Analysis: The Opening Sequence from “Brokeback Mountain” (2005)

By: Muhammad Faraz Malik

Who doesn’t love considering nonconformity? I’d be lying if I said that controversy is not alluring. It is not a secret to everyone that homophobia is gradually fading away but the difference between homosexual acceptance in 2005 and 2017 is just like that of a sandstorm and a sand particle (this hyperbole was a bit too much! And so was the reaction towards Brokeback Mountain).

After going through multiple film openings, putting Brokeback Mountain’s opening into consideration meant that I’d be in peace. It is very calming which is due to its slow pace and not having a desperate attempt to shove all the details on the viewer’s face thanks to Ang Lee the director of this film. This opening sequence does not give irrelevant details at all! In fact it does miss out some important details. The theme of the film is  homosexuality as well as infidelity which is not established in the beginning because their romantic tendencies will take their toll  after a while. But I still chose Brokeback Mountain because the 60’s era and countryside vibes have been developed splendidly.

Unfortunately I wasn’t able to find an HD video for the opening scene but I will refer to this video continuously.

The very first noticeable aspect of this film opening is the sound of wind howling already setting the mood and also semi-revealing the place where most of this story takes place which is a hilly countryside area. The sound kicks in before the visuals and similar technique has been used in many other film openings. It is far more satisfying to have sound before the visuals than a frame with no sound. Following the sound of wind, a still shot of hills with and dunes covered with greenery fade in.

After six seconds, the film title appears which is why the backdrop is very gloomy and dull. I have mentiond the effect of the contrast between the film title or credits and the background in ‘The history of film opening’. The dull background also suggests that it’s either dusk or dawn. Film title fades away after 4-5 seconds leaving the shot still with the wind sound for the next 5 seconds. Then the guitar interrupts with the soothing mood which is just a single string note which rather blends in with the mood. It does have a direct relation the fact that the protagonists of the film are both cowboys.

Then we see a zoom-shot of the camera following a truck. The shot is very similar to a pan-shot but it is zoomed in. The camera follows the truck for a few seconds suggesting that someone important is in the truck. Perhaps the lead character. This is another example of what I mentioned earlier about the pace of the scene. Very less information is being given in this opening scene but less is more and what we have certainly sets the mood already.