Brokeback Mountain: How Two Stories Changed History

Today, Film and Television are among the most internationally supported commodities. Financially, their contributions are enormous: both industries are responsible for the circulation of billions of dollars each year. Since their respective explosions into the new media markets during the mid-twentieth century, film and television have produced consistently growing numbers of viewers and critics alike. Sparking debate over the nature of their viewing, film and television are now being questioned in social, political, and moral arenas for their potential impact on an audience. Critics claim that watching films or television is a passive activity in which the viewer becomes subconsciously

With the advent of information technology, the ways different aspects of life work and operate have changed a great deal. Media has always had a great influence in molding the culture of a society. There was a point of time when television and radio were invented and when computer was invented and there was little connection between the two. Time then travelled fast then through the age of cassettes, records, VCDs, DVDs, flash drive and then the internet. Media also started to go satellite on a massive scale and there came a point of time when media and digital communication systems became closely integrated with one another, opening the dimensions to digital media.

First, I applaud the movie for daring to tell a story that nobody else presumed creating. Even in 2005, this was a pretty prohibited thing to discuss. To its credit, the movie follows the original story fairly close, but a details were left out that made all the difference.

Although the best reasons for “going to the movies” are to be entertained and eat popcorn, understanding a film is actually quite complex. Movies are not only a reflection of life, they also have the capability of shaping our norms, values, attitudes, and perception of life. Through the media of film, one can find stories of practically anything imaginable and some things unimaginable. Movie-makers use their art to entertain, to promote political agendas, to educate, and to present life as it is, was, or could be. They can present truth, truth as they interpret it, or simply ignore truth altogether. A movie can be a work of fiction, non-fiction, or anything in-between. A film is an artist’s interpretation. What one takes away from a film depends upon how one interprets what has been seen and heard. Understanding film is indeed difficult.

Film is one of the most influential means of communication and a powerful medium of

“The biggest mistake we have made is to consider that films are primarily a form of entertainment. The film is the greatest medium since the invention of movable type for exchanging ideas and information, and it is no more at its best in light entertainment than literature is at its best in the light novel.” - Orson Welles

“I’m going to make a name for myself. If I fail, you will never hear of me again” Edward James Muggeridge. True to his words he succeeded in making a name for himself and he created the first movie or “motion picture”. Movies are a rollercoaster ride that transcends people into a whole different world fresh out of somebody’s imagination as seen through the genres of horror, drama, and science fiction. The movie business allows people to break through the burden of everyday life. Considering today’s way of life, people would be lying if they did not admit that movies are an influential entity in our culture. Movies have been successful in ingraining values and elements into society. Movies exaggerate, sensationalize and at

Joel and Ethan Coen are one of the most well-known and successful director duos in Hollywood. Winning multiple Oscars and having their cult classics such as The Big Lebowski chosen to be preserved in the Library of congress’ personal collection have caused them to become better know as “the Coen brothers”. While the Coen brothers are know for creating movies that span a large array of genres from comedies to dramas and even westerns some of the small but noticeable similarities include their distinct editing style, recurring actors, and the setting of all of their films being in the United States. By doing this it is evident that the Coen brothers have created a mythical version of the United States in their films that appears very similar but is ever so slightly different from the real world.

Beeban Kidron discusses how we are all storytellers. Our text defines culture as “a learned meaning system that consists of patterns of traditions, beliefs, values, norms, meanings and symbols that are passed on from one generation to the next” (Ting-Toomey & Chung, p. 16). According to Kidron, our cultural identity is created from the narratives of our ancestors. Kidron was concerned that the youth of today did not have a “communality of experience.” Due to technology and the fact that film is the “20th century’s most influential art form” the “FILMCLUB” began in hopes that students would become interculturally competent. Not only have they found that the young people who are participating have become more engaged and inspired, but they have seen “measurable improvements in behavior, confidence, and academic achievement.”

This journal concludes that “While film can be considered an artistic expression, albeit a commercial one, it also crosses into the public consciousness through the influence of its images”. When he concludes the author also points out that film as a medium should be used to inform teachers, students, and parents about individual abilities and social

The film genre of the Western has long since proven to be more about the conflict and showdowns that occur in the storyline. Usually the western genre incorporates traditional western motifs and icons and adheres to those common plot structures of the genre, but Brokeback Mountain is different from what is to be normally expected because it does not seem like a traditional and conventional Western film at all. Brokeback Mountain has several different twists to it, like the more modern take on it – traditionally, characters in Western films were riding horses, but because Brokeback Mountain is a more modern movie, the two characters Jack and Ennis are seen traveling in cars and trucks most of the time. This alteration is very

Marshall McLuhan says, “The medium is the message”. The way media represent the message can have huge impact on people’s everyday life. According to Korstanje Maximiliano (2012) “Movies, films and documental TV programs not only reflect the gaze of directors and players, but also the mind of whole society. Social anthropology discovered from many years ago that movies are associated to the construction of narratives and archetypes which exerts considerable influence in public opinion.” Movies and TV episodes could quietly and deeply influence people’s mind and people were hard to control it.

Films and movies hold much than we can guess, they reveal a lot of vices and rots that are happening in society. Others give a history of a particular society, its beliefs, culture and their standard of living in the society. Films are used to disclose the social responsibilities in a given season and customs, moral values, societal worries and other cultural practices.

In sum, to be effective the message needs movement, color, and human influence. The viewer must feel that they are an active part in the data in order to feel most connected to it. Similarly, this is the case in the viral video messaging and film of today’s world. Kostelnick may not have mentioned film in his essay, but he doesn’t have to directly say it to point out to us just how we can make data consumption a more engaging, empathy-inspired action by pulling from the ways of

Developed economies are called creative or knowledge economies, while developing countries still rely on natural and agriculture resources. Most of them have very undeveloped media industry, furthermore, around one-third of countries in the world don’t produce and film at all, according to UNESCO [7]. A 2004 UNDP report [8] stated that “unequal economic and political power of countries, industries and corporation cause some cultures to spread, others to wither”. Because of the strong correlation between economic development and media production we will hear voices of underrepresented cultures only when they get more economic power.