Oscar-nominated director Lee Daniels has opened up about his longtime refusal to see the beloved queer film Brokeback Mountain: he couldn’t stand to see someone else direct it.
In a new interview with Insider, Daniels reveals that he had lobbied to direct the film in the early 2000s, following his success as the producer of Monster’s Ball.
“I was going to be directing Brokeback Mountain,” he said. “A long, long time ago. It was going to be my second movie after Monster’s Ball. It was a very expensive piece to keep and I simply couldn’t get the movie made. Nobody wanted to see the movie, nobody wanted to make the movie.”
Daniels ultimately went on to make his directorial debut with Shadowboxer, while Ang Lee went on to direct Brokeback. Lee would pick up an Oscar for his work as director, and the film was hailed as a landmark in LGBTQ cinema.
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Still, despite the raves, Daniels couldn’t watch the movie.
“I couldn’t watch the film when it came out,” he admits. “I saw the movie in my head, the script was powerful. I saw the entire film in my head because it was so powerful. So when Ang came out with it, I didn’t want to see it. Because I just didn’t think that he would do it justice. When [Jack and Ennis] first had sex in the tent, I saw that scene how I would direct it, so I just couldn’t imagine any other filmmaker doing it justice. Especially a straight filmmaker taking it on.”
15 years after the 2005 release of Brokeback Mountain, Daniels finally sat and watch the movie. His own reaction took him off guard.
“I saw it, like, 15 years later and Ang Lee did a really great job,” Daniels admits. “As a matter of fact, he did it in a way that was palatable for many heterosexuals around the world. I would have probably been more in your face with it, and he did it in a different perspective, so kudos to him. And I told him that.”
Daniels went on to score Oscar nominations himself for his work on Precious in 2009, and to nab hits on television with the series Empire and Star.
Godabed
Brokeback mountain was not a good film. The actors were great but the story was trash.
Larry
Thank GOD that is only your opinion! It was groundbreaking and excellent. I saw it 3 times because I cried to much I missed the picture part of the movie. There was not a single thing wrong with the story. Are you gay or just homophobic?
ShiningSex
How was the story trash? Explain trash.
Great film. Not all gay films have to be “happy” ‘positive’ We have those. We need films like this too.
gothvixen
It was a beautiful love story that won over a lot of hetero people because they understood the purity of emotion. It won in every way.
Virpilosus
…maybe in your opinion, but in my (and a huge majority of people’s) Brokeback Mountain was outstanding in every way, and a deeply affecting film.
wiredpup
Who?
Josh447
Fascinating bit of trivia about one of the most moving films I’ve ever laid eyes on.
Interesting that Daniels had such a holier than thou attitude, at least that’s how it seems. To think someone couldn’t possibly do as good of a job with the film as him is quite a mind block. Sounds like resentment for not getting the directorial role played a part in it too. Glad he came around.
Ang Lee did a stunning Oscar winning job directing Brokeback Mountain. I still have movie posters signed by Lee and the entire cast. That movie was a very very big deal to alot of people.
TheMarc
Fascinating that you didn’t read the article where he ate a whole heap of humble pie. Any artist close to a subject thinks that any other artist not close to a subject will botch is not some new Lee Daniels-only phenomenon. He acknowledged that he was ultimately wrong and enjoyed the film.
Josh447
Actually I did see that and acknowledged it with my statement “glad he came around”.
Mark Allen
I lived in New Mexico when the film came out. My partner and I drove 3 hours to Albuquerque to see it. We lived in a tiny rural town in eastern NM, and this movie struck very close to home for us. For rural gays, the life these characters lived hasn’t changed a lot in many places. We since moved to Vermont and the freedom to be our true selves is almost overwhelming.
IanHunter
It is a wonderful film, and I am sure that it age well throughout the history of cinema.
dhmonarch89
So- it might have been named, ‘Lee Daniel’s Brokeback Mountain’?
ShiningSex
Ang Lee has done gay films before and he did a great job. Great film!!! Should have won over that awful “Crash” film which was so dated.
Donston
BM is a good, not great, film for me. But I can’t imagine Daniels’ version being better. It would have been an interesting hot mess though.
barryaksarben
Ang Lee is one of he greatest directors of all time. Few directors have attempted to make films in so many different genres as he has and his have almost all been to great success. How anyone can say Brokeback isnt an important film that is as entertaining as any ever made,. A beautiful film about the closet and loss. The visuals, the music the acting and of course the directing were amazing. The shot of HEath Ledger against the fireworks is an ICONIC movie shot. The ONLY people who have a negative reaction to this are homophobes and self hating gays. Watch it and then watch CRASH and you will see one of the worst best picture decision in history. His other pics “Sense and Sensibilty” ” THe wedding Banquet” “The Lie of PI” show a director at the top of his game. The stories may be weak like with “The HULK” but his expertise shines in eveyone of his films
dhmonarch89
Don’t Forget ‘Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon’- Lee’s range/versatility is PHENOMINAL!!!!
yup5hioop
The paradox is that as a gay man he might have had better insight but he also might forget what da str8s might miss or not get. As he acknowledges kinda. Now in the age of TMI and arguments over categorization minutia it might not matter so much but 15 yrs ago the film was still groundbreaking. While we argue over Harry Potter Trump keeps passing legislation…. we are not all watching the same movie… or on the same page.
enlightenone
All’s well that ends well! Have every version/medium I could get my hands on!
TheMarc
This. This is a evolved, strong artist. He admits his bias and praises another’s work.
I grew up in rural Texas and a lot of the film hit home with me. BBM was an amazing film. Some young people might think of it as not much. But how many mainstream leading man heartthrobs are headlining movies where the main plot point is they are in a gay relationship; even now in 2020??? This film was incredibly groundbreaking and unfortunately, has not had a mainstream peer to rival it.
It was raw, tour-de-force and unpretentious. Ang Lee (award wining straight director) killed it and Lee Daniels (award winning gay director) is tipping his hat to him. Love it! Perhaps this will further inspire directors, no matter what their sexual orientation, to make powerful gay films. Gonna say it, the world has proven over and over that they can easily swallow lesbian characters, films etc. Time to further explore gay relationships as a central plot.
QJ201
The cinematography was self indulgent and could easily cut 20-30 minutes of scenic filler from the film.
as a director I once knew would say “Pauses a train could pass though”
Josh447
Nah. I can’t even test drive your statement. The cinematography backed by the forever haunting sound track was breathtaking, every minute of it. That movie contained some of the most spectacular vistas ever layed on celluloid
dhmonarch89
well- it was nominated by cinematographers for a Best Cinematography Oscar…so, I guess they would know.
Kangol2
Brokeback Mountain was a very good, poignant film. It was infinitely better than that faux-liberal Hollywood tripe Crash, and I say that as a politically progressive person. (The only Crash worth watching, IMHO, is the super-bizarre, captivating David Cronenberg film.) I have seen a number of Lee Daniels’ films and TV shows (cf. Empire), and I don’t think he would have directed a better film than Ang Lee, though he might have been a bit more daring at certain points, like the sex scenes. Either way, I praise him for acknowledging Lee’s achievement, and I hope they both keep creating and directing.
Cam
Hey, it’s been a minute since Brokeback Mountain was made, I would love to see Lee Daniels take on it! Better yet, I would love it if he found a new LGBT script, and with his current clout he made that movie!!
MacAdvisor
“As a matter of fact, he did it in a way that was palatable for many heterosexuals around the world.”
Talk about a left-handed compliment.