a cinematic milestone

Rating: 10/10 (9 January 2006)

This is a beautiful film. It is full of passion. It is based on a punch-packing short-story which I read a couple of years ago. When I heard who had been cast in the movie version I was sceptical. I shouldn't have been. It staggers me that the members of this young cast have found in themselves the depths of pain that they show. The final scene between Jack and Ennis is heartbreaking. The scenes between Jack's parents (Roberta Maxwell and Peter McRobbie - both superb) and Ennis are devastating. And the scene where Ennis finds what he thought he had lost moves the whole event into the realm of tragedy. Tears are the only option. Heath Ledger is given the difficult task of leading us through this agonising final section, and he delivers in a way that I just can't imagine any other actor of his generation coming anywhere near. Astonishing, unforgettable. Both he and Jake Gyllenhaal seem to be completely unafraid of finding these extremes of love and rage, tenderness and desperation, in themselves. The screenplay is excellent, overcoming every difficulty in the adaptation with skill and sensitivity - it must be one of the most faithful screen adaptations of a work of fiction ever made. The photography is as breathtaking as the scenery it captures. The use of music is exemplary - I can't think of a contemporary movie that deploys its score so tactfully. The whole project has been handled with sensitivity and compassion. It's a great work of art. It's a cinematic milestone. It will stay with me forever. My awed congratulations to all concerned, especially Annie Proulx - wherever did she get this idea?! - and the magnificent Ang Lee.
Postcript, 22nd January 2008: RIP, Heath Ledger. Sad, sad news.