3 Oscars For 'Brokeback Mountain'
by Brent Ko, 365Gay.com Los Angeles Bureau
March 6, 2006 - 12:01 am ET

(Los Angeles, California) "Brokeback Mountain" won three of the eight categories for which it was nominated at Sunday nights Academy Awards.

Ang Lee was rewarded with a best director Oscar for "Brokeback Mountain" and paid tribute to the film's main characters.

"Their names are Ennis and Jack. They taught all of us so much, not just about all the gay men and women in our society but just as important - the greatness of love itself."

Brokeback scriptwriters Larry McMurtry ("Lonesome Dove") and Diana Ossana won best adapted screenplay, and Gustavo Santaolalla picked up an Oscar for his "Brokeback Mountain" musical score.

"Love makes us all so similar despite our differences Santaolalla said as he accepted his award.
The cowboy lovers were passed over. In the best actor category Heath Ledge was topped by "Capote" star Philip Seymour Hoffman for his performance as the gay writer.

George Clooney won the Oscar for best supporting actor for his role in the thriller "Syriana," beating out Brokeback's Jake Gyllenhaal.

In his acceptance speech Clooney noted that many of the films nominated this year had been criticized for being out of touch with mainstream America. It was a complaint Clooney rejected.
"We are the ones who talked about AIDS," he said. "We were the ones who talked about racism when no one else did."

"I'm proud to be part of this academy, proud to be part of this community, proud to be out of touch."

"Brokeback Mountain" had been the favorite for best picture but the Oscar went to "Crash".
Brokeback's best adapted screenplay award meant that openly gay writer Tony Kushner was passed over.

Kushner (Angels in America) co-wrote Munich with Eric Roth.

In the best actress category, Felicity Huffman as a transitioning transsexual in “Transamerica lost out to Reese Witherspoon as June Carter Cash in “Walk the Line”.

The Oscar opening sequence featured a humorous montage of previous hosts declining this year's invitation - including Billy Crystal and Chris Rock in a "Brokeback Mountain" tent - and winding up with Jon Stewart in bed with George Clooney.

In his monologue Stewart used best-picture nominee "Capote," about gay author Truman Capote, to set up a "Brokeback Mountain" joke, noting the film "showed America not all gay people are virile cowboys. Some are actually effete New York intellectuals. It's true."

Although it was a mixed bag for awards for LGBT themed films this was the first year that three movies with strong representations of gay and trans characters were nominated for Academy Awards.

©365Gay.com 2006