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Heath Ledger died today and I'm thinking of Brokeback Mountain and Wyoming
Wow! I am truly in shock. I was writing up another post and swung over to The New York Times on line when I saw Heath Ledger was found dead today. How awful and how odd. I just saw him this weekend in the movie "I'm Not There" and earlier today, before I heard he had died, I thought, you know, when I think of Heath Ledger, he's Ennis Del Mar working on a ranch in Wyoming. What is he doing playing an incarnation of Bob Dylan? Yes, yes, I know it's acting, but there are some roles and some landscape vistas that go together so well that they play over and over in ones head as if there is a movie camera in there.
The summer after I saw "Brokeback Mountain" we drove through Wyoming on our way from Colorado to Montana and back through Wyoming again. I thought of Ennis and wondered how he was doing without Jack. Again, yes, yes, I know Ennis is a fictitious character created by Annie Proulx, but still, her short story and the movie captured a certain quality of Wyoming so perfectly. (Yes, I know that it was shot in Canada, but it looked like Wyoming.)
As I recently posted, John Ur is writing about movies that capture a sense of place. "Brokeback Mountain" is one that certainly does that. And without Heath Ledger, "Brokeback Mountain" wouldn't have been the same kind of movie that made people look at Wyoming in a new, different way.
Filed under: Arts and Culture, United States, Australia, News
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Eva Jan 22nd 2008 6:35PM
Agreed, Jamie, I just got home from work and was absolutely floored and saddened to hear the news. I feel for his family, and of course on a more selfish level I'm sad that we'll never get to see what he would have made of his career. He was really coming into his own from Brokeback on.
I often ask myself which actors from my generation will be the ones receiving lifetime achievement awards when I'm older. I would have picked Heath Ledger for one.
Linzi Jan 22nd 2008 6:40PM
This is so sad!!
http://www.maplejuice.com/2008/01/22/pills-found-by-heath-ledgers-deathbed/
Carol Nemeth Jan 22nd 2008 8:07PM
found naked with pills all over his body.....right.
sounds staged.
AlfaMike Jan 22nd 2008 9:03PM
How do you stage someone overdosing on pills? That's not rational, there's no circumstantial evidence and besides what would be the motive?
What's really surprising is such a young talented and successful person would be so mentally confused as to commit suicide. He had the world on a string and still decided he had to check out.
K.S. Jan 22nd 2008 9:14PM
This is really sad! It was a very big shock to get on msn.com and see this. Death is a horrible thing and to think that he was so young! My prayers go out to his family and friends.
Liza Jan 22nd 2008 11:22PM
I said I'd never watch Brokeback Mt. But, I did. The first time I saw it, I was moved. The 2nd time, I actually wept at the end. I am an old (67) straight female, but know gay folks I never understood what moved me so, but I was so moved. So moved!
Heath made such a sad, realistic, heart-breaking path come to life for me. I finally understood our family member, and it changed me forever.
I won't believe it was suicide. I will believe it was accidental OD. He was a tortured man. I'll say one for him.