Roger Ebert weighs in on Brokeback backlash

[CBGLuthier]

LOS ANGELES -- One of the mysteries of the 2006 Oscar season is the virulence with which lovers of "Brokeback Mountain" savaged "Crash." When the film about racism actually won the Oscar for best picture Sunday, there was no grace in their response. As someone who felt "Brokeback" was a great film but "Crash" a greater one, I would have been pleased if either had won.

But here is Ken Turan in the Los Angeles Times, writing on the morning after: "So for people who were discomfited by 'Brokeback Mountain' but wanted to be able to look themselves in the mirror and feel like they were good, productive liberals, 'Crash' provided the perfect safe harbor. They could vote for it in good conscience, vote for it and feel they had made a progressive move, vote for it and not feel that there was any stain on their liberal credentials for shunning what 'Brokeback' had to offer. And that's exactly what they did."

And Nikki Finke, in the LA Weekly: "Way back on Jan. 17, I decided to nominate the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for Best Bunch of Hypocrites. That's because I felt this year's dirty little Oscar secret was the anecdotal evidence pouring in to me about hetero members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences being unwilling to screen 'Brokeback Mountain.' For a community that takes pride in progressive values, it seemed shameful to me that Hollywood's homophobia could be on a par with Pat Robertson's."

http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060306/OSCARS/603070301

[MADem]

1. He says what I say--it ain't politics, it is opinion

Yes, and more than one critic described "Crash" as "the worst film of the year," which is as extreme as saying John Kerry was a coward in Vietnam. It means you'll say anything to help your campaign.

What is intriguing about these writers is that they never mention the other three best picture nominees: "Capote," "Good Night, and Good Luck" and "Munich." Their silence on these films reveals their agenda: They wanted "Brokeback Mountain" to win, saw "Crash" as the spoiler, and attacked "Crash." If "Munich" had been the spoiler, they might not have focused on "Crash." When they said those who voted for "Crash" were homophobes who were using a liberal movie to mask their hatred of homosexuals, they might have said the same thing about "Munich."

This seems simply wrong. Consider Finke's "anecdotal evidence" that puts Hollywood's homophobia on a par with Pat Robertson's. Pat Robertson? This is certainly the most extreme statement she could make on the subject, but can it be true? How many anecdotes add up to evidence? Did anyone actually tell her they didn't want to see the movie because it was about two gay men?

My impression, also based on anecdotal evidence, is that the usual number of academy voters saw the usual number of academy nominees, and voted for the ones they admired the most. In a year without "Brokeback Mountain," Finke, Turan and many others might have admired "Crash." Or maybe not. But it's a matter of opinion, not sexual politics....

But I guess this is the "get exorcised" topic of the week....

[Der Blaue Engel]

2. And how does this paranoid backlash help the cause?

:eyes:

[mitchtv]

3. My take is that the "Crash" voters remind me of the Dan White Jury

they tried to please everyone and had an overblown idea od what their purpose was. Pick the best movie ,not what message needs to be sent. I would have voted for Clooney's movie, myself. There was powerful array of forces at work to stop the BBM bandwagon

[gatorboy]

4. Who's to say the voting wasn't close?

Ang Lee still won Best Director. They obviously felt that the movie was still worth rewarding.

My feeling is, there were so many good films this year, that there wasn't a definite favorite (Well, maybe Brokeback, but that might be because of the media attention). I'd bet that the voting was pretty close on these two and that Crash didn't win by the landslide that's suggested in this article...

[Tummler]

5. In their pre-Oscar show a couple of weekends ago

Both Ebert and Roeper said Crash was the best picture of the five nominees, and therefore deserved to win.

For the record, both have been quite critical of the Bush administration and would generally be considered "liberals." They're also based out of Chicago, not Los Angeles.

Disclaimer: I haven't seen any of the best picture nominees. I'm just reporting that critical opinion was hardly unanimous in favor of Brokeback.