No ‘Brokeback Mountain’ for overseas troops

[Ernesto]

“Brokeback Mountain,” the movie about a gay cowboy love affair that recently won four Golden Globe awards and is expected to be in the Oscar hunt, will not play in any U.S. military theaters in Europe.
"And not because it’s a gay cowboy love story."
http://www.stripes.com/article.asp?article=34472§ion=104

[Captain Hilts]

1. No 'Dick Flick' for the troops? I'll bet the women would enjoy it. nt

[smtpgirl]

21. how

many gay troops are in Iraq anyway?

[PatrioticLeftie]

2. "And not because it’s a gay cowboy love story."

Of course not, we believe you. Sarcasm.

[Retired AF Dem]

5. Read the article

Will and Grace is or was (when I was still in Germany) shown on AFN. There is a lot of BS on laws dealing with what can be shown on AFN and AAFES theaters. Most of it is due to advertising and as AAFES goes the number of copies of a movie that AAFES can get their hands on.

[BattyDem]

7. If they have to say that ...

then it's obviously the reason. :eyes:

[mac56]

24. "So stop saying that!"

:sarcasm:

[acmavm]

3. Well if it's not because it's a gay cowboy story, that what. And I mean

the REAL REASON.

[qazplm]

6. probably because a mostly male

mostly hetero, mostly not real enamored of gay sex soldiers dont want to see it.

AAFES should show what the troops want, bottom line, they arent obligated to make troops more socially aware.

[Baconfoot]

9. I disagree.The road to full GLBT rights to serve our country is paved with

Brokeback Mountains.

But it's not an obligation JUST because it's conducive to GBLT rights achievment. It's also an obligation because it's part of the military's obligation to train citizens and others into the most efficient soldiers possible. The most efficient soldier would not be distracted for one moment in his or her duties by an awareness of the sexuality of any of his or her fellow soldiers or himself/herself. The best, most efficient pilot possible must not be disqualified from serving because of a gender or sexuality issue. And so on.

[Name removed]

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[Name removed]

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[IndianaGreen]

19. May you be born a woman in your next life

and find out for yourself what it feels like to be a woman in the military.

[Name removed]

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[dsc]

4. I accept their explanation

I would imagine these movies are chosen to appeal to the typical early 20 year old male filmgoer and that isn't exactly the type of person beating down the doors to see this movie. I also understand that the need for prints would be an issue.

[Radio_Lady]

13. Good point, DSC.

I don't know if an independent movie will win top picture in the Oscar race. It will be interesting to see what happens if it does.

[thebigidea]

20. independent? Isn't it Focus Features, part of NBC Universal or somesuch?

I love how "independent" these days mostly translates into subsidiaries-of-the-same-old-massive-conglomerates.

the indie boom of the 90s lasted about 12 minutes.

[Radio_Lady]

22. Thanks for the post. Looks like you're right.--

Focus Features is part of NBC Universal.

It's news to me. The press in Portland works through Seattle publicists and I didn't keep the original information on "Brokeback Mountain" that was sent to us.

http://www.focusfeatures.com/home.php

[ConcernedCanuk]

8. I'd be curious to know how many troops will watch it in local theatres

.
.
.

Even major "hetro" macho guys are curious about what others are watching

Many may go just so they can cut it down, but go they will . .

And the local economies will reap the benefits -

Homophobic Amerikkka is well recognized around the world

well,

except in Amerikkka

[pop goes the weasel]

10. do people even read the article linked?

Cuz from most of the comments, one would never guess that they do.

Apparently indie film distributors and the military need to work out a way to get indy films to the troops. Really, that's what the article was about.

[Radio_Lady]

12. Thanks for bringing that up, pop goes the weasel. The article

seems to just present the facts about how independent films get distributed.

Would be interesting to know of ANY indie features make it to the troops.

That's pretty much the story of these films:

Capote
Transamerica
Brokeback Mountain
and several others for 2005

[LostinVA]

23. But, it's not a "real" indie film

That's the thing. It's by Focus Features, is directed by And Lee, and the screenplay co written by McMurtry. Nor exactly "Clerk."

[BR_Parkway]

15. Not gay cowboys - they're shepherds - just like Jesus!

[davepc]

16. Does anybody bother to read the article?

Arrangements for first-run movies, shown on military bases within two weeks of their stateside openings, require that distributors send AAFES 11 prints of the film. But movies such as “Brokeback Mountain” — which open on a relatively few screens, unlike blockbusters like “The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe,” and hope to build momentum — do not have an adequate number of copies.

Distributors send prints to theaters in New York, Los Angeles and Seattle, where they think they can maximize profits — not to AAFES, where ticket prices are far less, Walters said, and the audience demographic more challenging.

“There’s a big investment on the distributors’ part. It’s a gamble,” he said. “In the last eight years, I don’t think there’s ever been an independent offered on a first-run.”

“Brokeback Mountain” is being shown on 683 screens in the U.S. By contrast, “Narnia,” a major studio release, is showing on 3,224 screens.

[xchrom]

17. if indy's don't have the operation for that -- and i can

imagine you have to be slective with advert dollars and copies -- then the troops will see few indys period.

too bad that.

do i think that bbm would have been picked anyway? -- not in todays climate.