Wrangler – that’s what’s going on…

Shock and disappointment reign among the Incarcerated-American community as Brokeback Mountain is ruled too hot for prison. Authorities feel that there is a danger of the film inciting undesirable behaviour among the population. Well, duh. God knows one doesn’t begrudge these unhappy souls a little porn, but they could at least make it hetero, if only to make showering marginally safer. It follows that Brokeback Mountain is a non-starter, likewise Lord of the Rings and anything with Meryl Streep in it.

What caught my eye was that it turns out that the heroes of this epic tale are not in fact cowboys, but “sheep wranglers” – ie, shepherds. Suddenly the whole premise becomes that much more comforting and familiar. Healthy masculinity emerges unscathed – this is just another story of shepherds doing what shepherds have always done when their charges are playing hard to get. I dare say they’d’ve filmed it in Wales if it ever stopped raining there.


In other news, Director Ang Lee finally reveals the inspiration behind the film’s name. “It’s broody obvious, innit?” he explained to puzzled reporters, “It’s about these two brokes…”