'Brokeback' Author Peeved About Oscar Loss
LOS ANGELES (AP) - Annie Proulx, whose 1997 short story inspired the film "Brokeback Mountain," has penned a scattershot blast in a British newspaper unleashing her anger over the film's best-picture Oscar loss.
Proulx criticizes Oscar voters and the Academy Awards ceremony in the 1,094-word rant, which appeared in Saturday's issue of The Guardian, a liberal paper boasting 1.2 million readers daily.
The best-picture Oscar went to "Crash," which focuses on race relations in Los Angeles.
Academy members who vote for the year's best film are "out of touch not only with the shifting larger culture and the yeasty ferment that is America these days, but also out of touch with their own segregated city," Proulx writes.
The 70-year-old Pulitzer-prize winning author points out that "Brokeback," which was nominated for eight Academy Awards, was named best picture at the Independent Spirit Awards one day before the March 5 Oscars.
"If you are looking for smart judging based on merit, skip the Academy Awards next year and pay attention to the Independent Spirit choices," Proulx advises.
She even lashes out at Lionsgate, the distribution company behind "Crash."
"Rumour has it that Lionsgate inundated the academy voters with DVD copies of Trash - excuse me - Crash a few weeks before the ballot deadline," Proulx writes.
She decries the "atmosphere of insufferable self-importance" inside the Kodak Theatre, the Oscars site, and describes the audience as a "somewhat dim LA crowd." The show, she writes, was "reminiscent of a small-town talent-show night."
"Clapping wildly for bad stuff enhances this," Proulx writes.
She notes that "Brokeback's" three Oscar wins, for original score, adapted screenplay and direction for Ang Lee put it "on equal footing with King Kong."
When Jack Nicholson announced "Crash" as the best-picture winner, "there was a gasp of shock," Proulx writes.
"It was a safe pick of 'controversial film' for the heffalumps," she writes, using the elephant-like "Winnie the Pooh" character to describe academy voters.
"For those who call this little piece a Sour Grapes Rant," Proulx concludes, "play it as it lays."
Calls by the Associated Press to Proulx's Wyoming home and her literary agent, Elizabeth Darhansoff, were not immediately returned Tuesday.
Now why would anyone think this is a "sour grapes" rant? Get over yourself, bitch! You wrote a "nice" little story. It was made into a "nice" little movie. HELLO! The movie was about two gay cowboys! You ever stop and think, that maybe, just maybe, the whole world is NOT INTO 2 GAY DUDES on screen! Regardless of the "artistic value", you're subject matter is still TABOO in many circles. Also, ever stop to think or, consider the fact that outside of the numerous "alledgedly" gay movie critics, not as many people thought your movie/story was all that? And obviously, in the real world of make believe, "Crash" is a better movie according to the vast majority of academy voters.
So, in closing, you and all your "diversified followers" etc., GET OVER IT! By the way, you are NOT in the same category as "KONG". King Kong was much better!
PS:I am NOT some homophobic gay basher. However, I am over certain groups of people thinking that "because it is gay, it is special and deserves a special treatment or place". Don't think so!
1 comment:
Right On Bobby! I checked out BOTH movies. Gay cowboys aside, Brokeback was a good movie, but Crash was a more compelling, more textured story and one that I think will hold up stronger in years to come. It's a film that really takes more than one viewing to appreciate the layers and how the characters connect and relate throughout. I turned on a few friends to it who actually went out & bought their own copy. Two points as far as the gay issue: 1) I wouldn't say that living in New Hampshire (author of Brokeback)puts you more in touch with reality and 2)Let's remember that there are plenty of gays in the entertainment industry here in "out of touch LA" who supported the Best Picture of the Year,CRASH.
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