I keep thinking I'm done with this but I'm not.
Here's another article that takes the viewpoint that Hollywood is one of the most closeted environments, on par with sports and the military. While Hollywood the city is seen as synonymous with the gay lifestyle, the truth is that to be gay (and out) and an actor (and then to play a leading role!) is still taboo in the movie business.
Good writing in this one too.
Boston Globe: Being Straight with the Gay Community
3 comments:
I am sorry but I do not believe that BB lost because it was a "gay" movie. We are knocking Hollywood but the reality is that Hollywood is the one who made the movie.
Ellen and Will and Grace have one Emmy's. Hollywood has opened the door and made it more safe safe for gay people. There are shows on TV weekly with gay characters. Queer Eye for the Straight Guy etc.
Desperate Houswives has a "gay" teenager. In 1974 Chris Saradon was nominated for his role in Dog Day Afternoon. I think Hollywood has done a great service to gay people.
To blame Hollywood and name them as cowards is an injustice. Hollywood has opened the door and allowed gay people into the lives of middle-America.
It is difficult to judge art: what's better a Monet or a Buford Delaney? If one says Monet, are they saying that because they don't want a black artist to win?
I do not think Crash ever received the attention it deserved until Oscar night and I was deeply afraid that Crash would lose to BB because BB had gay characters and was widely hyped.
I haven't seen BB and cannot have an opinion about the movie but maybe, just maybe, Hollywood did the right thing and gave CRASH the award it deserved.
I think people are disappointed because their favorite movie did not win movie of the year; although it DID win three Oscars.
Here's the "funny" part-- I am actually writing about this movie. I rarely make a post about books, music etc., but here I find myself talking about a movie. :)
Anyhow, thanks for letting me ramble. I have a lot of respect for you Julie... a lot. Thanks again.
Hi Julie,
Just a quick hit and run thought and maybe someone else has brought this up but I haven't come across it yet. Maybe BBM lost because alot of folks just aren't quite yet ready for a "serious", "humanistic" look at homosexuality. Rick mentioned that Hollywood has opened the door with it's weekly shows of gay characters but I have not personally taken any of these shows too seriously because they seem to portray homosexuals as caritures, imo, which I am not sure is a "great service" to the gay community. To me, the characters in BBM are qualitatively different then anything I have seen before and perhaps that scares alot of people because now we have to take them seriously which means we can't simply sweep their dreams and concerns under the rug. Just a thought....
Hi Rick and Bilbo. Good thoughts. I tend to agree with Bilbo that gay characters have typically been characterized as "other" - not like me or you or us, phew. Whereas Brokeback makes us consider that they are us. That's more threatening.
Still, I respect Rick's difference of opinion. Many share it.
I am pretty comfortable with the idea that the Academy voted for the movie it wanted to win and did so because they liked it. I have no doubt.
I was listening to Sarah Jessica Parker the other night on late night TV and she admitted that she voted but had not seen Brokeback Mountain. Some are saying that was pretty common this year (from anecdotal evidence cited by bloggers which may not be accurate).
The reason this loss for BBM has generated an unbelievable amount of backlash isn't because Crash is a bad movie. On the contrary, it's because Brokeback Mountain is the most awarded film in history... more than Titanic, more than LOTR.
Those who love the film love it also because it represented such a change in how homosexuality was portrayed and understood on screen. So there is a vested interest in the success of this film for lots of people.
I don't begrudge Crash its win now. I think we learned alot from the whole process this week. and I am back to at least not seeing it in opposition to Brokeback. :) It's a good movie in its own right, even if I still think Brokeback deserved the Oscar.
Jules.
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