In newspapers and blogs from Boston to L.A., talk of homophobia is rampant, that many voters just couldn't give a "gay" movie its coveted best-film award. Anecdotal evidence, precedents and results certainly make it look that way.
Of course, film criticism is subjective, as is award-giving. But there is history and conventional wisdom to guide and give clues as to what usually will win best picture, what the academy and national critics are thinking, what a nation is thinking.
"Brokeback Mountain" was named on more 10-best lists than any other film in 2005 (twice as many as "Crash"). Critics from liberal cities, moderate suburbs and conservative rural areas gave "Brokeback" best-film honors. This long list includes the Utah Film Critics (the country's most conservative state), Dallas-Fort Worth Critics, Florida Critics Association, Southeastern Film Critics, St. Louis Gateway Critics, Iowa Critics, Las Vegas Film Critics. No hotbeds of liberalism here, this is the heartland. These are all red states.
Add to that awards from film associations in New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Boston, the Golden Globes, British Film Awards, Independent Spirit, Directors Guild, Producers Guild, Writers Guild - and praise for "Brokeback" is unanimous. Surveying the top awards from critics across the United States, no other film was mentioned as best film more than once.
There can be no debate that "Brokeback" was the most critically acclaimed film of its year. Financially, it certainly wasn't close as one of the biggest grossing films, but it was the highest-grossing film nominated and returned a huge profit on its relatively small cost. ("Crash" grossed $53 million. In terms of ticket sales, it is the least-popular best film in the academy's 78 years.)
"Brokeback" looks to end its run with about $90 million, a respectable gross for either an indie or Hollywood film. But there was a problem in getting many more patrons to the theaters to see it - and many were academy members themselves.
Prominent journalists like Kenneth Turan of the Los Angeles Times, Nikki Finke of L.A. Weekly and Tom O'Neill of The Envelope from the L.A. Times reported before and after the show that they had heard comments from academy members that they had no interest in seeing a film about gay cowboys in love or voting for it.
CAN YOU IMAGINE if they had said they had no intention of seeing "Hustle & Flow" because it as about African-Americans, or "Munich" because it was about Jews?
It is the duty of an academy member to see all the films nominated in a category, and if they hadn't, they shouldn't be voting in that category. Someone forgot to tell this courtesy to many, many academy members.
What about "Crash" itself? Reviews were mixed (most critics found it ambitious, sincere but flawed), but its subject matter and storytelling grabbed many.
There is a substantive case to be made that "Brokeback" was robbed of its best-film Oscar by a big dose of homophobia.
It's sad that Hollywood, which has always prized itself on being on the cutting edge of social issues (emphasized by George Clooney in his acceptance speech), could have gone one step further then it ever has.
And it is doubly sad that "Brokeback," which explores in heartbreaking detail the effects of homophobia, would lose its recognition as best picture to that same homophobia.
If you are gay, you have a right to feel bashed. If you're straight, and a film fan, don't think you haven't been bashed, either. *
David Bleiler is senior buyer for TLA Video, editor of the "TLA Film & DVD Guide" and former Daily News video columnist.
