Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		2.0
Overall		4.5

Brokeback Mountain Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman October 13, 2024

Brokeback Mountain features a timeline in 1963, when perhaps not so coincidentally a perceived "Camelot" was about to descend into chaos, but which gives even the mention of that year a certain immediate archival imprimatur. But kind of interestingly, some, maybe especially those in the LGBTQ+ communities, might even consider the film adaptation's 2005 production date as something of an "antique" or at least historical curiosity of sorts, given that it would be another ten years before legality was established for same sex marriages. Perhaps understandably, only heterosexual marriages are on display in Brokeback Mountain, a film which in 2005 probably "broke" all sorts of taboos, engendering both admiration and rage in the process. The film's somewhat soap operatic elements may frankly not play quite as authentically now in an ostensibly more tolerant environment, but the story still packs quite a wallop, and Ang Lee manages to "reinvent" both the "western" and the "romance movie" in (here comes today's most blatant understatement) provocative ways.

Also rather interestingly in the "historical" department, Brokeback Mountain had a very early release on 1080 Blu-ray. While I'm frankly not familiar with this particular writer, our Brokeback Mountain Blu-ray review provides a good plot summary, though given hindsight and the fact that a 4.5 in 2009 probably wouldn't rate the same score in 2024, I might quibble with some of the technical analyses. This release ports over all of the SD supplements that were on the old Universal 1080 release.

Brokeback Mountain Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Brokeback Mountain is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.85:1. I got the 4K UHD release for purposes of this review, but that back cover states "from a 4K scan of the 35mm original camera negative". The old Universal Blu-ray had the now in and of itself "quaint" VC-1 codec, but even putting aside any "codec war" backstage intrigue, even a cursory comparison of the screenshots between this release and the old Universal release should show pretty convincingly how much better both palette reproduction and especially clarity can be. The old 1080 presentation was frankly on the murky side, as if to subliminally reinforce the "muddiness" of the cowboy life, but it was also kind of ironically somewhat washed out and brighter looking than this transfer. All of those issues are completely ameliorated here, making some of the jaw droppingly beautiful vistas Lee and cinematographer Rodrigo Priego offer look even more striking. Fine detail on everything from denim to sheep's wool is typically excellent. The fact that there were evidently a number of different stocks utilized (according to the IMDb) may account for some noticeable variations in overall color temperature and grain structure (note some changes in some of the widest framings, where colors can skew a bit toward blue-greens), but there's still a beautifully organic and generally homogenous appearance that I think easily outpaces the old Universal 1080 presentation. Very minor age related wear and tear, mostly in the form of miniscule flecks and speckling, can be spotted by the eagle eyed. In parting, "my" 4.5 should not be considered an equivalent with the 4.5 granted to the older Universal release.

Brokeback Mountain Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Brokeback Mountain features DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 tracks. As has probably already been alluded to above, my mantra of "different reviewers means different opinions" comes into play as even way back in the Dark Ages of 2009 I don't think I personally would have given the Universal Blu-ray release a 4.5 for audio, and in fact that old review mentions a reason why: as generally excellent as this track is, and as noticeably as the surround track opens up elements like (especially) scoring and ambient environmental effects, it really isn't the consistently immersive listening experience one might assume given the glut of outdoor material. That said, there is enough surround activity here to actively establish spatial relationships in virtually all of the outdoor material, and some of the more intense "up close and personal" scenes can even have moments of directionality. While the old 1080 review lauded the lossless track's ability to deliver Heath Ledger's dialogue more clearly, I'd still probably argue this is Mumblecore at its finest (?), meaning the optional English subtitles may come in handy.

Brokeback Mountain Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

As mentioned above, this release ports over the supplements that were on the old Universal 1080 Blu-ray (with the exception of BD-Live). There's a bit more information on these archival supplements in the above linked review. The commentary is new to this release.

• Audio Commentary by Film Historian / Writer Julie Kirgo


• Sharing the Story: The Making of Brokeback Mountain (SD; 20:48)


• From Script to Screen: Interview with Larry McMurtry and Diana Ossana (SD; 10:53)


• A Groundbreaking Success (SD; 17:14)


• Directing from the Heart (SD; 7:27) features Ang Lee.


• Music from the Moutnaing (SD; 11:18) features Gustavo Santaolalla.


• On Being a Cowboy (SD; 5:44)


• Impressions from the Film (SD; 2:33) is a photo gallery.


• Brokeback Mountain - TV Spots (HD; 3:46)


• Brokeback Mountain - Trailer (HD; 2:23)

Trailers for other releases from Kino Lorber are also included.

Brokeback Mountain Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

I wonder if in another decade or two Brokeback Mountain will strike that era's viewers the way some of Douglas Sirk's melodramas strike us these days. If some of the more soap operatic elements here may now seem unnecessarily hyperbolic, the underlying story is both provocative and moving, and it's both figuratively and literally framed so majestically that any passing qualms tend to be just that: passing. Technical merits are first rate and the minimal supplements very enjoyable. Highly recommended.