misery loves company
Nathaniel R. of The Film Experience liked Brokeback a lot more than I did, but I think his explanation of the greater sociological significance behind the loss is a good one (and right in line with my own analogy:
In the context of the Academy Awards it feels like a gilded knife in the back. After all, who loves the Oscars more than gay people? That may read as a joke. But it's also a truth. Last year's Oscar host even made a joke about this. In my thirty+ years on this planet I have met hundreds of people who are obsessed with the Oscar race and Oscar night itself. Most of those people were gay. So for those readers who've bravely made it this far but are still scratching their heads wondering why all the drama? hair-pulling? tears? Picture this: The man/woman who you love. They don't love you back. In fact you've just discovered that they'll bend over backwards to avoid acknowledging your existence; the bending over backwards being the breaking with 77 years of past voting habits.
posted by Brian @ 11:20 PM
1 Comments:
My mom was at a workshop with Tom Jenks last weekend. he worked with helping proulx, getting her career started, and he talked to her about the whole oscar thing. My mom relayed some of these conversations -- oscar upset and all. Did you see dave cullen's ad in response to the oscars? I'm in class right now, so i can't seem to compile any coherent thoughts in response to your posts, but i wanted you to know i keep reading them. one of your previous posts actually set off a very interesting reaction in me -- and a reminder of a night back at vanderbilt hall, way back when. it inspired me to do some good, honest writing. i'll share it with you when i get a chance (and the nerve). congrats with the show opening this week! I'll be in the city in july. I know the blog is not exactly the spot to write you personal notes... but... whatever. actually, back on the BBM topic, i watched my own private idaho again last night, and there's a very wonderful scene between river and keanu that reminded me of jake and heath. In many ways, the entire scene in Idaho is stronger than all of BBM in terms of male identity, expression, intimacy. Do you know that scene at the campfire? unrequited love, how men love, challenging the cowboy story. I didn't really get gus van sant until seeing this scene again. (of course, i will always love him for To Die For.) But, it made me think of how we forget that these issues (man on man love, race, gay cowboys...) have been raised before, just not always to the same degree of public power that BBM has generated in the last few months. You're right: Do The Right Thing really changed the landscape of race discussions through film, and beyond it. Crash did not. Crash tells me that we have failed to move forward. BBM does advance the dialogue on gay, masculine issues. I like the film. I like that a lot of people have been touched, have found some intimacy with the characters, have "changed" their lives. I like that all the publicity has helped people get a little more comfortable with discussing the issues, that men loving men doesn't make them not men. BUt, i think it's also important to remember that all these stories have been going on for a long time, and some of them have been told (e.g., by van sant and other writers, artists, etc.). Gay people were not invented in 1969 or 2005 or anything like that. Anyway, i'm just writing this post to say hi. what are you doing in july?
DWB
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