'Brokeback' DVD lacks dynamic twists
DVD features take an inside look into the film, but prove humble despite major Hollywood hype
By Lisa Roney, staff writer
Posted on April 10, 2006

Seeing as it was one of the most controversial movies of last year, one would assume that the “Brokeback Mountain” DVD would contain in-depth revelations of filming a new twist on a classic forbidden love story.

The minuscule four features that are included, however, mirror the look and feel of the film itself. “On Being a Cowboy” spends a little over five minutes looking at the “cowboy camp” stars, Heath Ledger (“Casanova”), Jake Gyllenhaal (“Jarhead”) and Anne Hathaway (“The Princess Diaries”), went through to become genuine horse riders. Professional bull riders and mechanical bulls were used for both Gyllenhaal’s and Hathaway’s rodeo scenes.

“Directing from the Heart: Ang Lee” spends almost eight minutes discussing the director’s (“Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon”)emotional involvement with the film.  The most important topic discussed is Lee’s determination to take the film to a metaphysical level, and to not let it just be a soul-less “gay cowboy movie.”

“From Script to Screen” is the dullest of the features, taking 11 minutes to talk about the original short story’s 1997 publication in The New Yorker and the immediate move to turn it into a screenplay. Nothing of any substance is said, only repetitive praises of the fiction.

“Sharing the Story: The Making of Brokeback Mountain” is a documentary special originally made for television, and just stuck on the end of the DVD as a sum-up of the entire movie. The 20-minute documentary summarizes the whole story (so don’t watch this if you haven’t watched the movie), includes interviews with the cast and crew and is the most colorful, vibrant and humorous of the features, making it feel inferior to an otherwise humble DVD.

The film itself is much better than its bonus features. Everyone on screen gives amazing performances. This is the first movie in a while that actually deserves all the critical praise it has received for being a beautiful, touching tearjerker whose taboo content may repel some and draw in others.