Ang Lee is regarded as one of the most distinguished filmmakers in the Hollywood industry. Having 9 Academy Award nominations and three wins, he already has a fair share of wins and perhaps even more to come. With such understanding and dedication to his movies, the filmmaker has been fighting against any norm thrown at him for as long as he can remember.
Despite holding so many wins in his pocket, regardless of it being an Oscar, a Golden Globe, or anything else, one loss is like a thorn in his back that forever hurts him. He has made many movies throughout his career but one stood out like no other. Starring Heath Ledger, Jake Gyllenhaal, Michelle Williams, and Anne Hathaway, Brokeback Mountain became the one that slipped away.
Ang Lee’s World Came Crashing Down
When Ang Lee won the Oscar for Best Director of Brokeback Mountain he wasn’t alone in thinking that the movie would also end up winning the Best Picture award. As shared by IndieWire, the director talked about how the win on his one hand felt like a loss on his other. He admitted that when he first got called for Best Director, he was then advised not to go back to his seat.
I got my award, which was [second to] last to the big one, and I was walking off the stage, they called me down, and said, stay here. That’s your mark. Everybody assumes you will win, so stay at that mark, Lee continued. Right next to the stage was the curtain. The next was Best Picture. Stay here, just stay here. I saw Jack Nicholson, his profile, he opened the envelope, and I go, ‘Oh my god, oh my god.’ It took like 10 seconds before he announced, and then he went, ‘Crash.’
The reason for this was rather simple. Even the Oscars’ Stage Manager was under the impression that Brokeback Mountain would win. He said that it would be a hassle to go round and round again and would be best to just stand there and wait. However, the dread that followed wasn’t something he expected.
Jack Nicholson was the presenter and the movie he announced was not that of Lee but Paul Haggis’ Crash. He had not expected that under any circumstance and he knew there was something to blame for it.
Ang Lee Knew Exactly Who to Blame
Ang Lee saw Brokeback Mountain to be ahead of its time. The movie was already regarded to be the best and was highly praised. However, it was snubbed at the Oscars. Although Oscar snubs are far from uncommon, Lee had a finger to point at the Academy, the discrimination to be specific.
Back then, [‘Brokeback Mountain’] had a ceiling. We got a lot of support — up to that much, he stated. It has that feeling. I wasn’t holding a grudge or anything. It’s just how they were.
