BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN WAS immediately recognized, even by people who didn’t like it, to be a likely Oscar contender in several categories: best picture, best director, best adapted screenplay, best male actor. . . etc.
In my view we had the misfortune to be the front-runner for a couple of weeks too long. The newness wore off, and Hollywood can be just as bored with winners as they can with losers. We experienced a slight diminishment of momentum, though momentum had carried us far, but in the end in the best picture category we were nipped at the wire by Crash.