Schamus Stresses ‘Brokeback’ Is More Than a Gay Cowboy Flick

James Schamus, co-president of Focus Features, which produced “Brokeback Mountain,” hosted a preview screening of that film at the Harvard Film Archive last Friday, and described the five-year journey “Brokeback”’s story has taken, and explained why he and director Ang Lee wanted to make a movie about universal love.

Making a gay cowboy movie was never much of a discussion, according to Schamus.

“We really wanted to make a big, gooey, epic love story,” he said. “The fact that it’s hot, man-on-man action is a slight twist, but essentially it’s very conservative.”

Begun as a 1997 short story in “The New Yorker” written by Annie Proulx, “Brokeback Mountain” is inspired by a nuanced encounter Proulx had while sitting in a Midwestern bar. During a trip to Laramie, Wyo. in 1997—ironically the same town that would capture national attention only one year later, when Matthew Shepard died as a result of a gay hate crime—Proulx saw a man sitting at the bar, watching other guys play pool. “She saw something in his eyes that most people didn’t see, and that’s how the story began,” Schamus said.

As soon as the script was finished and released into the Hollywood scene, the calls came flooding in from people who wanted to audition. “This was the easiest film we’ve ever had to cast,” Shamus said.

“We” is the key phrase here. Together, the powerhouse production team of James Schamus and director Ang Lee has produced an enviable modern cinematic portfolio. The duo’s mainstream break came with 1995’s “Sense and Sensibility,” and since then, they have created “The Ice Storm” (1997); “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” (2000); “The Hulk” (2003); and now “Brokeback Mountain.”

With “Brokeback Mountain,” Schamus and Lee were forced to deal with numerous filmmaking hardships—a relatively small budget, culture wars, and an uncertain audience reception.

During pre-production, Schamus says he alleviated Lee’s practical fears about finding an audience. “[I told Ang] Don’t worry, we will find the audience…just shoot whatever you want,” Schamus said.

And Lee did just that. During his mere 8-week, “business-like shoot,” Lee somehow managed to finish on time and under budget. “Ang made his days,” Schamus said.

Schamus, however, soon realized the core audience for the film would not be homosexuals: “I said to Ang, there’s one core audience for the movie; he said, ‘oh yeah, right, the gay audience,’ and I said, ‘no, women.’” Schamus says he hopes mothers worldwide will be the voice of this movie.

“Brokeback Mountain”’s strategy seems to be working. Already the winner of the 2005 Golden Lion Award at the Venice Film Festival, multiple Golden Globe nominations and with more accolades pouring in every day, the film has also experienced box-office success. The film has sold nearly ten times as many advance tickets as another recent Focus Features’ release, “Pride and Prejudice.” “We’ve sold out every single show in all five theaters,” Schamus said.

And Schamus is definitely not intimidated or afraid of the cultural backlash the film might receive from certain cohorts. “If you have a problem [with the film], see a therapist,” he added with a winking grin.