A distraction from books and the like...

The passing of Heath Ledger last week reminded me of how much the movie Brokeback Mountain meant to me. How wonderfully acted it was! How greatly my respect grew for him when I saw him portray Ennis, the self-hating, repressed cowboy. And, how I loved him when I read interviews with him where he said he didn't understand reporters questioning about his kissing Jake Gyllenhall in the movie-- how they asked "What was it like?" or "Were you disgusted?" To which he replied, "He was a human being, I was kissing a human being." I loved that. It said so much.

It also calls to mind for me the vast difference between the movie and the story. The movie was (a rare treat) better than the story because the information about the characters had to come from dialogue, not narration. Ennis in the story is even more closed mouth than Ennis in the movie. And Ledger was so convincing with his dialogue that reading the story after, it was a disappointment.

In a world where Celebrity Rehab and Britney Spears, Paris Hilton, and Nicole Ritchie are prevalent, a young star of Ledger's quality will be missed. He stayed low on the radar, doing quality work and choosing his roles carefully.

He'll be missed.