well as by the size of Anne Hathaway's hair. The fact that we didn't know exactly what year we were in helped screenwriters Diana Ossana and Larry McMurty to create a timelessness to Ennis and Jack's relationship with their fishing trips becoming more and more infrequent. On this viewing of Brokeback Mountain I really began to understand the characters and their differences between the quiet brooding Ennis and the boisterous Jack. This understanding was bolstered by a duo of fantastic turns from the late Heath Ledger as Ennis and Jake Gyllenhaal as Jack. Interestingly Ledger was nominated as Best Actor whilst Gyllenhaal was in the Supporting category however I think that both should have been put on equal pegging. That being said I feel that Ledger's performance was better as he perfectly portrayed the feelings of a man who said very few words. Michelle Williams was also given a Supporting Actress nomination as Ennis' heartbroken wife Alma; a role that cemented the actress' standing in Hollywood.
All in all Brokeback Mountain won three Oscars including ones for Ossana and McMurty's adapted screenplay and Ang Lee's fantastic direction. Also honoured was the Gustavo Santaolalla's iconic score which is one of the most memorable elements of the film. Going in to that year's Oscar ceremony, which I stayed up to watch live, Brokeback Mountain was the clear favourite to scoop Best Picture. There was surprise then when it went to rank outsider Crash; a film that hadn't even been nominated for a Best Picture Golden Globe the month before. Upon watching both films in quick succession, I have to concede that Brokeback is the better film however I'm not sure if I agree with the conspiracy theorists who blame the right-wing leanings of the Academy members on that year's Best Picture result. However, maybe neither film deserved to win and instead Crash triumphed over a more deserving nominee. Whilst you'll have to wait a bit longer to find out my verdict on the result as a whole, there's no denying that Brokeback Mountain is a beautifully constructed film about unrequited relationships. To me I don't think it mattered too much that the lead characters were gay but instead that these were two people who clearly loved each other deeply. Jack's line 'I Wish I Knew How to Quit You' perfectly sums up the film's central relationship in which neither member could escape their feelings for the other even after death.
While Brokeback Mountain didn't triumph in the Best Picture category the other film in this double bill, Danny Boyle's Slumdog Millionaire, garnered the big prize during the last Oscar ceremony of the noughties. As well as winning multiple Oscars, both films have an episodic structure in which they follow the lead characters over a number of years. Both are also based on best-selling novels, with Slumdog's source material being the book Q&A by Vikras Swarup. It was the interest in adapting Swarup's book that first got Simon Beaufoy interested in the idea and he later took several trips to India; where the film is set. Eventually teaming up with director Danny Boyle the two set about creating a film that has a very complicated narrative structure. The modern day part of the story sees the adult Jamal Malik being questioned by detectives after being suspected of cheating whilst taking part in the Indian version of Who Wants to be a Millionaire? The film then uses the police interrogation as the basis for a series of flashbacks as Jamal explains in detail why he knew the answer to each individual question. I think the level of enjoyment one gets from Slumdog Millionaire comes from how easy you find it to suspend your disbelief. For example it's interesting how the order of the questions allow Jamal to tell his story in a chronological manner. Despite being a contrived story, Slumdog Millionaire at least tells a powerful tale of street children, prostitution and organised crime. At the time one review described Slumdog Millionaire as 'a feelgood film' which is laughable in a movie that contains a cavalcade of bleak moments. However, the film does have an incredibly feelgood ending before concluding with a Bollywood dance routine that feels out of place.
I think it was almost impossible for Danny Boyle to make a film about Indian slums without garnering some criticism from the country itself and indeed that's exactly what happened. Many members of the Indian film industry have criticised Boyle for presenting a westernised view of their country. It's true that at time Slumdog Millionaire does resemble an advert from the Indian tourist board however I do think that Boyle tried his best to create a somewhat accurate depiction of the country. What I really care about when watching these films is how well they're made and if they entertained me sufficiently. I think Slumdog Millionaire did both as Chris Dickens deftly edited the multiple timelines together whilst Anthony Dod Mantle's cinematography was utterly breathtaking at points. The plot structure, in which each part of the film is divided into an explanation of Jamal's reason for knowing a certain answer, didn't bother me as much as it did some others. I also found the character of Jamal an endearing one and therefore his various traumas were easy to sympathise with. In the lead role of the adult Jamal, I think that relative newcomer Dev Patel did his best to anchor the film as he brought a certain naivety to the character. Seasoned professionals such as Anil Kapoor and Irrfan Khan were on hand to bring a bit of experience to the film as the quiz show's host and the lead detective respectively. Praise must also go to the young actors who were absolutely brilliant as the younger versions of Jamal, his brother Salim and the love of his life Latika. Although it possibly dilutes a lot of the issues that it focuses on, Slumdog Millionaire is an entertaining film that's easy to watch. Well-shot, directed and edited with a strong storyline to boot I can't help but admit that I thoroughly enjoyed the film even it doesn't quite have that quality that I believe a Best Picture winner should contain.
Next time we focus on an actor who found success on both sides of the camera.
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