Critical Film Analysis

1
Critical Film Analysis

• Lesson 2 The role of movies in society
  Brokeback Mountain

2
Great movies change the way society thinks about
issues

• Guess Whos Coming to Dinner changed the way
  people thought about interracial marriage
• Kramer vs. Kramer changed the way people thought
  about women and parenting
• Brokeback Mountain changed the way people thought
  about what it is to be gay

3
Images of cowboys before BBM
4
... and after
5
How far have we come, really?

• The Chicago Board of Education was sued (by a
  student and her grandparents) because a teacher
  showed Brokeback Mountain in class.
• Link to article, Classroom viewing of Brokeback
  Mountain brings lawsuit published in The
  Advocate, May 16, 2007
• The community of Austin, Texas, was in an
  uproar when the original short story, Brokeback
  Mountain, was included as an optional reading for
  high school seniors.
• Link to article, Viewpoint Censorship money is
  not worth it published in The Daily Texan,
  September 30, 2005

6
Social attitudes towardBrokeback Mountain

• The movie is recent, so you know what the social
  climate is like today
• You probably know someone who is gay, and may
  have heard their opinions about the movie
• Imagine what it will be like for your children to
  learn about the movie in 30 or 40 years theyll
  wonder what all the fuss was about

7
Roger Eberts review of BBM

• Read it here
• Who are Matthew Shepard and Teena Brandon?
• Ebert says, The more specific a film is, the
  more universal. This statement is a
  contradiction in terms. Do you agree or disagree?
• In what ways did you relate to the characters of
  Ennis and Jack?