‘Brokeback Mountain’ 4K UHD Blu-Ray Review – Ledger And Gyllenhaal Are Astonishing In Heartbreaking Epic

Brokeback Mountain is a sweeping epic that explores the lives of two young men, a ranch hand and a rodeo cowboy, who meet in the summer of 1963 and unexpectedly forge a lifelong connection. The complications, joys and heartbreak they experience provide a testament to the endurance and power of love. Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal deliver emotionally charged, remarkably moving performances in a movie that has become one of the classic romances of our time, and a milestone for queer cinema. Nominated for 8 Academy Awards including Best Actor (Ledger), Best Supporting Actor (Gyllenhaal), Best Supporting Actress (Michelle Williams), Best Cinematography (Rodrigo Prieto) and Best Picture of 2005, Brokeback Mountain won Oscars for Best Director (Ang Lee), Best Adapted Screenplay (Larry McMurtry and Diana Ossana) and Best Original Score (Gustavo Santaolalla). With Anne Hathaway, Randy Quaid, Linda Cardellini, Anna Faris, David Harbour and Kate Mara.

For in-depth thoughts on Brokeback Mountain, please check out our review of the Universal Blu-Ray here. 

Video Quality

The 4K UHD Blu-Ray of Brokeback Mountain offers a welcome uptick in quality over the already-improved accompanying Blu-Ray, and a bigger jump in quality compared to the older Universal Blu-Ray, most notably in its gains in fine detail, well-defined textures, and overall stability. This transfer is from a new 4K scan of the Original Camera Negative in 2160p/Dolby Vision. The older Universal release was appealing in its time, but this is a film crying out for a more refined transfer that captures the beauty of the cinematography. 

The new disc offers some subtle but appreciated improvements in the black levels so that some of the shadowy scenes on the Blu-Ray present more clearly in 4K. Elements such as Ennis sleeping outside of the tent at night before coming in from the cold are more vivid and finely delineated. The black levels are especially strong in this presentation, staying deep with exceptional detail. The highlights in the film are better defined with whites more pure and balanced with no instances of blooming to be found. The UHD disc contains lush, stable colors throughout which capture the natural environment rather than amping up the vividness. The Dolby Vision presentation allows the film to appear more refined than ever, keeping the color palette intact. 

Skin tones appear more natural with healthy doses of crisp detail apparent on faces such as pores. The transfer also reveals an increase in the depth of field in the vast expanses that we witness throughout the years. You can more clearly make out textures within the clothing and domestic interiors. There does not appear any noise reduction or black crush that we detected at any point. The 4K UHD disc could be improved with a stronger handling of the encoding, but it is far from a disaster. The improvements are clear and worth it for those who count this one among their favorites. Kino Classics will make many fans happy with this release. 

Audio Quality

This 4K UHD Blu-Ray release boasts a DTS-HD 5.1 and 2.0 lossless track that seems to be carried over from the previous Blu-Ray that still impresses. You can find my previous assessment of the audio quality here. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided.  

Special Features

• Audio Commentary: Film Historian/Writer Julie Kirgo provides a great new commentary track in which she discusses the original short story, the intention of author Annie Proulx, the adaptation for the screen, the qualities of the performances, underlying themes, the film’s legacy, and more. 

• A Groundbreaking Success: A 17-minute look at the unexpected success of the film and how the story is a universal one at its core. The participants discuss how they wanted to make sure their LGBTQ audience felt supported while not alienating other audiences too much. There are obviously more homosexual stories today, but it is strange to think how it has not changed as much as it probably should have. 

• Music From The Mountain: A pleasant 11-minute look at the creation of the gorgeous score in the film. This is one of my favorite supplements on the disc. 

• Impressions From The Film: A collection of stills from the film presented in postcard form. 

• On Being A Cowboy: A six-minute look at the training Ledger and Gyllenhaal went through to make sure they were convincing cowboys. The participants discuss how Ledger had a prior history and was a natural when picking everything up. 

• Directing From The Heart – Ang Lee: A nearly 8-minute look at Lee’s journey to directing this picture with discussions about how he wanted to make a more intimate movie after many big-budget affairs, why he was the perfect director to make this film, and more. Everyone from the cast and crew seem to have an immense respect for him. 

• From Script to Screen – Interviews with Diana Ossana & Larry McMurtry: An 11-minute look at adapting the story from the beloved New Yorker short story into a feature film. Some of the cast and crew discuss their appreciation of the short story, while the screenwriters talk about expanding particular sentences in the original material into a more fleshed-out storyline in the film, especially on the domestic front. 

• Sharing The Story – The Making of Brokeback Mountain: A 21-minute Logo special that gives some behind-the-scenes details on the production from the film courtesy of the cast and crew members. This is a more formal affair, but there are a lot of interesting anecdotes that are worth checking out for fans of the film. Some of the most amusing moments come from Lee’s cryptic way of delivering direction that proved befuddling to the actors at times. 

• TV Spots (3:46)

• Trailers: A two-and-a-half-minute trailer is provided for Brokeback Mountain. There are also trailers provided for Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Far From Heaven, Broken Flowers, and Lust Caution. 

Final Thoughts

Brokeback Mountain is one of the great modern heartbreakers that was hailed as a classic upon its release and still rightfully retains that title. The film has aged like a fine wine with its heartbreaking depiction of repressed passion. The raw chemistry between Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal is truly astonishing, and the way in which they complement one another allows you to lock in emotionally. The supporting performances are just as impactful as the narrative does not succumb to tunnel vision. The story is beautifully devastating and not to be overlooked. Kino Classics has released a 4K UHD Blu-Ray featuring a strong A/V presentation along with a pretty good array of special features. If you are a fan of the film, you owe it to yourself to own it on the best format possible. Recommended 

Brokeback Mountain is currently available to purchase on 4K UHD Blu-Ray and Blu-Ray. 

Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the 4K UHD Blu-Ray.

Disclaimer: Kino Classics has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.