Brokeback Mountain

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This beautifully shot, sweeping epic tells the tale of an unlikely romance between two cowboys who meet while working together as ranch-hands in the summer of 1961. Starring Best Actor nominee Heath Ledger and Best Supporting Actor nominee Jake Gyllenhaal, Brokeback Mountain is a love story that spans a lifetime – through two marriages and a handful of children – but is tragically never fully realized. With excellent supporting performances by Michelle Williams (who received a nomination for Best Supporting Actress) and Anne Hathaway and with Ang Lee in the director’s chair, Brokeback has received much critical acclaim and earned spots on most critics’ Best of 2005 lists.

Why It’ll Win: This year’s early favourite, Brokeback has already gone home with Golden Globes for best dramatic film and best director for Ang Lee – all excellent predictors of Oscar success.

Why It Won’t: With most of this year’s awards already handed out ahead of the announcement of this year’s Oscar nominees, some pundits say Brokeback Mountain may have peaked too early in the race.

Total Nominations: Best Picture Best Director (Ang Lee) Best Actor (Heath Ledger) Best Supporting Actress (Michelle Williams) Best Supporting Actor (Jake Gyllenhaal) Best Adapted Screenplay (Larry McMurty and Diana Ossana) Best Cinematography (Rodrigo Prieto) Best Original Score (Gustavo Santaolalla)

Other major awards/nominations:

BAFTA awards (to be handed out Feb. 19): Best Film Music, Best Cinematography, Best Editing, Best Film, Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role – Heath Ledger, Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role – Jake Gyllenhaal,Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role – Michelle Williams, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Director – Ang Lee

Awards: Directors Guild of America: Best Director – Ang Lee

Golden Globes: Best Director – Ang Lee, Best Motion Picture – Drama, Best Original Song, Best Screenplay

Official site: www.brokebackmountainmovie.com