Activist Says Scenic Alberta Not Likely to Favor Brokeback Mountain at Box Office
by Chad Groening
February 13, 2006
(AgapePress) - - A Canadian pro-family activist doesn't believe people in his home province of Alberta like the idea that Hollywood producers chose their province to film the pro-homosexual movie Brokeback Mountain.
The controversial movie has received the obvious endorsement of Hollywood insiders, as evidenced by its being nominated for eight Academy Awards, including Best Picture. But Christian groups have strongly panned the film, labeling it homosexual "propaganda" and another attempt by Tinsel Town to desensitize the American movie-going public to a sinful and unhealthy lifestyle.
According to IMDB.com, the majority of the movie was filmed in the Canadian province of Alberta -- which happens to be the home province of Brian Rushfeldt, co-founder and executive director of the Canada Family Action Coalition. Rushfeldt says when the controversial film was shot in Alberta, locals were not aware of the its theme. He says there was "very little publicity" when filming was being conducted in the summer of 2004.
"There were many, many people [in Alberta] who had no idea what it was about in the first place," the pro-family activist asserts, "and the whole content and the message of the film is something that a lot of Albertans do not embrace at all."
Rushfeldt is convinced the makers of the film deliberately targeted his province. "It's interesting that they would have chosen Alberta to film it in," he shares. "I think that was a deliberate move on the part of some of the homosexual activists and some of the directors from corrupt, immoral Hollywood.
"I think it was purposely done in this particular province because of our conservative values and our recognition of support of heterosexual marriage."
Brokeback Mountain opened in limited release in Canada just before Christmas, then more widely on January 6. Rushfeld says he is confident that Albertans will soundly reject the film at the box office.
"There's certainly going to be, I think, a strong resistance to this kind of stuff going on in Alberta in the future, even though the film industry is so excited about this possibility," he says. "I have a feeling that [in] the box office we're going to see this film as a total flop; certainly in Alberta it will be, I'm sure."
Meanwhile in eastern Canada, the Toronto Star has reported that the movie has not been well-attended in that city; and some theaters have chosen not to even show it. By the end of January, the $14 million budget movie had pulled in just over $50 million in ticket sales -- hardly a blockbluster by Hollywood standards.
Chad Groening, a regular contributor to AgapePress, is a reporter for American Family Radio News, which can be heard online.
