It’s tipped for Oscar honours and stars one of the country’s biggest screen hunks — but gay western romance Brokeback Mountain is unlikely to be seen by those in Australia’s own “cowboy country”.
The film — banned in two cinemas in the US because of its focus on the love between two male cowboys — will not be shown in parts of north and central Queensland state when it opens later this month because it has “limited release” status.
Ang Lee’s controversial movie, which stars Australian actor Heath Ledger, will not play in the northerns cities of Townsville, home to the Cowboys football team, or Rockhampton.
Gay activists have complained about the snub and disputed comments by outspoken politician Bob Katter, whose federal seat takes in a huge area of Queensland, that he had never met any gay cowboys and he doubted they existed because the profession didn’t attract them.
“We have a strong western influence up this way in our gay community,” Townsville-based Colin Edwards told the Ten Network.
“We have gay property owners, jackaroos [Australian cowboys], jillaroos [Australian cowgirls]. They really do exist and they really do fall in love.”
Cowboys or not, homosexual men and women live in Katter’s electorate and he “should be representing them”, Rod Swift from gay lobby group Australian Coalition for Equality said.
Swift said it was likely that Brokeback Mountain would eventually be released more widely into Australian cinemas once it was successful at the box office.
“The disappointing thing is that all film goers, not just gay people, are going to potentially miss out on an opportunity to see what has been billed as an Oscar-winning movie,” he said.
Set in Wyoming and Texas and directed by acclaimed filmmaker Ang Lee, Brokeback Mountain is the story of a range-hand and a rodeo cowboy who struggle against their feelings for each other. – AFP