When the movie ended, I stood up, went home and called my boyfriend, who's studying many miles away abroad at this time, to tell him that even though my family and friends are in Vancouver, if I had to make a choice, I choose him.
Hi to all.. just coming back from cinema to see BBM. This is the first day of film projection in Italy. Two cinema was full load!!! I had to change sale because of to much people.
I swear I think means.... "I swear that I never will mistake again!"
I love very much Ennis he is so fragile and he love so much Jack!
Coguaro
You know when Ennis said those last words it was just so rightly placed: "Jack, I swear..."
He just finished talking with his daughter about making sure that the guy she wanted to marry was really and truly in love with her. In a way, it was the closest to him ever coming out to his daughter (I might be wrong... he might have, but the movie didn't seem to indicate that).
Perhaps, Ennis after talking about the very topic of marriage may very well decided that he too wanted to marry the one person he knew he could also love: Jack. Perhaps, Ennis in his very terse way of speaking said "Jack, I do.". Perhaps, Ennis in his noble way wanted to answer the question he asked his daughter - with some adjustments - "Do I love Jack, does Jack love me?"... I think all our fill in the blanks are valid, because Ennis is truly very economical with his words and he probably means a WHOLE MOUNTAIN of things...
... but in the end, it was clear that he has come to some peace knowing that he does love Jack and that Jack really did love him.
You are leading me to think this is more of a beautiful story and less of a sad story.
I posted this awhile ago on IMDB (this version is updated a little) ...
Considering that this line comes from Ennis (Ennis being ... well Ennis) , I can't help but get the feeling that when he says "Jack' I swear" that he says it without really knowing how to finish it. In other words he is swearing to him, but he doesn't know why. After all he is just start to come out of denial in regards to his feeling for Jack and you know that feeling when you want to comfort someone, to tell them that everything is going to be alright but you can't find the words that you want to say to them? I think that's how he feels in that scene. He wants to swear something to Jack but can't find the word to say it.
Anybody?
Oh gosh, I didn't expect to see that, thanks Ethan! Sob... :'(
I sometimes think it took Jack's death to sort of jolt him out of his denial.
(https://ennisjack.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fstatic.flickr.com%2F42%2F89354783_7fd88656a9.jpg&hash=d70b323f729f7d3b19f6a70799de748e154ec8ce)
(https://ennisjack.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fstatic.flickr.com%2F42%2F89354783_7fd88656a9.jpg&hash=d70b323f729f7d3b19f6a70799de748e154ec8ce)
oh my....crying crying crying...cries!! :'(
Saw the movie for the second time tonight and 'I swear Jack. . . . .' really stuck in my mind ! I hadn't seen the topic on here till now !
For me it was 'I swear Jack. . . . .I would have done it differently' if I could . . . . . Ennis is changing towards the end of the movie he had even made a commitment to his daughter over work. . . .The same think that stopped him from seeing Jack again.
i still cant help thinking about the emptiness that must Ennis have had in his life after Jack was gone there on his own it was almost like he was punishing himself for his mistakes. Does anyone else feel thatthe letterbox featured in the end scene a lot ? Was this to show that Ennis now had somewhere that he could be contacted at rather than the post office as before ? or was this just because he had moved again ? I was still waiting for Jacks ashes to arrive in the post and for the movie to close with Ennis on the mountain for the last time putting Jack to rest. . . . .I HATE THE END. . . .it's just so numbing !!
I SWEAR JACK. . . . . and that music starts again.
Saw the movie for the second time tonight and 'I swear Jack. . . . .' really stuck in my mind ! I hadn't seen the topic on here till now !
For me it was 'I swear Jack. . . . .I would have done it differently' if I could . . . . . Ennis is changing towards the end of the movie he had even made a commitment to his daughter over work. . . .The same think that stopped him from seeing Jack again.
i still cant help thinking about the emptiness that must Ennis have had in his life after Jack was gone there on his own it was almost like he was punishing himself for his mistakes. Does anyone else feel thatthe letterbox featured in the end scene a lot ? Was this to show that Ennis now had somewhere that he could be contacted at rather than the post office as before ? or was this just because he had moved again ? I was still waiting for Jacks ashes to arrive in the post and for the movie to close with Ennis on the mountain for the last time putting Jack to rest. . . . .I HATE THE END. . . .it's just so numbing !!
I SWEAR JACK. . . . . and that music starts again.
It be a lotta things, Miss Penny!!! Lotta things undone!!!
But you gotta admit, Ennis' got the shirts and he dang now appreciate what Jack a did for him and all... he's got hope.
Peace,
Frank (Jack Nasty)
After seeing the movie, and in light of the previous scene with his daughter and asking her if Troy loves her, then he finds her sweater, he kisses it, opens the closet and see the shirts... his thought process is on love... and now he sees the shirts and says "Jack I swear..." and is thinking "Jack I swear I love you."
not LOVED. Love.
After seeing the movie, and in light of the previous scene with his daughter and asking her if Troy loves her, then he finds her sweater, he kisses it, opens the closet and see the shirts... his thought process is on love... and now he sees the shirts and says "Jack I swear..." and is thinking "Jack I swear I love you."
not LOVED. Love.
After seeing the movie, and in light of the previous scene with his daughter and asking her if Troy loves her, then he finds her sweater, he kisses it, opens the closet and see the shirts... his thought process is on love... and now he sees the shirts and says "Jack I swear..." and is thinking "Jack I swear I love you."
not LOVED. Love.
please pass the tissues...
for what it's worth, ms proulix writes "jack, i swear-" he said, though jack had never asked him to swear anything and was himself not the swearing kind.
not "jack, i swear..."
subtle but there is no continuation, ie ...
the entire book has these subtle nuances. your thoughts?
Ennis doesn't need to complete it, the tears and statement are enough for us to know. :'( :'( :'( :'(
Ennis doesn't need to complete it, the tears and statement are enough for us to know. :'( :'( :'( :'(
I was just rewatching Ravenus' "Immortal" video. The look on Ennis' face when he discovers the shirts, his inside of Jack's with the sleeves pulled inside one another (how symbolic is that?). That just screams "I love you" and "I care for you, I'll hold you forever" all that from 1963. Love expressed by hanging on a coat hanger. Ennis realises at that moment that Jack has really, absolutely loved him all those years, even though they never said it. This "thing" they had was real love.:'( :'( :'( :'( :'(
So when Ennis hangs up the postcard and reverses the order of the shirts, he is saying "I love you" to Jack. That's what "I swear" says to me. Anybody got any Kleenex? I'm drowning over here! :'( :'( Titus. :'(
As many here have pointed out the Jack I Swear line is very open-ended. It can very easily mean different things to different people and yet still mean all of those things at once. . . . yet I have always had a question about the short story and am wondering what you folks think.
In Annie's book she says:
He stepped back and looked at the ensemble through a few stinging tears.
"Jack, I swear -- " he said, though Jack had never asked him to swear anything and was himself not the swearing kind.
It's that line that I have put here in red that has me wondering, and I have never come up with an answer for myself as to what exactally it means.
Saw the movie for the second time tonight and 'Jack I swear. . . . .' really stuck in my mind ! I hadn't seen the topic on here till now !
For me it was 'Jack I swear. . . . .I would have done it differently' if I could . . . . . Ennis is changing towards the end of the movie he had even made a commitment to his daughter over work. . . .The same think that stopped him from seeing Jack again.
I still cant help thinking about the emptiness that must Ennis have had in his life after Jack was gone there on his own it was almost like he was punishing himself for his mistakes. Does anyone else feel thatthe letterbox featured in the end scene a lot ? Was this to show that Ennis now had somewhere that he could be contacted at rather than the post office as before ? or was this just because he had moved again ? I was still waiting for Jacks ashes to arrive in the post and for the movie to close with Ennis on the mountain for the last time putting Jack to rest. . . . .I HATE THE END. . . .it's just so numbing !!
Jack I swear . . . . . and that music starts again.
Saw the movie for the second time tonight and 'Jack I swear. . . . .' really stuck in my mind ! I hadn't seen the topic on here till now !
For me it was 'Jack I swear. . . . .I would have done it differently' if I could . . . . . Ennis is changing towards the end of the movie he had even made a commitment to his daughter over work. . . .The same think that stopped him from seeing Jack again.
I still cant help thinking about the emptiness that must Ennis have had in his life after Jack was gone there on his own it was almost like he was punishing himself for his mistakes. Does anyone else feel thatthe letterbox featured in the end scene a lot ? Was this to show that Ennis now had somewhere that he could be contacted at rather than the post office as before ? or was this just because he had moved again ? I was still waiting for Jacks ashes to arrive in the post and for the movie to close with Ennis on the mountain for the last time putting Jack to rest. . . . .I HATE THE END. . . .it's just so numbing !!
Jack I swear . . . . . and that music starts again.
Howdy.
Ennis is a man who does not waste words... so we know that when he said those words he was declaring something MASSIVE. We know it was deeply personal and we know that it has to do with Jack. We know that he reversed the shirts (his is now over Jack's). We know that he has a postcard of Brokeback Mountain. We know that the shirts were *nailed* to a *CLOSET* door. Yet here we have a man who does not say much to anybody and he says "Jack, I swear-" to the shirts and the postcard. Why say it just after the announcement of his daughter's wedding?
Ennis could never commit fully to Jack before and somehow he had to say the words.
I can only imagine the outpouring of love as Ennis said it, because Jack was his true love. I can only imagine how agonizing it was for Ennis as he misses his Jack so much that he can hardly stand it.
I think it was a powerful declaration of his love for Jack and he did not have to say any more, because Jack already knew.
ennis never knew the rest
Quoteennis never knew the rest
Oh, I think he had a very good idea. Remember him sitting there as old man Twist practically machine-gunned him with the revelation that Jack was planning on bringing Randall Malone up to Lightning Flats to build a cabin. Here Ennis is confronted by the knowledge that Jack had seriously entertained the idea (in response possibly to "Why can't you just leave me be!") of sharing the rest of his life with another man. OUCH!
In Jack's bedroom Ennis realises how very much he meant to Jack, how sacred was the love he felt for Ennis. Ennis finally understood that he was the obstacle to the happiness that could (and should) have been theirs. It's that self-knowledge that enables him to say "Jack, I swear..." A very painful lesson and one that was learnt too late. All those years after Jack came up to Wyoming when Ennis told him about the divorce. All those years living with the disappointment that Ennis didn't love him enough to find the courage to be together always. That's the lesson for us.
When I met my Peter I wasn't really sure what to do about it as I was in the middle of being selected or rejected for the ministry. My Mama, who has never been one for good advice, said to me "Baby, the brass ring only comes around once and you'd better grab it with both hands!" I did and I rejoice in that everyday of my life. So dig deep and find that courage and live life in all its fullness. I bid you peace, Titus.
Quoteennis never knew the rest
Oh, I think he had a very good idea. Remember him sitting there as old man Twist practically machine-gunned him with the revelation that Jack was planning on bringing Randall Malone up to Lightning Flats to build a cabin. Here Ennis is confronted by the knowledge that Jack had seriously entertained the idea (in response possibly to "Why can't you just leave me be!") of sharing the rest of his life with another man. OUCH!
In Jack's bedroom Ennis realises how very much he meant to Jack, how sacred was the love he felt for Ennis. Ennis finally understood that he was the obstacle to the happiness that could (and should) have been theirs. It's that self-knowledge that enables him to say "Jack, I swear..." A very painful lesson and one that was learnt too late. All those years after Jack came up to Wyoming when Ennis told him about the divorce. All those years living with the disappointment that Ennis didn't love him enough to find the courage to be together always. That's the lesson for us.
When I met my Peter I wasn't really sure what to do about it as I was in the middle of being selected or rejected for the ministry. My Mama, who has never been one for good advice, said to me "Baby, the brass ring only comes around once and you'd better grab it with both hands!" I did and I rejoice in that everyday of my life. So dig deep and find that courage and live life in all its fullness. I bid you peace, Titus.
For me, I had to brake the story into two stories. That is, the good story of -- they were working it out. They were on the right track -- twenty years behind them.I personally think that What Ennis was trying to do is at least be able to have his daughters older to be able to understand him in the short story is said that after the thanksgiving issue he didn't visit them because he was worried about them. and when you see his daugther talking with the bar lady (sorry dear forgot your name :P) you see that his daughter was looking like she knew something bet she knew. well back to the point i think that What jack was trying to swear in the movie was that he was not going to let the time pass again because he was not going to assist to his daugther wedding then he changes and why he did the same to jack and that cost him never seing him again. so he decide to not let the things pass.
Ennis was talking more, making more eye contact, speaking to Jack in a more affectionate manner. Hec, Ennis was even asking -- how do you handle ...? or are you experiencing (such and such)? They were even having cathartic discussions as most couples do when they are at the end of their ropes and need something to change. Their relationship was going in a very positive direction.
Ennis had a point, it wasn't working for him either. I'm surprised he could get away as much as he did. My employer today would never allow that. Ennis' daughters were soon to be married. I have a feeling in a few years, Ennis would have moved on. He was just gearing up for it.
For me this was the happy part of the story, coming from that part of the country and growing up with men very confused, troubled, and over compensating. To see a man change out of this character into his own really hits me hard in a good way.
I didn't want the sad story -- the unexpected death of a loved one -- to take away from the happy story.
In the sad story, Ennis says, "Jack I swear _____ _______ ________"
For me, Ennis said, "Jack I swear, I didn't mean what I said. I swear we would've worked somethin' out."
Once I had this in my mind, I have found it helps to put down the story (or leave the movie) before the sad part begins.
and when he said "Jack I swear" he may have said Jack" I swear that I'm sorry for not leting you be with me but you must never think that i never loved you because I do and will always love you Little darlin"
and when he said "Jack I swear" he may have said Jack" I swear that I'm sorry for not leting you be with me but you must never think that i never loved you because I do and will always love you Little darlin"
Quoteennis never knew the rest
When I met my Peter I wasn't really sure what to do about it as I was in the middle of being selected or rejected for the ministry. My Mama, who has never been one for good advice, said to me "Baby, the brass ring only comes around once and you'd better grab it with both hands!" I did and I rejoice in that everyday of my life. So dig deep and find that courage and live life in all its fullness. I bid you peace, Titus.
"I swear, you will always be on my mind". I love the way he closes the buttons of Jack's shirt...... it is as if carressing his lover, to protect him, to take care of him.... feelings he could not show him in real life anymore, since he had been too confused and full of self-hatred and doubts whenever they had met.
I am very very very sorry. I quess the joke was in poor taste. I truly apologize to all. :( :( :( :-X
Am I allowed to delete that? I really would like to.
I JUST watched Brokeback for the first time like an hour ago and was wondering if someone could clarify what Ennis says in the last scene. I'm pretty sure it's the last spoken part of the movie and it's when he's holding up Jack's shirt & coat. Is it "I'm not a queer"? I couldn't tell.
Btw - I'm new here. I'm 15 and LOVEEE Jake Gyllenhaal. :)
IMO the phrase should go: "Jack, I swear, I 'll never stop loving you"...
IMO the phrase should go: "Jack, I swear, I 'll never stop loving you"...
I have come to believe that this is so. He will love him for the rest of his life.
IMO the phrase should go: "Jack, I swear, I 'll never stop loving you"...
I have come to believe that this is so. He will love him for the rest of his life.
I agree, absolutely. Especially now that I've seen the extra 3 seconds of Ennis sobbing with the shirts in Jack's closet. :(
Or how about, "Jack I swear..." if it takes me the rest of my life I will get your ashes and will take you back to Brokeback as you wanted.
"Jack, I swear I will always love you."
"Jack I swear to be loyal to you."
What impressed me during my last vision of BBM is that the only person we hear Ennis swear to in the movie is Jack.
During his marriage to Alma , the preacher never actually says the "swear" part (at least we don't hear that part). He pronounces them husband and wife and then makes the joke about kissing the bride. I think it re-enforces the power of that final "I swear..."
hiya
how sad...he is also now torn to pieces and alone....though he has family there is this distance...it is like what does he do now....
I also note that the caravan he ends up in is like the one where he met jack for work the first time they met...the same steps up to the door....
god this guy ennis is totally gutted and so alone....I see parts of my self in Ennis that are hard to change...and yet I look back on certain life events and people and it is like how come I never did this or that...or why did I act like that...but I come to an understanding now that as one gets older one also sees things differently and becomes less of a drama queen...lol...
I totally feel for ennis...but like him it is like well how do you change things...he did in a way by opening up to his daughter and her life...but I still think there would be the loneliness seeing her happy together would still make him aware of being alone....
Jack, I swear....then it is like no words (though some say they here say I love you...) as though it is action that is needed not words...Jack I swear I will prove with what I do in life...my love for you will continue through my actions....
okay wheres the tissues....lol... :d)
love glynn xx
"Jack, I swear I will always love you."thanks! I haven't noticed that before . interesting
"Jack I swear to be loyal to you."
What impressed me during my last vision of BBM is that the only person we hear Ennis swear to in the movie is Jack.
During his marriage to Alma , the preacher never actually says the "swear" part (at least we don't hear that part). He pronounces them husband and wife and then makes the joke about kissing the bride. I think it re-enforces the power of that final "I swear..."
"Jack, I swear I will always love you."
"Jack I swear to be loyal to you."
What impressed me during my last vision of BBM is that the only person we hear Ennis swear to in the movie is Jack.
During his marriage to Alma , the preacher never actually says the "swear" part (at least we don't hear that part). He pronounces them husband and wife and then makes the joke about kissing the bride. I think it re-enforces the power of that final "I swear..."
I think Ennis is saying "I swear...I never meant for things to turn out this way, with you dead and us separated forever." I think he was sorry for not going along with Jack's early idea of ranching together, but it's all too late now. I think this is his last avowal of his true feelings for Jack and he says what he neveer said to Jack's face; i.e. I love you and I was wrong to keep us apart.
What's so great about every scene in this movie is that there are so many interpretatiions. All of us can see the same scene and never see it the same way. That's the true "art" of BBM, I think. That's why it is so interesting to read what others think on this forum. Great ideas, guys. IMO, those who don't like this movie have no imagination and no desire to think about emotions and their affects on our lives. I feel so sorry for them!!!
I think Ennis is saying "I swear...I never meant for things to turn out this way, with you dead and us separated forever." I think he was sorry for not going along with Jack's early idea of ranching together, but it's all too late now. I think this is his last avowal of his true feelings for Jack and he says what he neveer said to Jack's face; i.e. I love you and I was wrong to keep us apart.
What's so great about every scene in this movie is that there are so many interpretatiions. All of us can see the same scene and never see it the same way. That's the true "art" of BBM, I think. That's why it is so interesting to read what others think on this forum. Great ideas, guys. IMO, those who don't like this movie have no imagination and no desire to think about emotions and their affects on our lives. I feel so sorry for them!!!
:\'( :\'( :\'( :\'(
Implicit in the unspoken rest of the sentence is any other valid interpretation we want - that's why BBM is a work of art. Art loves ambiguity and leaves the possibliities to the interpretatio of the reader/viewer.
Has anyone ever viewed the "Jack I swear" part as a sort of commitment / maybe even marriage vow? With Alma Jr. just telling him she's going to marry and him therefore reflecting his life with Jack and particularly the summer up on brokeback it would make sense..
Has anyone ever viewed the "Jack I swear" part as a sort of commitment / maybe even marriage vow? With Alma Jr. just telling him she's going to marry and him therefore reflecting his life with Jack and particularly the summer up on brokeback it would make sense..
Yes, it was discussed in one of the earliest threads. I shall give you the link if I can find it.
And it's so typical of ennis that his feelings are so inchoate that he can't put them into words but leaves the sentence hanging in mid-air.Ditto!
This week I watched Lonesome Dove -- all four parts. Twice, there were scenes in which a character just said, "I swear...." Nothing more. Both times that avowal could have meant: good-bye; I'll miss you. I am leaning to believe that "I swear" was sort of a generic phrase meaning just that -- good-bye and I'll miss you. This hit me hard since we have discussed this phrase from Ennis so thoroughly. Here it was again. Again it was out west, spoken by cowboys who were on the point of leaving others to go their way. Just caught my interest.
I totally agree with you tpe on this and also WW you are also so right about these phrases being "oldschool" and inconclusive, but you only have to look at Ennis's sad demeanor to understand what he means when he says this. It's obvious that he's learned a valuable , sad but important lesson.
With his shirt on the outside, and Jack's shirt on the inside. Jack will always be inside him, in his heart, soul and his dreams, and I like to think that's what he swears to.
Manhattangirl
And perhaps a demonstration of the fact that he'd have liked to protect Jack but in the end couldn't.
That made me think……..We all see that Ennis was clearly impressed with the Junior’s declaration “yeah, he loves me” and that it made him think about Jack and his relationship, not only about his love for Jack and Jack’s love, but also about how ironic life was, ‘cause Alma had 19 years when she was so sure about Kurt’s love and her very love…..; the same age as Ennis when he met Jack, when he didn’t know what love meant. So thinking about this and since A.P. never says that he is talking about love, I think that it could be that Ennis was thinking how tough and strange and ironic life was: one day he was 19, he had Jack and a life in front of him, and the next day he was alone in his trailer, without Jack, with 20 heavy years of regret over his back, seeing that his little girl is now a woman and that she knows what love is and she is not afraid of it. I think he is thinking out loud how life changes and how different you see things when it’s always too late.
Well the Jack I swear can be means almost anything we feel that it is in Ennis’ heart, like:
I won’t forget you; I loved you and I’ll always love you; I won’t make the same mistake; If I had known it, things would have been different……
But for me it have always mean: “Jack I swear…. I shouldn't a let you out of my sights." ‘Cause this is what Ennis always thought during the four years they were apart, and also during his whole life; and in the SS it was the most powerful declaration of love that Ennis did to Jack!!!
But yesterday I was writing in another thread about this film dubbing into Spanish, and suddenly I remember something……
As I said yesterday Spanish people watch the films dubbed into Spanish. My country has a deep tradition in dubbing and the professionals in the matter makes an amazing and stunning work, really perfect, translating even the most extremely low sound. So when I saw BBM in Spanish I heard a lot more words and sounds (like whispers and snorts....) than when I saw it in original version (for example when Ennis arrives injured after his meeting with the bear, I heard more words in Spanish that in English Ennis and Jack seemed not to say…). The whole translation of BBM is completely faithful to the original, word by word, except the Jack I swear!!!
I saw BBM 4 times before I saw it in original version. When I heard that Ennis' sentence I was stunned…… ‘cause in Spanish he says : Jack, hay que ver. I don’t know how to translate it into English…..it’s literally “There’s something to see”, or something like "Jack, what things", but I don’t believe that it means the same thing…..I've looked for that in my dictionary and I've found something likes this: Jack, well I never……
I don’t know if that makes the same sense… :-\\
That made me think……..We all see that Ennis was clearly impressed with the Junior’s declaration “yeah, he loves me” and that it made him think about Jack and his relationship, not only about his love for Jack and Jack’s love, but also about how ironic life was, ‘cause Alma had 19 years when she was so sure about Kurt’s love and her very love…..; the same age as Ennis when he met Jack, when he didn’t know what love meant. So thinking about this and since A.P. never says that he is talking about love, I think that it could be that Ennis was thinking how tough and strange and ironic life was: one day he was 19, he had Jack and a life in front of him, and the next day he was alone in his trailer, without Jack, with 20 heavy years of regret over his back, seeing that his little girl is now a woman and she knows what love is and she is not afraid of it. I think he is thinking out loud how life changes and how different you see things when it’s always too late.
I don’t know if this makes sense; my English is so limited and I can not express my thoughts as I would like. I know that in the Midwest people say I swear all the time. Here in Spain it's a very familiar term and it can means a whole host of things, depending on the situation; so maybe he wasn't vowing anything, just commenting on how moved he was with Junior’s declaration and that it was for him a powerful revelation in order to name what he have been feeling his whole life: Love!!! At that point, he was aware of a lot things that he didn't know before, so he probably was thinking/saying, I just didn't understand....
Really I don’t know…What a mess!!!! (^)
But maybe Ennis was thinking about what a wise man said: Life goes on with or without us, huh?(https://ennisjack.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi230.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fee199%2Fsepptember%2Fsmileys_allgemein-129.gif%3Ft%3D1196012035&hash=2a5538c442aa64c4d655425510475c83bf41610e)
Very beautifully (and clearly) said here babytammy.
Makes me wonder what would have happened if someone had asked Ennis, back in ’63 “Does he love you?”
babytammy7, thank you. This difference in the Spanish version is quite interesting. I am thinking of the thought process of the Spanish traslators, on why they selected this expression, in particular. I have always understood this phrase to imply an imperative -- you have to go and see, as in: "that you have to go and see before you die." (que hay que ver antes de morir).
jackster, I think it would have made a world of difference, had he heard this early on from someone else.
Very beautifully (and clearly) said here babytammy.
Makes me wonder what would have happened if someone had asked Ennis, back in ’63 “Does he love you?”
Well Thomas, that spanish expression don't imply an imperative, it's more like "see what kind of things happens" or "it's incredible" or " to see to believe". Because of that I think Ennis was telling Jack how life changes and how ironic life is.
*o) Beautiful spanish friend!!! :clap:
Thank you so much Jackster!!! Yeah, I wonder that too, everyday.
babytammy7, it is really interesting then, the way they tranliterated the phrase. There certainly seems to be more irony in the Spansh version than in the English original. Perhaps it is too matter of fact, no? Still, the effect must have been completely different. I can only imagine how you felt when you discovered the difference when you saw the original for the first time...
Yeah Thomas!!! I was stunned... (t) (t) (t) Confused.... And because of that I'm wondering so hard now what is the meaning of that phrase.
But whatever, I prefer the original version: I LOVE THE JACK, I SWEAR!!! <^( <^( <^(
I think the original is more tantalizing -- and not matter of fact. I wonder if the Spanish translators modified it because they thought it was too ambiguous.A person who knows the world of translation in dubbed movies told me about this-because for me it´s a nonsense and I let her know...-that sometimes they modify some phrases in order they remain more proper to lips movement and that,of course,in this sense was more similar to the original English "Jack,I swear..." the "Jack,hay que ver..." than the "...te juro"-that was the literal translation- that requires a very different lips movement when pronounce it.
Thanks, babytammy7, for bringing this up. This is indeed a very big difference!
A person who knows the world of translation in dubbed movies told me about this-because for me it´s a nonsense and I let her know...-that sometimes they modify some phrases in order they remain more proper to lips movement and that,of course,in this sense was more similar to the original English "Jack,I swear..." the "Jack,hay que ver..." than the "...te juro"-that was the literal translation- that requires a very different lips movement when pronounce it.
Nevertheless,for me it really deprives of meaning the final phrase,whose main reason,IMO,is remain open to each one´s interpretation;and,of course,I can´t understand the possibility that,as you say Thomas,they had modified because they thought it was too ambiguous... ^*) They are nobody to change a masterpiece acording to their personal opinionˇ.Well,Spanish are good inventor,but I don´t believe they´re too muchˇ ;D
In Ennis's last scene when he is looking at the postcard of BBM, what does the Spanish dubbing say? Te juro? or Jack, hay que ver....? The former seems to be in the meaning of the movie, and the latter seems to be unrelated to the meaning. Am I right with that translation? I swear to you = Te juro.In Spanish version Ennis says "Jack,hay que ver..."-if he says "...te juro", there´d be no problem,because it´d be the same than in the original version...-If you fix well in the phonetic ,you´ll see as the sound is more similar,of course rather more than "te juro".This doesn´t mean that I agree with this solution,because,as you say very well,there´s no the same meaning if you say one thing or the other. :i
I do think the voice is extremely important in this movie and others. It HAS to be Ennis's voice to carry the full meaning of his lines. No other voice is similar enough to Ennis's to pull that off. I love his voice, and find that to be one of his most attractive and endearing traits. I can't imagine some other voice uttering those final words.
Well the Jack I swear can be means almost anything we feel that it is in Ennis’ heart, like:
I won’t forget you; I loved you and I’ll always love you; I won’t make the same mistake; If I had known it, things would have been different……
But for me it have always mean: “Jack I swear…. I shouldn't a let you out of my sights." ‘Cause this is what Ennis always thought during the four years they were apart, and also during his whole life; and in the SS it was the most powerful declaration of love that Ennis did to Jack!!!
But yesterday I was writing in another thread about this film dubbing into Spanish, and suddenly I remember something……
We all see that Ennis was clearly impressed with the Junior’s declaration “yeah, he loves me” and that it made him think about Jack and his relationship, not only about his love for Jack and Jack’s love, but also about how ironic life was, ‘cause Alma had 19 years when she was so sure about Kurt’s love and her very love…..; the same age as Ennis when he met Jack, when he didn’t know what love meant. So thinking about this and since A.P. never says that he is talking about love, I think that it could be that Ennis was thinking how tough and strange and ironic life was: one day he was 19, he had Jack and a life in front of him, and the next day he was alone in his trailer, without Jack, with 20 heavy years of regret over his back, seeing that his little girl is now a woman and she knows what love is and she is not afraid of it. I think he is thinking out loud how life changes and how different you see things when it’s always too late.
I don’t know if this makes sense; my English is so limited and I can not express my thoughts as I would like. I know that in the Midwest people say I swear all the time. Here in Spain it's a very familiar term and it can means a whole host of things, depending on the situation; so maybe he wasn't vowing anything, just commenting on how moved he was with Junior’s declaration and that it was for him a powerful revelation in order to name what he have been feeling his whole life: Love!!! At that point, he was aware of a lot things that he didn't know before, so he probably was thinking/saying, I just didn't understand....
Really I don’t know…What a mess!!!! (^)
But maybe Ennis was thinking about what a wise man said: Life goes on with or without us, huh?(https://ennisjack.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi230.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fee199%2Fsepptember%2Fsmileys_allgemein-129.gif%3Ft%3D1196012035&hash=2a5538c442aa64c4d655425510475c83bf41610e)
I don't know for me it was like a covenant Ennis made with Jack, someone he loved more than he loved himself. Like AP wrote these men never swore anything to each other. But Ennis swore to Jack, and remember, soon after that Jack returned to him in his dreams.
Ennis did the one thing that he couldn't do while Jack was alive, acknowledge and accept his love for Jack, and understand and honor Jack's love for him. Then the battle within him ceased, wounded, bloodied, dealing with something he couldn't change, but promised the one thing he had to offer at that shrine he created, he'll always love him.
That's how I like to think of that moment.
I don't know for me it was like a covenant Ennis made with Jack, someone he loved more than he loved himself. Like AP wrote these men never swore anything to each other. But Ennis swore to Jack, and remember, soon after that Jack returned to him in his dreams.
Ennis did the one thing that he couldn't do while Jack was alive, acknowledge and accept his love for Jack, and understand and honor Jack's love for him. Then the battle within him ceased, wounded, bloodied, dealing with something he couldn't change, but promised the one thing he had to offer at that shrine he created, he'll always love him.
That's how I like to think of that moment.
I look at it as in sort of a "confirming" sense. The phrase "don't that just beat all I've ever seen " is another way of looking at it, expressing one's opinion of a whole set of circumstances or series of events. I think Ennis was expressing himself this way over the irony of events that took place in his life concerning Jack including his death. "never thought I'd see the day" also applies.
Interesting point you brought Marge about Ennis having to interact with Alma at Junior's wedding. Despite this perspective he decides to go. He deceived so many people in the past, Alma, Cassie and finally Jack. I would say he's trying to pay back for the errors he commited and about Jack I swear... From this perspective I would say I swear I had another chance, go back and have this sweet life with you.
What connection do y'all think that has with the loss of Jack, and with his final "I swear" statement?
okay...I am not tyring to oversimplify such an important statement in the movie, but I am a Southern girl and sometimes I say "I swear" when I can't think of anything else to say! When I'm mad or sad or both,when my emotions are running way too deep for words and I could never, ever get them all out anyways, I will just say "I swear"!! and that in itself usually gets my point across to whoever is listening or not listening!
As another southern girl (Tennessee), I'm going to jump on the bandwagon here and say I completely agree. When the words fail me (for better or worse) and I can't articulate my feelings, saying "I swear" is about the only thing I can do. I also believe that the statement is a response to an earlier scene with Jack (in the motel). It's like Ennis is basically saying in agreement yeah, "Jack, I swear...Brokeback got us good, don't it?" and it did. It will have him until the day he dies and he knows it.
*Sigh* lump in my throat let the cryfest begin... :\'( :\'( :\'( :\'(
Hi everyone....i'm new to this forum and BBM. I've enjoyed reading everyone's thoughts and opinions on the "Jack, I swear..." thread :t)
I believe it's an oath as well. I makes so much sense to me. Or maybe it's the best way for me to cope with my sadness for these two characters. My heart breaks for Ennis, in this scene. He has found what so many seek, yet never find (even in today's society) and that is true love, only it's too late.
:\'( :\'( :\'( need to get my tissues
. . . this was the way for Ennis to keep himself true to the memory of Jack and their love . . . . . he resolves to stay true to something even though all is lost.
Yes, very wonderfully put thomas.
This is at the heart of Ennis isn't it? For all his faults and foibles, he was if nothing else, faithful, faithful to the end.
Yes, I think the vow is more powerful because it is devoid of hope.
There is nothing to make him keep it. There is a lifetime to endure.
That's beautifully put tpe. ^f^
And maybe that makes the vow even more powerful, because it's a much more difficult one both to keep and to endure.
That's the image that has been holding me together this last week. I'd be lost like a ship without a rudder without this other gift from Heath. The man was amazing, endlessly.
(https://ennisjack.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi218.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fcc126%2Flancecowboy%2FEnnis-last-scene.jpg&hash=255f9b7196273de0814ffa5c57ae13bbbdf04f7d)
Yes, very wonderfully put thomas.
This is at the heart of Ennis isn't it? For all his faults and foibles, he was if nothing else, faithful, faithful to the end.
He was faithful. He could endure the unendurable. He could stand what couldn't be fixed. He could change into a man in touch with his own feelings. He found peace even when he was in pain, but I think, he also held on to hope, caressing Brokeback Mountain with his thumb, hoping one day, to spend eternity with Jack there.
Hope plays such constrasting roles in the lives of Jack and Ennis, and there is a subtle irony that Jack, who was the carrier of that hope early on in the relationship, probably lost it in the end, whereas Ennis, who could not believe in hope early on, would finally be the refuge of that hope after Jack's death.
I don't think this is unintentional. I think it is the bridge on whcih one thing is passed from one to the other
Yes,Thomas,again there's an irony,I don't know if subtle,but that now gets the dimension of tragic.I also believe that the main irony-inhumane in this case-is that the character that embodied the guarantee of this final hope,has lost the man who gave it life;whereas the character who lost his hope and his life at the end,is being embodied by a man who I do hope will be alive and well during years and years...
For me,this scene has now a complete new meaning,another dimension-also and too tragic-and I'll never watch it in the same way again.
It's sure that Ennis last words were mainly a vow of love and the commitment he hadn't got when Jack was alive;but it has been said also that is a phrase open to many interpretations and meanings.In this sense,I wonder if this was a kind of saying that he was to begin a new life,accepting himself just like he was.It's said that we don't know what we have until we lose it;and we know then what we have,WHAT WE ARE AND WHAT WE FEEL...Does Ennis mean that he has came to terms with his own sexuality and he is able to live it in a not so guilty way?.More concretely,would Ennis be able to open himself enough as to have a relationship with another man in the future?.
Well,in the s.s. beginning we see He's alone several years after Jack's death;and that he's united emotionally to his lover's memories,who is alive and by his side only in his dreams.He's alone,yes,but in this very moment of the story;had he could have a relationship,even if it was only a mere sexual relief,as Jack's Mexican hustlers?Or,on the contrary,this irony we talked about with Thomas,could make him being more closed,protected into his shield?.The irony of protecting themselves against being murdered by their sexuality by ending in the same way however,is a way of telling Ennis he was right? Or a way to telling him "do as you please because you have only one life and you must live it by yourself before it's too late?".
We've seen also how Ennis lives a kind of "coming out" precisely with the persons whose reaction could have been more violent:Jack's wife and parents.And he feels as more free,more himself than ever before...So,I ask:could it be his last phrase like-"Jack,I swear...I'm going to be myself from now onwards.I'm going to live as I feel,faithful to your memory,but in the way you taught me I was"?.
You know, I have thought about the dream sequences many times in conjunction with the "I swear" scene where Ennis takes his vow. From the dream sequences (apparently) years later, it would seem that Ennis had become more withdrawn into his own world, living in a world of dreams, so to speak. And yet, we can't also resist the temptation of interpreting these sequences as a kind of inner "liberation" for Ennis -- that he is no longer afraid to dream, even if sometimes, he wakes up in tears. Surely, the good and the bad loom large in those dreams, but it is perhaps one manifestation of how Ennis kept his vow to Jack: that by keeping him alive inside, he remains faithful to his memory and to their love.
MPJ, would you think that the scene in the closet in Jack's room could be interpreted as the first "I swear" scene -- or at least the wordless precursor? And if I understand what you say here, the last "I swear" scene is only half the story -- that it was made only possible by what happened in LF...
Well,in some way not only the closet scene,but all the sequence in Twists home could be seen as a precursor of the last "I swear...".Ennis has begun a journey to his self-knowledge and acceptation,that never could be made being Jack's alive-or at least,never had been posed seriously...-.The rest of Ennis´story without Jack begins,obviously,with this last vow and we only pretend to know how this vow can be applied in his day-to-day life.For this reason,I asked in my former post if it could be like a promise to Jack's memory,but also to himself to live as he learned to be thanks to Jack;or it would be only a way to promise him eternal love,but hidden as ever.I mean,not being a real "wind of change" in Ennis way of seeing and living his sexuality.
Been lurking again ,but I agree with this, Ennis is finally finding out that Jack was not only offering him love but a second chance at having a family. He found Mrs. Twist inviting, accepting, even invited him back. Mr. Twist...well maybe with a little mutual understanding , he would have been able to at least respect his son's choices , as long he was allowed to think he was still in charge of the place, and that they were not going to force the relationship down his throat. Time can change things, and slowly chip away at walls. I feel Ennis may have eventually gained his respect if not fully accepting two men being partners. (cringe, did I say that?) These two stubborn mules were more alike in their way of thinking than not. He now realizes that coming to LF with Jack , might not have been so dreadful after all. He knows how much Jack hoped to have him there. Now he knows the possibilities have been lost, what might have been.. What he found there, was something he could work with and maybe live with after all. Am I wrong here?
He could have easily said * Damn Jack, had I known then what I know now, I would have thought twice about it* "Jack, I swear", You knew it all along.. Too bad Jack had to die for him to realize it. 2 cents.
hi i thought this line was so sad i dint really understand fully i mean what was he swearing? but anyway you can tell the emotion in the words so the meaning was still thereIMO,this line is the confirmation of Ennis commitment he never had being Jack still alive;a commitment with himself to change his way of seeing and living life,a kind of find himself in the end.But, as you've could see before and as so many scenes of the movie,the interpretation is open to each one's opinion and feelings.
IMO,this line is the confirmation of Ennis commitment he never had being Jack still alive;a commitment with himself to change his way of seeing and living life,a kind of find himself in the end.But, as you've could see before and as so many scenes of the movie,the interpretation is open to each one's opinion and feelings.
its great how we all ahve such varying opinions but all make so much sense :)
im listening to the sountrack right now so listening to some of these posts make me so sad im nearly crying lol
I know the feeling.
i think most people here do thats one of the wonders of the forum :)
to me the significanse of the comment of "jack i swear..." is that ennis has finally commited himself to jack in someway even if we cant be sure what way that is he finally swore something to jack a promise i dont think ennis ever did that before.
Kind of a version of my thoughts.
:)
you see i told you i was mature for my age and not a kid ;) lol only joking im over that now :)
Actually, I told you that you were mature for your age! ;)
oh well never mind the details lol.
anyway we better get back on topic, oops its so easy for you to feel what you are saying is connected to the topic when it isnt :P
When Ennis says, "Jack...I swear...", he means that he wishes he could turn back time, or he wishes he could have another chance, and start over, this time, he would do things right. This time, he would listen to Jack. This time, he would never let Jack out of his sight, he would always be with him. This time, he wouldn't live in sorrow and despair all those years, wishing he could be free, but always afraid of taking that chance.
i think it would be impossible to know for sure what ennis was swearing to jack it could have been "jack i swear, if i go thte chance i would do things differently", "jack i swear, i have always loved you", "jack i swear, i wish you were here with me".
we will never know what he was swering it could be anything but at the end of it all i think the words are not the point the real point is the emotion on some level ennis' "jack i sewar..." was some form of emotional commitment something ennis never gave to jack in life.
Yeah, it means all those things. It just sums up all the powerful emotions Ennis was feeling, knowing he'd truly loved Jack since the day they'd met all those years ago, knowing he would do things right if he had another chance, knowing that he'd lost the one person he truly loved and regretting that he never told Jack exactly how much he meant to him...although I know Jack knew how much Ennis loved him.
Ennis left Jack’s parent house holding the shirts, the expression of eternal love for him, more important than Jack’s remains.
He had something real to touch and to hold until the end of days.
In my heart I believe “Jack, I swear” means that when Ennis would die, he and those shirts would be cremated and the ashes scattered on BBM as Jack’s final wish, finally together.
Ennis left Jack’s parent house holding the shirts, the expression of eternal love for him, more important than Jack’s remains.
He had something real to touch and to hold until the end of days.
In my heart I believe “Jack, I swear” means that when Ennis would die, he and those shirts would be cremated and the ashes scattered on BBM as Jack’s final wish, finally together.
This is a very romantic interpretation.
But who would scatter their ashes? Would it be Jr.?
Both the story and the screenplay had this as the closing of the saga. AP says that Jack never asked him to swear and that Ennis wasn't the swearing kind. Clearly she didn't mean they didn't cuss...cuz they did. So by "swear", what did AP mean?
Swear has other definitions, including solemn declaration/oath, to give evidence, or testify. Is this Ennis finally almost saying, for the first time, out loud that he loves Jack? Or is he promising that he'll never live in fear again? Or is he promising him that he'll try to live for once?
To me, "I swear" refers to Ennis' declaration to do right by Jack, to take his ashes one day back to Brokeback Mountain, despite his old man's objection. It is Ennis' way of making up to Jack, for rejecting his sweet life, so that one day, he and Jack can share sweet eternity together on Brokeback Mountain.
Beautifully put Andrew (as usual). And yes, this topic has been discussed a lot at http://ennisjack.com/index.php?topic=4966.210 (http://ennisjack.com/index.php?topic=4966.210). You might want to take a peek at the beginning of this thread LC as it was started early, 30 Dec 2005, by a Vancouverite, with a very touching essay that en capsules the way this movie has touched so many of our lives.
The topic or board you are looking for appears to be either missing or off limits to you.
Howdy bhebbe,
Hmmm, I didn't think of the story as having the two parts you described until you described it. I didn't notice Ennis asking more questions in the movie or speaking more affectionately to Jack than he always have done. I did noticed that he withdrew more and more into himself towards the end of the movie to the point it looks like it pains him to speak.
But, I would agree with you that the relationship was going in a positive direction since Ennis decided to dump his second girlfriend after the last meeting with Jack. I don't know whether he would ever dump Jack in years to come as all indications showed that not only he has spent the last twenty years seeing Jack, but he also looked quite excited to see Jack's final postcard.
We are never given the reasons why Ennis decided to go cold turkey on his second girlfriend and like most of the movie, it is up to our interpretation. My interpretation is that he didn't wish to live a lie anymore and hurt the people around him. One would have thought that he would have learnt his lesson after Alma, but he went on dating a girl again. We are also not told why he would do that, but perhaps he still has not learnt his lesson the first time. However, there was something about his last meeting with Jack that made him change his mind regarding his relationship with the new girl in his life. He didn't want to date her anymore.
And we might never know why, whether it's because
1 - he wants to live more honestly.
2 - he realized that he does not need to lead life the way he's been told how and he began thinking outside the box.
3 - he wishes to spend the rest of his days with Jack and realizes that in order to do this, he needs to dump her.
4 - he realized that he cannot spend the rest of his life living the way he is now and needs to make some changes to improve his life and how he feels about himself.
5 - he can't bring himself to hurt people anymore after Jack expressed the pain and suffering caused by enduring the past twenty years, that he does not want another the same way he has hurt Jack, the one he truly loves.
I'm leaning towards this last interpretation because I emphatize the pain other people experience, whether I like it or not. However, one thing is for change, after the last meeting with Jack, Ennis did change and this is reflected in his choice to quit the second girl like a bad habit. How he changed is up to our interpretation.
That brings me to ask, why do you think Ennis broke up with his second girlfriend? Or more precisely, what do you think it was about his last meeting with Jack that made him change his mind to dump the girl?
Tell me what you think. ;D
Ryan
Beautifully put Andrew (as usual). And yes, this topic has been discussed a lot at http://ennisjack.com/index.php?topic=4966.210 (http://ennisjack.com/index.php?topic=4966.210).
The quoted thread has been merged with this thread. LC, the post jackster referred to is the first post of this thread. Thanks!
I posted this awhile ago on IMDB (this version is updated a little) ...
Considering that this line comes from Ennis (Ennis being ... well Ennis) , I can't help but get the feeling that when he says "Jack' I swear" that he says it without really knowing how to finish it. In other words he is swearing to him, but he doesn't know why. After all he is just start to come out of denial in regards to his feeling for Jack and you know that feeling when you want to comfort someone, to tell them that everything is going to be alright but you can't find the words that you want to say to them? I think that's how he feels in that scene. He wants to swear something to Jack but can't find the word to say it.
Anybody?
I subscribe to this to an extent. Because at that point, what promises can he make Jack that will mean anything? The time to come through and make/keep promises were in the past. All he had now were memories and a crappy trailer he'd be losing b/c the job that he wouldn't give up for more time with Jack was giving him up instead. So there were many ways to finish the sentence: Jack, I swear...
- I did love you
- I am sorry
- I'd do things differently
- I'll never forget you
But does it matter what he would've said? Or does it matter that Jack will never hear him say it?
MPJ, would you think that the scene in the closet in Jack's room could be interpreted as the first "I swear" scene -- or at least the wordless precursor? And if I understand what you say here, the last "I swear" scene is only half the story -- that it was made only possible by what happened in LF...
Was that scene a meta-statement? Did Ennis show real depth of love and emotion for Jack because he was "in the closet" and hence safe from public scrutiny and view?
Was that scene a meta-statement? Did Ennis show real depth of love and emotion for Jack because he was "in the closet" and hence safe from public scrutiny and view?
Interesting.
Extending the metaphore, I would think that he was in an "open" closet. I think he was out of public "scrutiny", and yet he probably was at the point of not caring as much. I think his decision to ask for the shirts would have signaled something in this direction. He could have chosen not to have taken them -- the significance would have perhaps been known to Mrs. Twist, in not John Twist (although both may have had an inkling). But he did. And when he faced the Twists, it was clear that he had been weeping. At that point, perhaps he didn't really care to show his emotions?
I think so too!
IMO, after Jack died, the priorities in his life changed forever. He treasured the memory of Jack without any fear, or hiding, which was his main preoccupation, when Jack was alive and when someone could've discover about two of them. Now, even if anyone knew something, it was a part of his past and couldn't hurt him/or Jack any more.
Yes, I do believe that there was a fundamental shift within Ennis after Jack's death. The "I swear..." part is a significant though tantalizing hint of this shidt, and I tend to think that it was for the better, rather than for the worse...
Would you say that the meaning of it was in fact the love statement... it was always my impression!
I've always interpreted it as a kind of marriage vow. :)
Oh!
Hm... it could be a vow, but marriage vow.. :s)
Maybe a vow of eternal fidelity and devotion of any kind?
IMO,these words mean a lot of things,both referring to Jack and to Ennis future change of behaviour.As regards to this "marriage vow",even if it couldn't be a real one,why couldn't it be in an emotional sense?.Why couldn't Ennis make a vow of faithfulness and eternal love and care,just like the husband and wife make in a conventional wedding?.What really matters is not the ceremony,nor the papers,but LOVE.And this was present between them and in Ennis forever... :\'(
MPJ :ghug:!
Yes, that was my point exactly. LOVE statement coming form Ennis, sad and exhausted by a lonely life, feeling partially guilty for losing Jack and finally realizing that he had actually loved Jack all those years and that he will love him forever!!! That kind of love statement, in the case of strong and enduring character like Ennis was /is, can also mean a vow of devotion and fidelity forever! And if we really want to translate that into the words of marriage vows- they are the same vows ... if not Ennis's "I swear" even more powerful! <^( <^( <^(
Oh!
Hm... it could be a vow, but marriage vow.. :s)
Maybe a vow of eternal fidelity and devotion of any kind?
Well, this was exactly what I was getting at. ;) But I would like to use the image of a marriage, given the context of that scene (Jr's marriage.)
I see what you mean - that he was influenced by Junior's news and made a vow to Jack himself.... That's also acceptable.
OT: although that last scene was not in the ss, I found it incredibly crafted -- certainly an addition that does full justice to the original.
I see much more things to add to the original... ::)
Yet, we have to cope with what we have. :-\\
In any case, I think that the use of the words "I swear..." after a scene revolving around love, commitment, and marriage, is very strongly suggestive suggestive, don't you agree? ;)
"Jack, I swear that I've always loved you, and I always will."
"Jack, I swear that if I could start over, I would do things differently this time, I would listen to my heart."
Ennis finally realizes that his fear kept him a prisoner all those years, and kept him miserable, living only for the few weeks every year he would be with Jack. He realizes that Jack was right, they didn't have to accept and feel trapped. That it could be like this, always, just like Jack had said. He finally gets the courage, but it's too late Jack is gone from this world. But there would be a day where they would reunite in a better place and be together forever this time without all the pain and heartache and cruelty of this world. After all they suffered, they deserve that eternal happiness. And their love transcends just one life and one world, it is eternal, their souls are forever bonded. "Jack, I swear this love is eternal."
"Jack, I swear that I've always loved you, and I always will."
"Jack, I swear that if I could start over, I would do things differently this time, I would listen to my heart."
Ennis finally realizes that his fear kept him a prisoner all those years, and kept him miserable, living only for the few weeks every year he would be with Jack. He realizes that Jack was right, they didn't have to accept and feel trapped. That it could be like this, always, just like Jack had said. He finally gets the courage, but it's too late Jack is gone from this world. But there would be a day where they would reunite in a better place and be together forever this time without all the pain and heartache and cruelty of this world. After all they suffered, they deserve that eternal happiness. And their love transcends just one life and one world, it is eternal, their souls are forever bonded. "Jack, I swear this love is eternal."
Is this what the window looking out into the field represents that one day they will reunite in a better place. That last scene looking out into that field through the window has always baffled me. It seems to represent something very important.
Is this what the window looking out into the field represents that one day they will reunite in a better place. That last scene looking out into that field through the window has always baffled me. It seems to represent something very important.
you know that Ennis will live out the rest of this life looking forward to the day he will be reunited with his soulmate.
This line just brings tears in my eyes. It didn't have to be that way. :\'(
The scene is one of looking away into a far-off place, transcending that field, that horizon, and this world. In this world, Jack is gone, but his spirit remains in Ennis's heart. But somewhere out there in another world, another plane, another dimension, Jack is alive and waiting for Ennis to join him again. And the same goes for Ennis, in that wherever Jack is, Ennis is in his heart as well, and they are both waiting for the time when they will be reunited.
I don't think you could have expressed that any better. No only do I think that is true, but the way you put it is abolutely incredible. You're bringing tears to my eyes :\'(
I agree,yes...These two words are taking inside them a lot of love and commitment;always and forever,although their greatest contradiction-tragic contradiction-is that they're a post-mortem vow... :\'( :\'( :\'(
Yes. It must have made Ennis feel a little bitter to see/hear his daughter make an avowal that he himself couldn't do in jack's lifetime. But perhaps bitterness is not the correct way of describing something that is closer to the feeling of regret...
Yeah I don't think it was bitterness, just a lot of sorrow and regret. It's clear he's thinking about Jack, and feeling miserable that he hadn't listened to Jack and listened to his heart all those years ago when he could have belonged to his dreams. He's thinking "I should have told Jack how much I loved him", but of course surely he knew that Jack had known all along how much Ennis loved him. But there is definitely a lot of sorrow and regret and sadness that Ennis feels because he realizes things could have been different, that he didn't have to let his fear keep him a prisoner.
Yes, thinking about this right now, I do feel that bitterness is not the correct way to describe it. It is a deep and profoundly felt sadness that comes from an equally deep and profoundly felt regret. And in the midst of that deep sadness, there is the glimmer of a newfound hope.
I love that phrase. It reminds me of Romeo and Juliet...what light through yonder window breaks? <^(
Thanks lance! Now that you mentioned it -- it certainly does! :)
I agree with you 100%, Athena. Ennis was overwhelmed with a yearning to love Jack, to show Jack what he felt all those years, but was too afraid, like hugging him face-to-face, which he could only do now with the shirts.
Bitterness has the connotation of resentment, which, in my opinion, is not in Ennis, the man who could stand it, who was happy with beans. Jack was bitter and resentful, especial in his older years, when he lost hope of changing his conditions. Ennis was bitter in the final confrontation, responding to Jack's "I wish I knew how to quit you." But Ennis was past bitterness when he sent and received that postcard, when he phoned Loreen, when he went to visit Lightning Flats. When he sat at that kitchen table facing the old man, he was desperate to hold on to something of Jack. The depth of his grief made the gift of the shirts by Jack's Ma all the more powerful, and life-changing. From the moment Ennis descended those stairs with their own rhythm, he was a changed man.
It has a rhythm all its own, like those rickety stairs up the Twist house in Lightning Flats.
What light through yonder window breaks
In that empty trailer outside Riverton
The glimmer of a new found hope, I swear.
OT: perhaps it is time for you to get back into the pix and poems thread! :)
Even the strangest Spanish translation (difficult to do it,by the way;Tammy translated into "Jack,there's something to see"...) can reflect Ennis sorrow by seeing time's passing -his daughter is already an adult woman at the point of marrying-and knowing that he won't be able to share it with Jack anymore... :_(
Anyhow,it's always a good disquisition about love,tolerance,and,above all,human contradictions and behaviour in general.A masterpiece,in sum.
I thought "Jack, I swear", in the context of the very end scene.
Alma Jr. announces her marriage and wishes that Ennis goes wedding. How always, Ennis says NO, but what sees Ennis in Alma Jr. eyes? : letdown that so many times saw in those of Jack. Ennis does something unusual for his personality, give up its job, to hell!!!, does not want missing few happy moments gives life him.
I thought here Ennis does his inside of; now he accepts what never he accepted; he accepts himself.
By this Ennis can swear to Jack; perhaps always he wanted to swear and never he could.