Letter: Rewarding films that take risks

Sunday, Jan. 22, 2006 | 7:37 a.m.

Regarding Timothy Carroll's Jan. 19 letter, "Hollywood continues to shun biblical themes":

It appears the writer is totally missing the point of both the Golden Globe Awards and the movie "Brokeback Mountain."

First, the point of the Golden Globe Awards is not to reward high-grossing films. It is to reward films (and those people who make them) for taking chances ... improving the art form.

Which brings up the second point. "Brokeback Mountain" is not the story of two cowboys who cheat on their wives. It's the story of two men who -- through the pressures of society -- deny their true being, marry, and then realize that they actually wanted it a different way.

Such "pressures" were more pervasive back in the '60s than now, but they still exist. I run across gay, married (usually older) men all the time who tell me they married because of social and family pressure. They are not unhappy with their wives ... they question themselves for making the wrong decision. A lot of these men will "come out" after divorce or when their wife dies.

Let's support the Golden Globe Awards and "Brokeback Mountain" for what they are ... purveyors of progressive thinking.

William Stewart

Las Vegas