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Why Heath Mattered
As fans everywhere mourn the untimely death of Heath Ledger, their outpouring of sadness, confusion and shock seems appropriate - yet confusing. After all, Ledger had very few films to his credit by the time he died, and most of those films were of the seldom-seen, art-house variety.
But as Nathaniel over at Film Experience mentioned today, one film - and the artistry behind that performance - has left everyone today desperately wanting more.
I still find it amazing how many of my male friends refused to watch BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN. While I realize how uptight Midwesterners can be, I never really thought that watching a movie about two guys in love could really threaten anyone’s masculinity. In fact, due to the terrific performances of Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal, the film is much more realistically “masculine” than the gay porno posturing of Vin Diesel, for instance. et, they steadfastly refused to watch it, which is a shame.
Ledger gives an amazing and textured performance in it. At a time in life when his acting contemporaries are starring in shit like THE FOG, Ledger tapped deeply into something - besides Jake’s ass, of course - that showed a range far beyond others his age.
My favorite scene in the film is the now-famous “I wish I knew how to quit you” scene near the end. Notice the amazing body language and intensity between these two fine actors:
Brilliant acting there.
During the promotional tour for BROKEBACK, Ledger went on ELLEN to discuss this performance. His answers and description of his methodology in building this performance demonstrate as well as anything how much we lost in his death yesterday. Truly a gifted and intelligent talent:
No doubt, in the coming months, Ledger’s death will be splashed all over the promotional materials for THE DARK KNIGHT. His performance as the Joker looks to be quite creepy and vicious. I am sure that this stunning turn will leave us wanting much more that will never come, and an indelible icon with which to remember him:
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3 Responses to “Why Heath Mattered”
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Brokeback is truly a revelation, mostly due to Ledger’s performance and the decades-long, self-imposed misery with which he imbues his character. It’s really a devastating, little-anticipated performance that will now, unfortunately, become the actor’s legacy.
These are both brilliant performances. I fear what this film would have been in the hands of lesser actors. I certainly would have been the joke that everyone tried their hardest to make it. Ledger and Gyllenhaal did a fine job of rising above that.
Ray, I don’t get the ‘threat’ thing either. A love story is a love story, and Brokeback was a really, really good one. It’s in my top ten, anyway.