Brokeback Mountain and Chopin

The lush simplicity of Ang Lee’s “Brokeback Mountain” can be compared to that of Chopin’s Ballade No. 1 as it is played by Arturo Benedetto Michelangeli I recall that with both experiences I was awed by the tight structure, the natural orderliness of every minute detail. Both artists take the original script/music and construct a piece whose life comes from paying deference to the structure of the original conception. No unnecessary flourishes. No special effects. A high awareness of the importance of detail and relationship. Both pieces demonstrate a deep knowing. A belief in the power of natural, uncontained order.
Both art experiences left me speechless and in awe. I think that the film and the piano reveal. They uncover the real and they praise the many facets of God’s creation — beautiful and dangerous.
AM