“My father, for the first time in his life said, ‘Go ahead and make another movie. You’re only 49. It’s a bad example for your boy.’ And then two weeks later, he passed away.”
Director Ang Lee had once chosen Hulk over Brokeback Mountain and thought it was off the table, but when he learned the rights to the Brokeback novella were still available, he snatched it up.
The experience of making the movie, and its resulting success, made Lee realize he didn’t want to retire just yet.
“I think Brokeback Mountain brought me back, nursing me back to love life, to love filmmaking. And I’m still standing, still making movies, thanks to that movie. That was the one movie where I felt ‘There’s a movie god who loves me. He wants me to keep going…
And the movie was so perfect. What have I done to deserve that movie? Everything about it was good. I don’t know what it is about that movie. It’s a sad movie, but it’s about love. It’s so nurturing. Everybody’s in love. And it was great. Every actor turned out to be great. I didn’t do much, I just did the coverage. I didn’t have a cinematic ambition. I just basically made the day and secured the performances. And then, in the first cut, I realized I’d got something. People are so affected by it. Making Crouching Tiger was a thousand times harder than making Brokeback Mountain. And Brokeback Mountain was a great success that just seemed to happen on its own.”
– Oscar-winning movie director Ang Lee, speaking to Deadline about how he contemplated retirement before being persuaded to make Brokeback Mountain.
Great movie, awesome book