Selected from among the most compelling writing on The Ultimate Brokeback Forum, the stories in Beyond Brokeback: The Impact of a Film convey the remarkable power of the film Brokeback Mountain to affect the lives of all sorts of people—straight and gay, old and young, male and female—on six continents. Ranging from the amusing to the emotionally devastating, the pieces collected in Beyond Brokeback crystallize the deep, frequently life-changing reactions of its often-unsuspecting viewers.

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Product Description

Beyond Brokeback is a sampling of deeply moving personal stories prompted by Annie Proulx's short story Brokeback Mountain and the Ang Lee film which it inspired; a movie in which the ravages of self-denial are portrayed with unique frankness and realism. These stories, selected from contributions to an online forum dedicated to Brokeback Mountain at davecullen.com, describe the fears, hopes and aspirations of those readers and viewers for whom Brokeback Mountain is a revelation. Here, the cathartic power of great writing and great film making is clearly evident. No other story or film has inspired so many of its audience to personal positive change.

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Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #875601 in Books
• Published on: 2007-04-02
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 256 pages

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Customer Reviews

A beautiful and astonishing collection
How many movies do you know of that inspired some of their audience to write and publish a book of personal history, poetry, and accounts of how their lives and perceptions were changed by seeing it? How many provoked months of reaction and debate all over the USA and then throughout the world? How many have led to development of a high school curriculum, a raft of scholarly articles, and the growth of political awareness and activism within 18 months of release?

I can only think of one: Brokeback Mountain. This book attests to the power of the movie. The authors are intelligent, articulate and thoughtful, gay, lesbian, bisexual, and straight, male and female. They range in age from 19 to 70, and come from places as diverse as Finland and Turkey, as well as most of the United States. It's beautifully designed and produced almost entirely by volunteers.

If you wondered what all the fuss was about in 2006 when this film won just about every Best Picture award going except for the Oscar, or doubt that any movie could have an enormous personal impact on a wide audience, read the book. Your life just might be changed, too.

Breaking down the door
Brokeback Mountain opened the door for me into the trials of living a homosexual life within our very heterosexual society. Joining the forum and getting to know so many who have suffered these trials personally, however, broke that door right off of the hinges. What is astounding and heart lifting is how so many people found the courage to tackle these trials head on for the first time in their lives -- because of seeing the movie and reading the short story.

The stories compiled into Beyond Brokeback: The Impact of a Film chronicle 100 or so of these people: looking at life in a different way, resolving to make their own changes, facing the world with a new frame of reference given the lessons learned from Brokeback Mountain.

A Real Sense of Community
This book is inspirational. It is based on the contributions of the Ultimate Brokeback (web) Forum. This was constructed in response to the film Brokeback Mountain, providing a discursive outlet for new media commentators.



Here we find not only a moving and personally rewarding text which presents edited versions of the most impactful web contributions, but also there is a sense of political connectivity which transcends the ephemeral nature of web forums.



This text provides a connectivity which traces personal responses to the film; at the same way it is a pathway to understanding - which is therapeutic.



Through revealing stories of identification, inspiration and intimacy, alongside those of rejection, isolation and loss, Beyond Brokeback challenges stereotypical ideas as to the extents and depths of homosexual lives.



Most importantly, Beyond Brokeback provides a real sense of an "inclusive" gay and lesbian community - which seems denied to many living in isolation.