Don't worry, Brokeback fans

Rating: 10/10 (19 March 2006)

To listen to some critics, Brokeback's loss on Oscar night meant that it wasn't as important, that it was just a nominee, relegating it to an also-ran status in the American consciousness. But, don't worry Brokeback fans, just let history be the judge. Brokeback Mountain was the best film of the year.
In the long run, winning on Oscar night doesn't really mean much. Many of the films that we now regard as classics were denied the top prize: Citizen Kane, The Graduate, Bonnie and Clyde, A Clockwork Orange, Star Wars, Psycho, 2001, Saving Private Ryan, and Pulp Fiction-just to name a few. Like these films before it, Brokeback was great because it was different, and, in its own way, revolutionary. It felt IMPORTANT in a way few films do. History has taught us that The Academy isn't always right, and this is one of those times it got it wrong.
Brokeback has made an indelible impression on our society. It has brought to the surface a conversation that is often conspicuously absent from our collective dialogue. Whether you wanted to know or not, you've got to admit that you heard a lot about the film. It was everywhere: the TV news, newspaper articles, late night talk show monologues; even President Bush couldn't escape being asked about it. It was hard to go anywhere without hearing some comment about gay cowboys.
Take heart in the film's power to move people in a significant way, one way or the other. It rings true, and for some people that was a little scary. It seems to me that that is the best possible judge of a film's greatness. Ang Lee and his cast were able to truly capture the essence of Ennis and Jack, and the characters they created are destined to become landmarks of American cinema. For those who appreciated it, the film meant far more than Crash's superficial stylishness ever could. No statue changes that.