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30th-Oct-2009 07:59 am VID REC: Shakespeare (Romeo and Juliet) -- The Wings (Brokeback Mountain Theme)
Vidder: Civilwarchick1862
Musical artist: Gustavo Santaolalla, Brokeback Mountain
Pairing: Romeo/Mercutio, Romeo/Juliet
Vidder on LJ: N/A
Vidder's website: On YouTube
Why this vid kicks ass: This is a great example of a popular genre done exquisitely well, such that it really does seem like a fresh idea with something worth saying. Romeo and Juliet, of course, is the iconic love story of the Western world, and Franco Zeffirelli's 1968 movie of same is still the most popular version of it. Brokeback Mountain was about as popular as that movie, and its story is definitely in the same vein. A few years ago, you couldn't move on the Web for tripping over yet another slash fanvid set to the Brokeback Mountain theme, but "Brokeback Verona" stands out.

It's formatted as though it were a true movie trailer, even using intertitles just as the Brokeback Mountain trailer did. (That some of the intertitles are selections from Shakespeare's Sonnet 17 just adds to the awesomeness.) The clips from the movie are well chosen to highlight and enhance both relationships, the editing is nearly flawless, and Civilwarchick1862 weaves clips, music, and intertitles together to tell a real little story, not just revel in the pretty. Pay special attention to Juliet's role; every single bit of that is from the film, but in this context, her relationship with Romeo seems completely different.


Brokeback Verona
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29th-Dec-2006 05:07 pm Whitewash by theswearingkind (PG-13)
Fandom: BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN
Pairing: Jack Twist/Ennis del Mar
Author on LJ: [livejournal.com profile] theswearingkind
Author Website: [livejournal.com profile] theswearingkind
Why this must be read:

This piece takes the summer Jack and Ennis spent on Brokeback Mountain and distills it into two hundred and thirty five brilliant words. Not a one is misplaced or wasted; every syllable is used to full effect. They all weave together to paint such a true portrayal that I have a hard time describing it.

Whitewash encapsulates to its very poetic essence what falling in love means and really brings light to the idea (now clichéd in this fandom but given a fresh perspective here) of what a force of nature these two are. In my not-so-humble opinion, [livejournal.com profile] theswearingkind is the one of the best (if not the best writer) that this fandom has to offer, and I purposefully saved this rec for last. Don’t take my word for it—go read for yourself :)

Whitewash
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28th-Dec-2006 12:14 pm He Used to Say by twilight_sonata (G)
Fandom: BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN
Pairing: Jack Twist/Ennis del Mar
Author on LJ: [livejournal.com profile] twilight_sonata
Author Website: [livejournal.com profile] twilight_sonata
Why this must be read: I read this piece around the time it was first published and it stuck with me through the months. I spent hours going through my archived comments in my e-mail to track it down because it’s just that good. Be warned that this is sad, but exactly the kind of sad that makes this film such a beautiful tragedy. The end is a suckerpunch to the gut and is Jack.

He Used to Say
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27th-Dec-2006 10:38 pm How the 42 Sheep Really Died by marysuebasher (NC-17)
Fandom: BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN
Pairing: Jack Twist/Ennis del Mar/Mexican Whore
Author on LJ: [livejournal.com profile] marysuebasher
Author Website: None
Why this must be read: This is just fun and silly and really (and yes, it's all on purpose), with a movie this depressing, you have to find something to laugh about every one in awhile. Plus, it sends a really strong message about God and global warming--what more can you ask from a fic?

How the 42 Sheep Really Died
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26th-Dec-2006 08:04 pm The Divine Accident of Life by flowrs4ophelia (G)
Fandom: BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN
Pairing: Jack Twist/Ennis del Mar
Author on LJ: [livejournal.com profile] flowrs4ophelia
Author Website: LJ Memories
Why this must be read: This piece manages something rare and wonderful: it goes out of the dialect speech and enters into the poetic, but still stays true to the essence of the character and story. Jack’s point of view is beautifully represented here and the way this piece is framed is one of the few that he could speak so honestly and deeply to Ennis.

Do this. Go up to the mountain in the summer when the sun is out making all the colors the brightest and everything looks like it’s on fire, the water blue flame and the rock dark, cooled embers. Here you never have to be alone and you never have to bury what you feel. You can bleed your agony. You can scream in pain, loud and proud like an eagle. Shout our secret to the free sky, open and gaping like the mouth of a snake right before it sinks its teeth into your heel and kills you. You’ll hit the ground and feel the pain slowly die away and go numb, and then you’ll be truly free, part of that sky.

The Divine Accident of Life
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24th-Dec-2006 08:52 am Paw the White Out of the Moon and Pair of Deuces Going Nowhere by lyra_wing (NC-17)
Fandom: BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN
Pairing: Jack Twist/Ennis del Mar
Author on LJ: [livejournal.com profile] lyra_wing
Author Website: LJ Memories
Why this must be read:

In honor of the holiday, I’d like to present this companion pair of ficlets which achieves something rare and wonderful: PWP that characterizes so well it doesn’t read like PWP. It’s sexy, fun, and rough-tumblin’ cowboy lovin’, which I think we all need more of in our lives, especially around the holidays. Do note that these are novella canon, so if you notice details that disagree with the film, that’s why.

Excerpt )

Paw the White Out of the Moon
Pair of Deuces Going Nowhere
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23rd-Dec-2006 09:07 pm When Nothing’s Left But Air by foxxclub (R)
Fandom: BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN
Pairing: Jack Twist/Ennis del Mar
Author on LJ: [livejournal.com profile] foxxclub
Author Website: LJ Memories
Why this must be read:

This is hot, lovely, and perfectly characterized. It’s sparse and still fleshes out some noticeably lacking moments (*cough*themotelscene*cough*) and does it wonderfully by juxtaposing right against the tender beginnings. And, really, I recommend all her Brokeback fic, because it’s spectacular.

When Nothing’s Left But Air
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21st-Dec-2006 10:12 pm Riding Fence by no_reins (R)
Fandom: BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN
Pairing: Jack Twist/Ennis del Mar, Ennis del Mar/OMC
Author on LJ: [livejournal.com profile] no_reins
Author Website: Index post
Why this must be read:

As the author states: My goal here was simple: get Ennis out of the damn trailer at the movie/novella’s end, a place where he had nothing and needed nothing, into a place of possibility, where he could stand in the middle of life as a participant, not as a helpless observer.

He does just that with a style that’s evocative of Proulx but stands all on its own. Blunt, lyrical, and straightforward, Riding Fence explores just what happens to a man who lives in the shadow of death and how he can remember life when the ones you love remind you what’s worth being here for. Even though in the fandom this type of story is deemed MO!Ennis (for moving-on Ennis), Jack is so deeply infused into this story that I am completely confident in listing Ennis/Jack as the primary pairing. It’s beautiful, heartbreaking, and hopeful, and a wonderful compliment to the canon.

Excerpt )

Riding Fence: Chapter 1
Riding Fence: Chapter Index
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19th-Dec-2006 09:05 pm The Good Lord Will Provide by planetgal471 (PG-13)
Fandom: BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN
Pairing: Jack Twist/Ennis del Mar
Author on LJ: [livejournal.com profile] planetgal471
Author Website: "Writings" tag
Why this must be read: This piece delves into one of the greatest unsung characters: Mrs. Twist, Jack’s mother. It’s canon, and explores Jack’s relationship with his parents, especially with his mother, and how attuned she was to what was going on even when he couldn’t say it. It’s beautiful, sad, aching, and not for the light of angst-heart, but so worth it.

The Good Lord Will Provide
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18th-Dec-2006 08:55 pm A Dance by lolitaray (R)
Fandom: BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN
Pairing: Jack Twist/Ennis del Mar
Author on LJ: [livejournal.com profile] lolitaray
Author Website: [livejournal.com profile] lolitaray
Why this must be read: This has to be read to be believed. I wouldn’t have thought that this premise could ever be pulled off believably with these two characters, but [livejournal.com profile] lolitaray did and made it poignant, poetic, aching, and beautiful all at once.

Ennis turned his head slightly towards Jack, who was resting further back past the tattered rug, lounging half on the cracked, weathered wooden boards. Words didn’t come easily to Ennis; when he did try to speak, his words fell, rough as tattered bark, from his mouth.

A Dance
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11th-Dec-2006 12:21 pm Love by 1_of_one (PG-13)
Fandom: BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN
Pairing: Jack Twist/Ennis del Mar
Author on LJ: [livejournal.com profile] 1_of_one
Author Website: Fic Index on her LJ
Why this must be read: It’s very, very hard to strike the right balance of emotions when writing about Jack and Ennis. There’s a tendency for female writers especially, I think, to go overboard with it and try to make up for all the places in the canon where their emotions are not expressed.

This drabble, however, strikes that extremely fine balance in exactly one hundred words. It’s beautiful, poetic, and so achingly true.

Love
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6th-Dec-2006 07:20 pm Average Man by hackthis (PG)
Fandom: BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN
Pairing: Jack Twist/Ennis del Mar
Author on LJ: [livejournal.com profile] hackthis
Author Website: LJ memories
Why this must be read: One of the best Ennis character studies I’ve come across. I forthrightly admit that I am extremely picky about Ennis characterization, and everything in this piece fits the bill perfectly. He’s not overly romanticized or overly denigrated, he’s just who he is, another guy trying to make his way through life like everyone else. Even though it’s written in the third person, it reads like you’re inside his head, you’re seeing his life through the his own lens. This piece is straightforward but poignant, short but gut-wrenching, and subtly beautiful—just like Ennis.

Average Man
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4th-Dec-2006 11:27 pm Our Way by vdkapenguin (PG)
Fandom: BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN
Pairing: Jack Twist/Ennis del Mar
Author on LJ: [livejournal.com profile] vdkapenguin
Author Website: BBM fic memories
Why this must be read: This pieces takes a unique approach to showing us the relationship between Jack and Ennis, and for that, I love it. The writing style is no-frills, used to full effect because of the no-frills nature of their relationship, yet at certain points (just like in the original novella) a turn of phrase will refract light like still waters that run deep. It’s short and really says it all. A lovely ficlet that explores how two people who can’t say much with their words say a lot with their actions.

Our Way
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4th-Dec-2006 11:10 pm Fandom Overview: Brokeback Mountain
Hi there. My name’s Sheera, and I’ll be your friendly Brokeback Mountain sheepherder driver for the month of December. Together, we’ll be delving the finer points of a relationship between two men who don’t have the education to name what’s going on between them or the tools to cope with all the troubles it presents for two rural ranchhands who dream about being cowboys but, in the end, find out their best dream was one another. This is an OTP-driven fandom so everything I’m reccing will be Jack/Ennis, mostly one shots, a good deal of angst, and some smut thrown in for good measure. Also, this is an ideal time to be checking this fandom out, as the Special Edition DVD is going to be released in January.

So let’s buckle up and get started, shall we?

BBM overview: spoilers for movie and novella )
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