Sour Grapes: 'Brokeback Mountain' Author Slams Oscars and 'Crash'

[Janice]

LOS ANGELES (AP) - Annie Proulx, whose 1997 short story inspired the film "Brokeback Mountain," has penned a scattershot blast in a British newspaper unleashing her anger over the film's best-picture Oscar loss.

Proulx criticizes Oscar voters and the Academy Awards ceremony in the 1,094-word rant, which appeared in Saturday's issue of The Guardian, a liberal paper boasting 1.2 million readers daily.

The best-picture Oscar went to "Crash," which focuses on race relations in Los Angeles.

Academy members who vote for the year's best film are "out of touch not only with the shifting larger culture and the yeasty ferment that is America these days, but also out of touch with their own segregated city," Proulx writes.

The 70-year-old Pulitzer-prize winning author points out that "Brokeback," which was nominated for eight Academy Awards, was named best picture at the Independent Spirit Awards one day before the March 5 Oscars.

"If you are looking for smart judging based on merit, skip the Academy Awards next year and pay attention to the Independent Spirit choices," Proulx advises.

She even lashes out at Lionsgate, the distribution company behind "Crash."

"Rumour has it that Lionsgate inundated the academy voters with DVD copies of Trash - excuse me - Crash a few weeks before the ballot deadline," Proulx writes.

She decries the "atmosphere of insufferable self-importance" inside the Kodak Theatre, the Oscars site, and describes the audience as a "somewhat dim LA crowd." The show, she writes, was "reminiscent of a small-town talent-show night."

"Clapping wildly for bad stuff enhances this," Proulx writes.

She notes that "Brokeback's" three Oscar wins, for original score, adapted screenplay and direction for Ang Lee put it "on equal footing with King Kong."

When Jack Nicholson announced "Crash" as the best-picture winner, "there was a gasp of shock," Proulx writes.

"It was a safe pick of 'controversial film' for the heffalumps," she writes, using the elephant-like "Winnie the Pooh" character to describe academy voters.

"For those who call this little piece a Sour Grapes Rant," Proulx concludes, "play it as it lays."

Calls by the Associated Press to Proulx's Wyoming home and her literary agent, Elizabeth Darhansoff, were not immediately returned Tuesday.

[Brian Damage]

Talk about SOUR GRAPES! What makes her think Brokeback was the best film? I've got news for her, the ONLY reason why it was nominated in the first place was because of its "Gay theme." This was the year to praise "gay cinema" with nominations for films like Capote and TransAmerica. That's what Hollywood does, they have themes for their show every year. I hate it, but that is what they do. They did the same thing a couple of years ago when they honored Denzel Washington, Halle Berry and Sidney Poitier in the same year. Crash was an excellent film whether she wants to admit it or not. Maybe she would've been happier if they had Matt Dillon's character have an affair with Ryan Phillippe's character. lol

[Ireneparalegal]

sour grapes indeed. she should applaud the accolades the movie did receive.

the independent awards are a really awesome awards show. Does anyone watch it?

[Brian Damage]

sour grapes indeed. she should applaud the accolades the movie did receive.

the independent awards are a really awesome awards show. Does anyone watch it?


I know it is on IFC, but I have never watched.

[Ireneparalegal]

I know it is on IFC, but I have never watched.
They are good. The people either show up casual or dress casual. They are allowed to use profanity, etc. basically it's like the Oscars without the hoopla, and the strict rules. It's fun. The guy who won best director last year was presenting the award this year to the next director when he started saying how he has never seen such a good looking host of an awards show that he wanted to f***! OMG!!!! I was LMAO!!! He said that the year before he had met his wife and they fell in love the first night they met. Then he said, "Well, we didn't fall in love, not really...we F***** all night long!" LMAO!!!! Then right before he named the best director he said "The director that gets this award is gonna get some tonight!" it's crude but the crowd loved it. I did too.

[Janice]

The Brokeback Mountain author is not gracious at all. Slamming the competition (Crash) is childish. Knocking the Oscars may backfire for her in the future. I think she figured Brokeback was a shoe-in for best picture. Her reaction to losing is extremely juvenille.

[MsOrange]

:crybaby:

[Brian Damage]

The Brokeback Mountain author is not gracious at all. Slamming the competition (Crash) is childish. Knocking the Oscars may backfire for her in the future. I think she figured Brokeback was a shoe-in for best picture. Her reaction to losing is extremely juvenille.


I agree, I'm just curious if she would say the same thing if say, Munich won.

[Sterling Holobyte]

Talk about a sore loser.

[snl 70s show fan]

:crybaby:i agree 100 percent

[Chad Michael Murray]

Well wouldn't many of the people here have been the same way if Brokeback won?

Not that I'm on either side. I haven't seen either movie yet, and I'm sure they were both equally deserving. But her complaining about this is no different than if everyone here would've complained about Brokeback winning only because of its theme.

[Janice]

Well wouldn't many of the people here have been the same way if Brokeback won?

Not that I'm on either side. I haven't seen either movie yet, and I'm sure they were both equally deserving. But her complaining about this is no different than if everyone here would've complained about Brokeback winning only because of its theme.
This isn't about what members said about which movie won. It's the fact that the author of Brokeback Mountain is slamming the movie that did win, and the Academy.

She's a first-class sore loser.

[Chad Michael Murray]

Yes, I know what this is about.

All I'm saying is, I think what's good for the goose is good for the gander.

If everybody here would be allowed to complain if Brokeback won, then I believe she's allowed to complain about Crash winning.

[Janice]

Yes, I know what this is about.

All I'm saying is, I think what's good for the goose is good for the gander.

If everybody here would be allowed to complain if Brokeback won, then I believe she's allowed to complain about Crash winning.
What we think here if Brokeback won is beside the point.

The author publicly whining and criticizing the winner and the Academy is unprofessional and really smacks of sour grapes. She ripped everyone. She's obviously bitter. It's poor form to act that way.

[Brian Damage]

Apples and Oranges...we are fans...she was a part of the movie. She used the media to denounce the film and Hollywood because the result didn't go her way. I am positive Paul Haggis wouldn't have done that if he had lost.

[LucyCompanyPhan]

Talk about SOUR GRAPES! What makes her think Brokeback was the best film? I've got news for her, the ONLY reason why it was nominated in the first place was because of its "Gay theme." This was the year to praise "gay cinema" with nominations for films like Capote and TransAmerica. That's what Hollywood does, they have themes for their show every year. I hate it, but that is what they do. They did the same thing a couple of years ago when they honored Denzel Washington, Halle Berry and Sidney Poitier in the same year. Crash was an excellent film whether she wants to admit it or not. Maybe she would've been happier if they had Matt Dillon's character have an affair with Ryan Phillippe's character. lol


The only reason Crash won because of its "racial" theme. You can't get mad at a movie because of it's theme. Yes, Brokeback is known for it's gay theme, but without that, the movie would not have worked. Just as Crash wouldn't have worked.

I don't really blame her for being little bad, considering Brokeback Mountain swept every award show and Crash came out of nowhere in a backlash to win the Oscar. People just wanted to vote for something different.

[HuntingtonM15]

I agree that it really shows a lack of class for her to do this. However, I doubt it will effect her in the future, since she wasn't, nor has ever been, nominated for an Oscar. On a side note, I really don't see how Capote is a "gay film."

[Brian Damage]

On a side note, I really don't see how Capote is a "gay film."


The film itself wasn't gay, but Truman Capote himself was gay.

[Brian Damage]

The only reason Crash won because of its "racial" theme. You can't get mad at a movie because of it's theme. Yes, Brokeback is known for it's gay theme, but without that, the movie would not have worked. Just as Crash wouldn't have worked.

I don't really blame her for being little bad, considering Brokeback Mountain swept every award show and Crash came out of nowhere in a backlash to win the Oscar. People just wanted to vote for something different.

She could be mad, but to take out in public is completely low class. It just makes me even more happy that Crash won for Best Film.

[Janice]

However, I doubt it will effect her in the future, since she wasn't, nor has ever been, nominated for an Oscar.
At the rate she's going, she may never get nominated in the future. She skewered everyone in sight, but I think her biggest mistake was slamming the Academy, the voters. People remember. Here's her actual screed.

http://books.guardian.co.uk/print/0,,329430539-99819,00.html

[HuntingtonM15]

The film itself wasn't gay, but Truman Capote himself was gay.

Yeah, I know he was gay, but I keep hearing a lot of talk about it being a gay film, when nothing about his sexuality was ever mentioned in it.

[HuntingtonM15]

At the rate she's going, she may never get nominated in the future. She skewered everyone in sight, but I think her biggest mistake was slamming the Academy, the voters. People remember. Here's her actual screed.

http://books.guardian.co.uk/print/0,,329430539-99819,00.html

Yeah, slamming the Academy pretty much guarantees her no future nominations, ever. :lol:

[Sterling Holobyte]

At the rate she's going, she may never get nominated in the future. She skewered everyone in sight, but I think her biggest mistake was slamming the Academy, the voters. People remember. Here's her actual screed.

http://books.guardian.co.uk/print/0,,329430539-99819,00.html
Anyone who thinks that Brokeback Mountain is simply a nice, artsy love story need only read that diatribe from the author that you just posted, Janice.
The author's bitterness and masked rage betrays the politics behind why she wrote it. Once again the agenda of the left comes seething through.

[Janice]

Yeah, slamming the Academy pretty much guarantees her no future nominations, ever. :lol:
If I was an Academy member, I just might think twice about voting for her if the opportunity came up. She was very insulting and showed that she has a low opinion of them.

[LucyCompanyPhan]

She could be mad, but to take out in public is completely low class. It just makes me even more happy that Crash won for Best Film.

Not really. Stephen King wrote an article about how Brokeback should have won, A few newspapers have said it too in articles. Ebert said the opposite to why Crash should have won.

People say what they want, I don't know if I would take it "out in public" but she can say what she wants. Terrance Howard said something like "Crash was the most important and greatest film of our decade" which I completely disagree with and I don't think he should have said it just because his movie won one award, but hey it's his opinion, just as her opinion.

[~*Hannah_Lee*~]

She could be mad, but to take out in public is completely low class. It just makes me even more happy that Crash won for Best Film.
Yeah ditto that. There's no need in ranting about something that cannot be changed. That's a pointless waste of energy.

[Brian Damage]

Not really. Stephen King wrote an article about how Brokeback should have won, A few newspapers have said it too in articles. Ebert said the opposite to why Crash should have won.

People say what they want, I don't know if I would take it "out in public" but she can say what she wants. Terrance Howard said something like "Crash was the most important and greatest film of our decade" which I completely disagree with and I don't think he should have said it just because his movie won one award, but hey it's his opinion, just as her opinion.


There's a right way and a wrong way to complain about something. I am sure King and Ebert didn't slam the Academy or say anything disparaging against another film. It is called being diplomatic. You can say how disappointed you are about a decision without going on a hateful diatribe. All she did was make the Academy and many critics and fans appreciate Crash more. Thank You Annie Proulx! :)

[LucyCompanyPhan]

I like Crash and infact, I really LOVED it after I first saw it because it does have that profound affect on you, but as time passed and I saw other movies, it slipped from being my top favorite films of the year. I still like the movie but it should not have won the oscars. The problem I really have with the film is that how overrated it is. There is a strong love/hate relationship with those that saw it. I don't think anyone should hate it as much as some people do but I certainly don't see why it is loved as much as it is because after time, this movie's affect wore off of me.

don't care how much trouble "Crash" had getting financing or getting people on board, the reality of this film, the reason it won the best picture Oscar, is that it is, at its core, a standard Hollywood movie, as manipulative and unrealistic as the day is long. And something more.

For "Crash"'s biggest asset is its ability to give people a carload of those standard Hollywood satisfactions but make them think they are seeing something groundbreaking and daring. It is, in some ways, a feel-good film about racism, a film you could see and feel like a better person, a film that could make you believe that you had done your moral duty and examined your soul when in fact you were just getting your buttons pushed and your preconceptions reconfirmed....

Hollywood, of course, is under no obligation to be a progressive force in the world. It is in the business of entertainment, in the business of making the most dollars it can. Yes, on Oscar night, it likes to pat itself on the back for the good it does in the world, but as Sunday night's ceremony proved, it is easier to congratulate yourself for a job well done in the past than actually do that job in the present.
(Critic Kenneth Turan, "Breaking no ground," Los Angeles Times)

[Brad Russ]

Had Brokeback won, I probably would have done what I do every year when my choices lose, and that is, make one or two comments of my disapproval in the academies decision, and move on. I have never seen anyone handle themselves in such a classless, and pathetic way after a defeat, and it is quite frankly embarrassing. Why can't she just be happy with the various other awards (Oscars included), that her story won?? I mean, didn't the film win like a ton of Oscars?? I believe it won alot more than Crash, which only won three, so what the heck is she complaining about?? It seems like she'd be happy with that, instead of whining over one award that her story actually didn't win.

You know what's kind of funny about this whole thing?? Had Brokeback won, other people would be saying the opposite of what many people are saying now, like that it only won because it was a story on homosexuality, or because it was so popular. :lol: In the end, there's always going to be people disappointed, but some people (Like this author) take things way too hard. In the end, here's what Iv'e got to say to that author: Just suck it up, get over it, and be happy with whatcha got!!!!!!

[Brad Russ]

I like Crash and infact, I really LOVED it after I first saw it because it does have that profound affect on you, but as time passed and I saw other movies, it slipped from being my top favorite films of the year. I still like the movie but it should not have won the oscars. The problem I really have with the film is that how overrated it is. There is a strong love/hate relationship with those that saw it. I don't think anyone should hate it as much as some people do but I certainly don't see why it is loved as much as it is because after time, this movie's affect wore off of me.

don't care how much trouble "Crash" had getting financing or getting people on board, the reality of this film, the reason it won the best picture Oscar, is that it is, at its core, a standard Hollywood movie, as manipulative and unrealistic as the day is long. And something more.

For "Crash"'s biggest asset is its ability to give people a carload of those standard Hollywood satisfactions but make them think they are seeing something groundbreaking and daring. It is, in some ways, a feel-good film about racism, a film you could see and feel like a better person, a film that could make you believe that you had done your moral duty and examined your soul when in fact you were just getting your buttons pushed and your preconceptions reconfirmed....

Hollywood, of course, is under no obligation to be a progressive force in the world. It is in the business of entertainment, in the business of making the most dollars it can. Yes, on Oscar night, it likes to pat itself on the back for the good it does in the world, but as Sunday night's ceremony proved, it is easier to congratulate yourself for a job well done in the past than actually do that job in the present.
(Critic Kenneth Turan, "Breaking no ground," Los Angeles Times)

Well pardon my French, but that critic is full of sh*t!!! Just another pompous critic who comes across like the only opinions that matter are his, and that whatever he says is the gospel. I read that same review every year from critics who's choice for best picture don't win, and they always say the same thing. It's just an articulate way of saying I'm bitter, a sore loser, and am unable to be gracious in defeat!! IMO

[Stuck In The '70's]

Did Spielberg blast the Academy when Saving Private Ryan lost to Shakespeare In Love? I still can't believe that. Upsets happen all the time. This Author is to full of herself.

[HuntingtonM15]

I have never seen anyone handle themselves in such a classless, and pathetic way after a defeat, and it is quite frankly embarrassing.

It didn't cross my mind until just now, but didn't Bill Murray have a fit when he lost Best Actor for Lost in Translation?

[Brian Damage]

Actor Bill Murray shocked guests at Sunday night's Academy Awards - when he refused to clap as rival nominee Sean Penn was named Best Actor. The Lost In Translation star looked annoyed when Nicole Kidman announced Penn had won for his performance in Mystic River. According to British newspaper The Sun, Murray later shouted at organizers, "If I knew this was going to happen, I wouldn't have bothered coming." The 53-year-old comedian has made no secret of his dislike of award ceremonies, and didn't show up to collect the Best Actor award at London's BAFTAs last month. Murray has said, "Awards are meaningless to me, and I have nothing but disdain for anyone who actively campaigns to get one. It's a really unattractive sight to see an actor or actress who really wants an Oscar. And you often see it on the show - you see their faces and the desperation is so ugly."

[Mysty Eyes]

"Rumour has it that Lionsgate inundated the academy voters with DVD copies of Trash - excuse me - Crash a few weeks before the ballot deadline," Proulx writes.

She decries the "atmosphere of insufferable self-importance" inside the Kodak Theatre, the Oscars site, and describes the audience as a "somewhat dim LA crowd." The show, she writes, was "reminiscent of a small-town talent-show night."
Hmm... I think that I am offended. Being a native of the Los Angeles area, I would be part of that "LA crowd." Hmmph!

This diatribe just makes me even less interested in seeing this film. It comes across to me as being a gooey sentimental cowboy romance. Ugh! Nope, not interested in that.

As far as the Oscar voting goes: It's not the fault of the Crash promoting team that the Brokeback team chose to not promote their film with the same amount of zeal. That's the way the Academy works. Schmooz all the way. Blame the Brokeback promoters for the loss, and no one else.

[Brad Russ]

It didn't cross my mind until just now, but didn't Bill Murray have a fit when he lost Best Actor for Lost in Translation?

Yeah, he did refuse to clap for the winner, and when Billy Crystal made an innocent joke about him losing, he didn't even crack a smile, and actually looked like he wanted to cry. I got the sense that he felt as if he was entitled to win or something, just like so many of the brokeback people.

[Janice]

http://www.ecranlarge.com/images/cinema/news/contenu/paulhaggis_oscar2006.jpg

[LucyCompanyPhan]

Did Spielberg blast the Academy when Saving Private Ryan lost to Shakespeare In Love? I still can't believe that. Upsets happen all the time. This Author is to full of herself.

Yeah and rightfully deserved too. Saving Private Ryan should have won. I would've flipped out too.

I completey understand what you're all saying about how childish and stupid it is to get upset because they lost and I agree but I'm just saying people can say what they want about their work. If she thinks her work is more deserving than Brokeback than she should say it. Same goes for Spielberg. I've said this before and I'll say it again, ALOT of people hate Crash, it's possible for those who did to speak out about it.

In another oscar's thing, I read in EW magazine that they called Crash the second worst movie to win the oscar's behide American Beauty. I think that's an outrage considering American Beauty was probably one of the best movies made in the last 7 years.

[Janice]

After the Academy Awards were over, my husband told me that he was just happy that he doesn't have to hear about Brokeback Mountain CONSTANTLY anymore.

Amen to that. The hype on that movie was nauseating.

[Stuck In The '70's]

Yeah and rightfully deserved too. Saving Private Ryan should have won. I would've flipped out too.

I completey understand what you're all saying about how childish and stupid it is to get upset because they lost and I agree but I'm just saying people can say what they want about their work. If she thinks her work is more deserving than Brokeback than she should say it. Same goes for Spielberg. I've said this before and I'll say it again, ALOT of people hate Crash, it's possible for those who did to speak out about it.

In another oscar's thing, I read in EW magazine that they called Crash the second worst movie to win the oscar's behide American Beauty. I think that's an outrage considering American Beauty was probably one of the best movies made in the last 7 years.
I doubt the people at EW have seen every Best Picture Winner. I heard critics say The Greatest Show On Earth , Cimarron, and Cavalcade were the worst but I like them.. I guess everyone has a different opinion. I haven't seen any of the best picture nominees yet so I can't say which one was the best but it seems like the hatred over Crash is for political reasons. It's just in poor taste for the Author to slam the academy just like it was for Bill Murray. I mean their have been a lot of injustices in Oscar History. Cary Grant never winning an Oscar for one. It doesn't really matter anyway, Just like Shakespeare in Love beating SPR or The English Patient beating Fargo, Crash will forever be known as a best picture winner. Everyone just has to live with it.