The film received universal acclaim, in particular for Lee's direction, its screenplay, and the performances of the cast (especially Ledger, Gyllenhaal, and Williams) and was a commercial success, grossing over $178 million worldwide against its $14 million budget. Gustavo Santaolalla scored the film's original soundtrack. Brokeback Mountain premiered at the 2005 Venice Film Festival and was released to theaters on December 9 that year. After Ledger and Gyllenhaal's casting was announced in 2003, filming commenced in various locations in Alberta, Canada in 2004. Focus Features and River Road Entertainment would jointly produce and distribute the film. Lee became attached to the project in 2001 after previous attempts to adapt Proulx's story into a film did not materialize.
The film stars Heath Ledger, Jake Gyllenhaal, Anne Hathaway, and Michelle Williams and depicts the complex romantic relationship between two American cowboys, Ennis Del Mar and Jack Twist, in the American West from 1963 to 1983. Adapted from the 1997 short story of the same name by Annie Proulx, the screenplay was written by Ossana and Larry McMurtry. Brokeback Mountain is a 2005 American neo-Western romantic drama film directed by Ang Lee and produced by Diana Ossana and James Schamus.
