brokeback mountain / modern PR / fagsploitation

so i went to the movies last week (now a rarity for me) and saw the
constant gardener. pretty good film. one of the previews, though, was
for brokeback mountain:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0388795/

got me thinking that this may be the first major motion picture that
treats homosexuality as a truly natural thing, existing beyond the
stereotypical boundaries defined by most hollywood scripts. i never
saw queer as folk, so i can't speak for it, but the only other very
successful outing (no pun intended!) for gays on film has been will and
grace and i view that show as simply the modern equivalent of blackface
comedy routines.

but with brokeback mountain, we see two major stars being directed by
one of the most acclaimed working directors and working on a script
co-written by the perennial western writer. there doesn't appear to be
an ounce of condescension toward the reality of homosexuality by
forcing an obsession with knitting or interior decorating onto one of
the characters. although, if you look at the plot summaries available
on imdb, both skirt the reality of the film, describing the characters'
relationship as "an unorthodox yet life-long bond" and "a lifelong
connection". i'm not sure if they're afraid of scaring off homophobes
or if they're trying to not reveal what they think may be a plot twist.
the preview makes it obvious that there's a romantic relationship, so
it unfortunately looks more likely to be the former.

anyway, i just thought this was an interesting event and it will be
even more intriguing to see how the film is handled once the previews
really kick in on television.

p.s. i was hoping i had coined "fagsploitation," but google tells me i
was beaten to the punch by some other folks.

.

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