Quote:
Originally posted by DonMichaelCorleone:
Lavinia- it was a joke.
I'm glad to hear that, DMC. A kidding smiley would have helped me to not get you wrong. Sorry

Quote:
Originally posted by DonMichaelCorleone:
But in my opinion, I don't think this movie would get half the publicity that it did if it was about 2 straight cowboys. The Gay Community rallied behind it and every tv or talk show had at least 1 gay person come on and talk about how great it is for the gay community and for the world.
Well, publicity has its own ways and behind any movie there is publicity to support it. The gay community has any right to support the movie because it got a tremendous potential for them. They see the movie as theirs. And rightly so. However I have no particular interest in the political/social impact of the gay-related issues, so I personally don't see at the movie as a "gay thing" uniquely. I love to interpret it more as the story of a denied love (and the devastation, the unhappiness, the solitude this causes, which I can relate very well to) rather than a "gay cowboy story". It could have been about a man and a woman of different religion, or any other forbidden love because of any social stigma (a married man in love with another woman and vice versa, a woman in love with a priest, a woman in love with a much younger man and so on). And even so, if it was portrayed as artistically as BBM was, I would have considered it a masterpiece as well. I personally consider "The remainings of the day" by James Ivory a masterpiece. An extremely underrated splendid movie, starring a gigantic Anthony Hopkins. Here is again the story a denied love. No gays, no pruderies. Just a man incapable of getting out of his own golden cage and the realization of the happiness he had at hand and lost when it's too late.
You asked what if BBM was about two straights? I think it would have been perceived as less "dangerous" and who knows? It would have been easily given the Oscar it deserved. But then again, since this story is the story of two men in love, well, gays are rightely proud of it. And it's ok with me. Art is art. I don't care what community is the sponsor.

Honestly I was hopeful in the Academy there was less bigotry by now, even if somewhere in my mind I had this fear. I'm glad in Europe the "gay love story" did not prevent this movie to get all the recognitions it deserved. I'm especially proud that this movie was first awarded in my country (Venice, september 2005, golden lion for best picture).

BTW, have you watched the movie?

I don't want realism. I want magic! Yes, yes, magic. I try to give that to people. I do misrepresent things. I don't tell the truth. I tell what ought to be truth (Blanche/A streetcar named desire)