Brokeback Mountain – Why the Oscars Eluded a Cinematic Masterpiece

The Oscars have had a problematic track record when it comes to evaluating films that are uncomfortable in conventional terms. They have a long history of snubbing and eluding pictures with controversial subjects, diverse cast, or are generally not commercial cash cows. 

This phenomenon has been observed over several years. The fraternity broke its silence in the outrage of 2016 when there was not a single actor of color nominated in any of the categories. The hashtag #OscarSoWhite started trending on social media with heavy backlash from the people dissing the industry. 

Since then, it has been a different story and the case is slightly improving with time. One thing that did not fix itself is the token progressivism that they displayed the year Crash won Best Picture. It appears that they did give the award to a film that caters to the inherent racism of law enforcement. This is a controversial topic although it is an incredibly safe controversial topic. 

The Oscars played it safe one more time warranting a lot of outrage from the audience and the film fraternity alike. So much so that Jack Nicholson who announced the award seemed almost shaken in disbelief. 

If you wish to witness some of these moments, you can watch all of the old Oscars ceremonies on demand at Hulu. You can also live stream the Academy Awards on ABC. All you need is a stable internet connection like Cox Internet.  

Now let’s talk about the case of Brokeback Mountain and what the Academy did with it. 

The Result No One Expected

Ang Lee’s groundbreaking masterpiece, Brokeback Mountain, didn’t win the 26th Academy Award for Best Picture. Instead, that year, the Academy voted to give their biggest honor to Paul Haggis. Now largely forgotten, “Crash,” voting membership, a fairly insular and homogenous group, which is arguably the source of one of the Academy’s biggest problems: its tendency to be a little out of touch. 

About the Film

Brokeback Mountain debuted at the Venice International Film Festival in 2005 and was given a wide release later the same year. Based on a short story by Annie Proulx, the film recounted the 20-year romantic relationship of two American cowboys played by Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal. 

Aside from the star-studded cast and their magnificent performance, the premise of the story was incredibly moving. This was a romantic drama film that tackled the topic of living as a homosexual in the neo-western culture. 

This film is regarded as a turning page, integrating queer cinema into the mainstream one. 

Critical Acclaim and Cultural Impact

Now widely regarded as being amongst the greatest films of all time, the movie was celebrated by critics as masterful and poetic and would go on to be an unlikely box office success. At the same time, it was considered a landmark in terms of queer representation in cinema, at a time when LGBT stories were still taboo in the mainstream. 

Controversy and Recognition

Brokeback Mountain’s frank and open depiction of a gay love story made it a controversial and thought-provoking rarity. It was exactly the type of movie a lot of people felt deserved to win the film industry’s most prestigious award, and it seemed to have a really strong shot. That same year, Brokeback received top honors at the BAFTAs, Golden Globes, the Critics Choice Awards, and the Independent Spirit Awards. All of which are usually considered fairly reliable indicators of success with the academy. 

The Shocking Upset

That’s why pretty much everyone, including Jack, was shocked when the Oscar instead went to “Crash.” There have also been reports that due to its subject matter, some voters complained about Brokeback Mountain’s inclusion in the awards or even refused to watch it before voting. 

The Legacy of Loss

That being said, no movie is guaranteed to win, and it’s easy to make assumptions about why any given film may or may not be chosen. Even if they refused to recognize the movie itself, voters were at least willing to recognize Ang Lee for his direction. “And the Oscar goes to Ang Lee for Brokeback Mountain.” But Brokeback Mountain’s loss is now widely regarded as one of the most egregious Oscar snubs in history.