Clint Eastwood not watchingBrokeback Mountaineffectively confirmed that the movie wouldn’t win the Oscar for Best Picture, according to its co-writer Diana Ossana.Brokeback Mountainhad been the favorite to scoop the biggest prize of the night at the Academy Awards in 2006, amid criticism from conservative elements of the media and film industry about its portrayal of LGBTQ+ themes.
In a recent interview withThe New York Times, the writer who scripted one ofHeath Ledger’s best moviesalongside Larry McMurtry recounted meeting Eastwood at the Oscar nomination party that year. According to Ossana, director Paul Haggis, whose filmCrashultimately won Best Picture that year, warned her thatthe legendary Western star hadn’t seen her movie. She recalled:
“Paul started walking me over and he goes, ‘Diana, I have to tell you, he hasn’t seen your movie.’ And it was like somebody kicked me in the stomach,” she said. “That’s when I knew we would not win best picture.””
When asked ifshe felt homophobia played a part inBrokeback Mountainnot winning the Oscar, Ossana responded:
“People want to deny that, but what else could it have been? We’d won everything up until then. I absolutely think that block of voters kept this movie from winning best picture.”
What Diana Ossana’s Revelation About Clint Eastwood Means For Brokeback Mountain
Someone With Eastwood’s Clout Not Watching The Movie Reflected Something Bigger
Diana Ossana was apparently excited to meet Clint Eastwood at the 2006 Oscar nominations party, because she admired his 1992 movieUnforgiven, arguably thebest Western thriller movieever made. If someone with Eastwood’s clout hadn’t even seenBrokeback Mountain, an acclaimed neo-Western film in its own right,it’s likely that an entire constituency of Hollywood had ignored the movie.
Nine years after the fact, Academy members voted in favor ofBrokeback Mountainwinning Best Picture.
Ossana’s comments suggest that, from her perspective, the Academy’s decision to awardCrashBest Picture rather thanBrokeback Mountainwasn’t based entirely on merit in the case of some voters. She believesthe reluctance of figures like Eastwood to promote a film about two cowboys in a gay relationshipplayed a part.
A retrospective 2015 Academy poll on who should have won Best Picture in 2006 bears out Ossana’s view, as nine years after the fact Academy members voted in favor ofBrokeback Mountain(viaThe Guardian). Nevertheless, those behind the movie have to content themselves with the three other Oscars it won, including one for Best Adapted Screenplay.
Our Take On Clint Eastwood Not Watching Brokeback Mountain’s Impact On Its Oscar Chances
Eastwood Alone Didn’t Make The Difference, But A Broader Block Of Conservative Academy Voters Probably Did
While it’s true thatClint Eastwood not watching one of the most important films of 2005 was certainly indicative of something, Eastwood’s individual actions couldn’t have influenced the entire Academy. However, it’s not impossible that an attitude toward a homosexual relaxation serving as the driving force of a story did carry some weight collectively when it came toOscars voting.
As the 2015 retrospective poll demonstrates, a lot has changed in the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences over the past two decades, especially in relation to questions like LGBTQ+ oppression. IfBrokeback Mountainwere released today, perhaps Clint Eastwood still wouldn’t watch it, but it’d be far more likely to win the Oscar for Best Picture.
Brokeback Mountain
Cast
Brokeback Mountain is a film set in 1960s Wyoming where two men, portrayed by Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal, navigate a complex emotional and sexual relationship. As they marry and start families, their enduring bond challenges societal norms and profoundly impacts their lives.
