Ang Lee's moving portrayal of a forbidden love affair between two young American ranch-hands has won more plaudits from UK film critics.
Brokeback Mountain, which has already won four Golden Globes and secured eight Oscar nominations, was named film of the year at the 26th London Film Critics' Circle Awards last night. The honour for best director also went to Lee.
Based on an E Annie Proulx short story, the film tells the story of Jack Twist and Ennis Del Mar, two farm-hands in Wyoming, played by Jake Gyllenhaal and Heath Ledger, who meet while herding sheep one summer and fall in love. Constricted by a society that will not tolerate gay relationships, the men both marry, but continue to meet in secret over the course of 20 years.
The latest accolades confirm that the film is on track to be one of the big success stories of the Oscars, where it is nominated for best picture, best actor for Ledger and best supporting actor for Gyllenhaal.
William Russell, chairman of the Critics' Circle Awards, said: " Brokeback Mountain has all the ingredients of a classic love story, except that the lovers are two young ranch-hands who fall in love one summer while herding sheep, but go on to marry and have children, while continuing to meet over the years. Ang Lee has succeeded in presenting this highly controversial situation in an intelligent and sensitive fashion, and secured outstanding performances from the entire cast. It is a feat which has been rightly recognised this evening."
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Brokeback Mountain, which has already won four Golden Globes and secured eight Oscar nominations, was named film of the year at the 26th London Film Critics' Circle Awards last night. The honour for best director also went to Lee.
Based on an E Annie Proulx short story, the film tells the story of Jack Twist and Ennis Del Mar, two farm-hands in Wyoming, played by Jake Gyllenhaal and Heath Ledger, who meet while herding sheep one summer and fall in love. Constricted by a society that will not tolerate gay relationships, the men both marry, but continue to meet in secret over the course of 20 years.
The latest accolades confirm that the film is on track to be one of the big success stories of the Oscars, where it is nominated for best picture, best actor for Ledger and best supporting actor for Gyllenhaal.
William Russell, chairman of the Critics' Circle Awards, said: " Brokeback Mountain has all the ingredients of a classic love story, except that the lovers are two young ranch-hands who fall in love one summer while herding sheep, but go on to marry and have children, while continuing to meet over the years. Ang Lee has succeeded in presenting this highly controversial situation in an intelligent and sensitive fashion, and secured outstanding performances from the entire cast. It is a feat which has been rightly recognised this evening."
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