Table of Contents
The thesis of the essay: In this paper focuses on the androcentrism, and the conflict of ideal between the two main protagonists in Brokeback Mountain. In a society that oppose homosexual, we will explore ideologies behind the two main protagonists and analyze Western & Melodrama Genres in the film.
Introduction of western genres and Brokeback Mountain
Brokeback Mountain is a film directed by Ange lee and was released in 2005 that indicates favoring of males over the females (Ebright 797). This documentary concerns two men named Jack Twist (real name is Jake Gyllenhaal) and Ennis Del Mar (real name is Health ledger) (Ebright 796). These men got a job of looking after sheep’s in the summertime on Brokeback Mountain in Wyoming. It is a homosexual love related to the western film that overthrows several typical ancient elements of the film of the west genre. The film is a representation of a dualistic character of two males that are involved in a socially intolerable love affair (Ebright 796). Such genres represent typically the conquest of the wilderness as well as the relegation of the nature representing civilization as well as the seizure of territorial rights of the first residents of the frontier (Creekmur 106). Western genres are set in specific areas like the ranch houses, jail, abandoned homesteads, livery stable, isolated forts as well as the saloon. They may even be set in the Native American sites as well as the villages. Other widely used elements are hanging trees, stagecoaches, Stetsons as well as spurs, cattle that have long horns, saddles and buckskins among others. These films are referred to as the horse opera, which reveals a lot of American past mostly praising the past fading values as well as ambitions (Creekmur 107). The primary plot of these films is the maintenance of law and order, which is usually, based on an archetypal conflict of good versus evil, man versus women others. This documentary exercises a lot of confusion, impatience as well as pain as it focuses on two motifs of melodrama to express as well as work through this extra trouble. The melodramatic mode in the film is created through historical circumstances involving loss and separation, pathos and feebleness, suffering as well as disappointment. Melodrama is used in relating the current issues of homophobia as well as a closet. Different structures falling under melodrama genre are used in this form. They include the use of music in intensifying emotions, disagreements in opinion as well as the timing of chronicle events that are organized in a manner to induce tears. This melodramatic form gives the film room to reveal the history of injury, regressive feelings besides affectivity belief. The resolutions of melodrama that are perfect in bringing out the subjects of shame, confidentiality, distrust, sequential irreversibility, and passivity.
Introduction and analysis of Ennis and Jack’ ideologies
The film represents different ideologies between the two protagonists. Jack has the feeling that homosexuality is good while Ennis, on the other hand, feels that it’s not acceptable due to how he was brought up. Jack is therefore sexually attracted to Ennis. This resulted in a great manly craving despite the fact that Ennis was against it. Ennis is completely against homosexuality, and he even went ahead to marry. Later jack looks Ennis just to have intimacy with him, and it seems that even Ennis was happy about it (Johnson 133). This film reveals men will always do want they want to fulfill their desires. According to this film, the majority of men normally enjoy being intimate with new partners without minding the feelings of their spouses. This is a sharp indication of how men dominate and suppress women. From the film, the majority of the men can have casual intimacy and prevent it from affecting their major relationships. The film portrays men as superiors in that women have no say. Jack behavior may make him be considered as a sex predator. However, he acts just like the way many other men act (Johnson 133). Ennis was just a victim of Jack’s behavior as he looked for Ennis and moved the relationship to the next level.
Analysis of movie Prop
A prop is an object touched by an actor while performing and is meant either to reveal something to the audience or even to hide other things (Martin 144). The actors in the film used different props. Some of them include the rifle, the paper bag, the shirts, the coffeepot as well as cigarettes. At the start of the film, Ennis carried all his stuff in a torn brown paper bag. However, towards the end of the film, Ennis del is awarded another paper bag where he brought his two shirts, which were the only leftovers of his unending love for his life. In the 20 years, he changes significantly between the two brown papers. At the start of the film in 1963, he is much damaged to the extent of looking like a person who has been abused. Both Jack and Ennis carried a rifle while working on the broke mountain (Martin 144). This gun was referred to as by their boss, Aguirre (real name Randy Quaid) as 30-30. There is also an unidentified rifle that hung on a gun rack in Jack’s youthful room, and no, there are scant details about the riffle. When talking about a love story regarding a gay couple whereby the partners cannot explain their affection for each other, anything undeclared it is taken seriously. In the film, we come across two shirts that have blood, which triggers us to think hard. There were two shirts, one belonging to Jack and having blood while the other is for Ennis, which he thought that it had gotten lost. The two shirts are kept as a pair of skins by Jack with one being inside of the other hence making it two in one (Martin 144). The fact that Jack’s father would not permit him to have the ashes makes the shirts Ennis only link to Brokeback Mountains. This makes them act as a convenient version of Brokeback Mountain as well as the restricted affection and lasting love that it signifies. They are interwoven just like Jack, Ennis, and forms the part of the past as opposed to the present that Ennis would never go back to after the death of Jack. Because Ennis cannot throw away the shirts, he just hung them on the wall, which usually reminds him of Jack and the fact that he can never have him. Another prop is cigarettes whereby the actors smoked throughout the film. The actors frequently passed the coffeepot as they shared the liquor. This sharing was used in showing the union of the actors throughout the movie.
Analysis of the end of film (character, plot）
At the end of the film, unrealistic things happen, and audiences are left with many questions that they had created for themselves. One of the men, Jack, is killed at the end of the film. In the contemporary world, ideologies would argue that his death was not justified (Creekmur 107). However, the audience feels that during that period, the execution could not have been given a chance. One of the scenes shows Ennis asking the whereabouts of his lover. He even calls the widow left by Jack asking for his location. The film creator knowingly protected his awareness concerning the events and achieved this through the widow. Despite the fact she knew how Jack had been killed as well as his sexuality, she had to lie that he died from an accident. This could not have been out of spite, but the fact that she realized that her husband had been having outside affairs. This shows how women are considered as lesser beings by their male counterparts. Nevertheless, she is still respectful and still feels compassionate. One may assume that Brokeback mountain film is a film that tries to ask who among Jack and Ennis is gay (Ebright 796). Nevertheless, the film fails to answer this question explicitly. It toils with different implications and does not even ask the question explicitly. The society as well a culture that surrounds Jack and Ennis pushes their relationship into issues. The community as well as the culture of the audience forces that question into existence for itself. Nevertheless, jack could be taken as explicitly homosexual compared to Ennis though this is not stipulated by the film (Ebright 796). The last scene reveals Ennis smelling the blue denim short left by Jack while staring at a picture of a Brokeback mountain. This captures the audience attention in regards to the emotional qualities of the film. This is inclusive of the unfairness as well as the heartbreak situation as opposed to assertive as well as the political scene of homosexuality.
Annotated bibliography
Fradley, Martin. “Revue Canadienne D’Études Cinématographiques / Canadian Journal of Film Studies.” Revue Canadienne D’Études Cinématographiques / Canadian Journal of Film Studies, vol. 19, no. 2, 2010, pp. 143–146. JSTOR, JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/24411825.
This article talks about the different styles used in filming. The author gives details about different skills used by actors to capture their audience as well as to deliver specific messages. The articles talk about various props used in film Brokeback Mountain. According to the authors, props are among the most used tactics in cinema. The author argues that props help in revealing specific information to the audience as well as appropriate hiding information in some instances. The article postulates that pros are the best stylistic devices that are appropriate in films. This source will help me in understanding my movie of research. It will enable me to think critically, relate different props to the film, and hence understand it well making me have a better understanding of my film of research and thus making my research friendlier.
Johnson, M. K. “The Brokeback Book: From Story to Cultural Phenomenon (review).” Western American Literature, vol. 46 no. 3, 2011, pp. 335-336. Project MUSE, doi:10.1353/wal.2011.0065
A significant part of this article talks about the western American culture. According to the author, western genre is prevalent in the west of American. The article gives detailed information about the culture of the West and provides critical information about the genre of the west. The author provides detailed information about the setting of the western genres including the areas where most of the genres are set. The author gives detailed information about the significance of the specific setting areas. This source will help me in understanding the reasons behind the setting area of my research western genre. It will also increase my writing skills through increasing my literature review work.
Creekmur, C. K. “Brokeback: The Parody.” GLQ: A Journal of Lesbian and Gay Studies, vol. 13 no. 1, 2007, pp. 105-107. Project MUSE, muse.jhu.edu/article/207523.
This article talks about how gays and lesbians are viewed in the society. According to this author, the majority of the nation sharply condemn lesbianism and gays. This is a socially unaccepted association, and anybody found practicing this kind of love much punished. According to the author, same-gender love is a taboo and hence ought to be avoided at all costs. This reference will be critical to my research since it will enable me to gather more information about same-sex relationships. It will allow me in giving detailed information about homosexuality, and it will influence my conclusion and recommendations.
Ebright, R. “Brokeback Mountain by Charles Wuorinen (review).” Notes, vol. 72 no. 4, 2016, 796-797. Project MUSE, doi:10.1353/not.2016.0075
This article talks about the characters and the plot of the film Brokeback Mountain. According to the author, this film contains one of the most recommendable flow. The characters are well conversant with their role, and they have perfected in bringing them perfectly. The author argues that the film has adequately used symbolism and other styles like the melodrama. The significant part of this article illuminates about the film and the manner in which different characters played their roles. The author compares the film with others and concludes that this film is the best regarding the approach of delivery and the manner in which, it brings out the issue of affection. This source will help me in my research through helping me understand the characters of the different actors. Additionally, it will enable me to learn the instances of symbolism in the film and hence improving my knowledge concerning the film and thus enhancing my research work.
- Creekmur, C. K. “Brokeback: The Parody.” GLQ: A Journal of Lesbian and Gay Studies, vol. 13 no. 1, 2007, pp. 105-107. Project MUSE, doi:10.1353/not.2016.0075 doi:10.1353/wal.2011.0065
- Ebright, R. “Brokeback Mountain by Charles Wuorinen (review).” Notes, vol. 72 no. 4, 2016,
- Fradley, Martin. “Revue Canadienne D’Études Cinématographiques / Canadian Journal of Film Studies.” Revue Canadienne D’Études Cinématographiques / Canadian Journal of Film Studies, vol. 19, no. 2, 2010, pp. 143–146. JSTOR, JSTOR,
- Johnson, M. K. “The Brokeback Book: From Story to Cultural Phenomenon (review).” Western American Literature, vol. 46 no. 3, 2011, pp. 335-336. Project MUSE,
- muse.jhu.edu/article/207523. pp. 796-797. Project MUSE, www.jstor.org/stable/24411825.