US actors Jake Gyllenhaal (left) and Heath Ledger in a scene from their new film Brokeback Mountain. (AFP)

New York, Dec. 10 (Reuters): A gay cowboy movie won rave reviews yesterday as mainstream Hollywood embraced the tale of Marlboro men in love, but for most gay Americans the acceptance symbolised by marriage remains a distant dream.

Based on an Annie Proulx’s short story, Brokeback Mountain is about two cowboys who meet and fall in love while wrangling sheep in Wyoming in 1963. Their love lasts through two decades as they each get married to women and live “normal” lives.

“Moving and majestic,” said The New York Times; “An American masterpiece” said the New York Observer; “Unmissable and unforgettable” said Rolling Stone. But The Wall Street Journal asked: “Is America ready for Marlboro men who love men?”

One answer delivered by a New York state court this week was: “No” ? at least when it comes to marriage. A lower New York court had ruled in February the rights of five same-sex couples were violated when they were denied marriage licences.

But in a 4-1 ruling on Thursday, the state appellate court said it was not for judges to redefine the terms “husband” and “wife,” which the lower court judge had said should be construed to apply equally between men and women.

Janice Crouse, senior fellow of Concerned Women for America, said the latest court ruling was a victory for common sense despite a powerful and orchestrated campaign to “normalise homosexual behaviour,” in which entertainment was a powerful weapon.

Gay marriage was a big issue in 2004 elections when voters in 11 states overwhelmingly backed state constitutional amendments to define marriage as a union between a man and a woman. David Buckel, senior counsel for gay rights group Lambda Legal Defence and Education Fund that is fighting gay marriage cases in at least six states, describes that campaign as a complicated patchwork from state to state.

Legal status for gay couples varies widely ? Massachusetts is the only state to allow gay marriages, while Nebraska passed a constitutional amendment in 2000 blocking any same-sex civil union, domestic partnership or marriage from being recognised.

The makers of Brokeback Mountain will be hoping the political backlash in some states won’t scuttle the $12.5 million movie, which is being rolled out gradually, starting in the liberal cities of New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco. A recent Pew Research Center poll showed 53 per cent of Americans supported gay civil unions, up from 48 per cent one year earlier. But Brokeback Mountain still faces a struggle.

Rolling Stone reviewer Peter Travers called it a “a landmark film” but said “with the rise of homophobia as church and state shout down gay marriage, the film is up against it”.