Brokeback Mountain Forum @ ennisjack.com
The Movie & Story => Characters, Quotes & Scenes => Topic started by: Rønnaug on Mar 11, 2006, 07:45 AM
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What were thay expecting at the reunion? Lets break it down.
Jack.
He came back to signal and asked for Ennis.
Then got married, had a son.
Started thinking about Ennis and tried finding him.
Got a You bet back on his request.
So what did Jack expect when he came to Riverton? Knowing how closed up Ennis was about this did he expect anything other than a nice chat?
Ennis.
Got sick after letting Jack go.
Got married and had two girls he adored.
Got the card from Jack calling him friend and saying he would be "through" Riverton on the 24th.
What did Ennis expect? What made him take such a risk without KNOWING what Jack wanted?
You with me on what I am asking?
Seeing Ennis face both at recieving the card and when he sees Jack pull up, and the pacing and drinking before I would say he did expect what he got, but how was he sure? I am more unsure about Jack. All he ahd to go on was a you bet... and the look on Jacks face when Ennis pushes him towards the wall after the embrace is a bit ominous.
The reunion could have been very bad if ONE of them had felt differently.
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.. It's gonna be hard to explain what I think in English ! lol
I don't think both of Jack or Ennis expecting anything, I mean, when they are togother, nothing else mather, their life or other, there are on Brokeback Mountain, even if it's in front of Ennis's home. I don't think they even think about something! lol They were just so excite, to see each other again... I don't who to explain that.
But it's an very very interesting toppic !
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I think Jack was hoping for something to happen. He later admitted it in the hotel room. As for Ennis it becomes a little blurry. Ennis was definitely excited at the thought of seeing Jack after four years. On the day of Jack's arrival he was as nervous as a virgin at a prison rodeo. Even upon greeting Jack from the doorway he blurts a typical male to male greeting, "Jack f**kin Twist!" I don't think Ennis was sure how he would feel other than he was extremely glad to see his old friend. Of course once they embraced, it was clear Ennis's real emotions had surfaced quickly. Combined with all those beers Ennis's inhibitions were down. The kiss that followed couldn't have been stopped with a Mac truck!!
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the detail of the beer drinking before Jack's arrival is a good one; it helped Ennis to loosen up, and when he goes out on the deck to see Jack below, his face lights up as he says "Jack f***in Twist", and he nearly leaps over the railing. I think if Ennis had not had the beers, it would have been a much more cautious reunion. By the way, it's been mentioned how real and passionate the kissing scene is here; in another post Ang Lee says in an interview that it was Michelle Williams who made the boys do several takes because the first ones were not convincing to her, as she watched from the door!
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Yes, Ennis's beers were very intregal to this scene. I think they missed and thought about each other during thier separation. Each wanted to see each other. I think they were both over come by emotions, so much that they risked being caught in a liplock.
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I agree with all of you, but was the expectations a f***, or love of a lifetime???
It is clear from that kiss, and I still say jack didn't expect that lol, that there would be sex, so the motel is obvious, but a long way from that to a long lasting relationship :)
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In the short story, Ennis tells Jack that he thought about him a lot, even though he would never think of doing it with another man. He even says that he "sure wrang it out a hunderd times, thinking of you". In the movie he just mumbles something in his typical Ennislike manner. A great touch of the filmmakers! He is not able to talk about what he was wishing and hoping for. Emotionally, he is like a child. Others have to take the initiative where feelings and especially talking about them is concerned. This makes him both exasperating and endearing.
But I agree: We are shown how nervous and on edge and full of hope he is during his day of waiting for Jack. And how afraid that Jack won't even turn up.
monicita
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The 4 yr gap is part of the genius of the story.They grow up , have kids but for neither is it enough.Something so powerful happened that i think it almost took this time for the enormity to hit them. The longing didn't pass. Brokeback got them good.
For Jack --- I think he'd often asked around about Ennis as he travelled about. I think he knew the connection they had could have both good and bad consequences for them both. I also think he knew exactly why Ennis had hit him --- the intensity of the feelings.He was powerless to stop Ennis walking away and i bet he went over and over things he could have said or done during the 4 yr break. My guess is he knew there was a big risk getting in touch --- a tire iron could have been waiting for him --- but something in the simple ,honest message "you bet" gave him reason to hope. Great sex was never the sole motivating factor --- that would not have made it a risk worth taking.Jack puts himself on the line again and again.
For Ennis, the realization of his feelings for Jack is so much more complex and shocking to him. While he craves the sex --it's so much more. I think he fears he was the one to end it before it had begun because of the punch. So he tried "to stand it". HE HAD TO STRUGGLE WITH HIS VERY IDENTITY.The sense he's been given a second chance fills him with so much happiness .I think he had no plan to be so reckless initially i.e. the kiss --- but the physicality of Jack was so strong. It's an extraordinarily powerful moment --- prob thats why the actors were initially scared--- it exposes everyone involved.
This scene for me is the essence of the story --- it shows the power of the love and the fact it could endure and overwhelm them. There could be no going back.
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Nicely stated; implicit in your note is how the film makes our imagination work and attempt to fill in the blanks.
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For Ennis, the realization of his feelings for Jack is so much more complex and shocking to him. While he craves the sex --it's so much more. I think he fears he was the one to end it before it had begun because of the punch. So he tried "to stand it". HE HAD TO STRUGGLE WITH HIS VERY IDENTITY.The sense he's been given a second chance fills him with so much happiness .I think he had no plan to be so reckless initially i.e. the kiss --- but the physicality of Jack was so strong. It's an extraordinarily powerful moment --- prob thats why the actors were initially scared--- it exposes everyone involved.
This scene for me is the essence of the story --- it shows the power of the love and the fact it could endure and overwhelm them. There could be no going back.
Well said!!! Both were overwhelmed at this reunion.
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I have been reading alot the posts on this topic..I think they were both a little overwhelmed wtih the feelings they had for each other, and dealing with it, and trying to live a life where being straight was the accepted, the norm and what was done. YOu were expected to marry, have kids extra and love your spouse.
Ennis character and Jack are both trying to come to terms with thier feelings with each other, its something new for the both of them, having feelings that grab your heart. For Ennis it was complex, he was struggling with his true feelings for Jack and wanting love him but at the same time he was scared, and unsure.
Jack knew the connection between them was strong, new that he is life would be better if he and Ennis could be together and live together. Jack was more of the dreamer...believing that they could have a great life together. While Ennis wanted that and maybe craved for that but he was holding himself back from making it a reality..his own insecrurities, and being afraid of being found out and the consequences..
I think the kiss expressed all thier emotions..it was so powerfull and it just blew you away..the depth, the feelings..everything about it just amazed me..
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I think they missed and thought about each other during thier separation.
From the very first time I saw the movie I wondered why Ennis didn't contact Jack....if only to keep the friendship....such a deep friendship...going. All he had to do is send a letter to:
Mr. Jack Twist
c/o Mr. & Mrs. John Twist
Lightening Flats, Wyoming
c/o means "in care of"
I am sure Jack's mother would have given it to him when he came home next time.
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I agree with all of you, but was the expectations a f***, or love of a lifetime???
It is clear from that kiss, and I still say jack didn't expect that lol, that there would be sex, so the motel is obvious, but a long way from that to a long lasting relationship :)
Nothing I have read (story, screenplay or movie) gave me the impression either of the boys thought of a lifetime relationship from the time of Ennis getting the postcard to the reunion kiss.
Jack did say he was expecting there to be sex and that is why he "redlined it."
But, then Jack does bring up the subject of the future; "So what're we gonna do now?"
[And here is a crying point for me]
Ennis, with the most sorrowful look on his face and with the hopeless and saddest voice says,
"I doubt there's nothin' we can do. I'm stuck[/u] with what I got here.
People all the time argue with me that Ennis loved Alma. Man, you don't love someone when you are masturbating while thinking of another man who you have no reason to believe you will ever see again. And, you surely don't say you are stuck with someone you are in love with.
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People all the time argue with me that Ennis loved Alma. Man, you don't love someone when you are masturbating while thinking of another man who you have no reason to believe you will ever see again. And, you surely don't say you are stuck with someone you are in love with.
He might have loved alma in the beginning, in a friend way, but I agree with you... I think Ennis was hoping for more but in his negative homophobic mind, through no fault of his own, he just didn't see it happen :'(
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Ah, Esme, you do not know the human male, who will masturbate, when sufficiently motivated, whether he is in love with a person or not. And sometimes just because he needs to, or wants to... or, but <ot>
Don't know if either one had an idea of what to expect, but they were looking forward to seeing each other,Ennis pacing, Jack
redlining it.
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Ah, Esme, you do not know the human male, who will masturbate, when sufficiently motivated, whether he is in love with a person or not. And sometimes just because he needs to, or wants to... or, but <ot>
I thought that was one of our best kept secrets! :o ;)
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I thought that was one of our best kept secrets! :o ;)
LMAO Cowboy. As a master of the right (or left)handed tango I salute you. ;D
But getting back on topic I think Jack knew what he wanted from the reunion and got it. Ennis too on a level. After watching the movie again last night I saw Ennis become overwhelmed and initiate the passionate kiss. HE swept Jack off his feet, exactly what Jack was hoping for. It is so frustrating because later at the motel and then up on the mountain he backs away from all the passion he has felt and expressed. I think the more I see the movie the more I bleed for Jack.
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Eveything you said is true BBBOY. I guess on some level they were both expecting something to happen. If twenty years had passed it would have been reasonable to assume a reunion would be friendly, perhaps without a passionate flare up. Feelings as strong as theirs do not die overnite. Four years just can't be enought time for "let's get together for a beer and talk over old times." Even if they hadn't kissed in the parking lot, it would have happened later that evening for sure.
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Ah, Esme, you do not know the human male, who will masturbate, when sufficiently motivated, whether he is in love with a person or not. And sometimes just because he needs to, or wants to... or, but <ot>
:o :o :o :o :o
REALLY?? ?? ?? ?? ?? ??
I thought that was one of our best kept secrets! :o ;)
You mean men have secrets?? ?? ?? :o :o :o
Well here's one for you guys, us gals know about this one ;)
And I'm sure as Ennis was using Jack to get miss right in the mood jack was doing the same...And I am also pretty sure that thay are both beeing used by several members of this very forum, even as we speak, or type as it were ;)
But however nice THAT particular solo activity is, I am guessing most here woud agree it is nicer as a duett. And that is what prompted Jack to send that postcard.
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Have to agree with you Esme, it is much nicer as a duet, much. And just noticed that I should have addressed my post to another, instead of you, but... it has worked out. Masturbation is not necessarily a sign that you don't love a person, it just is one part of personal expression. It doesn't diminish the one you love. When you think of all the various sex shops, etc. you know they aren't exclusively frequented ny single, unattached persons. But we've veered <ot> again.
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Well here's one for you guys, us gals know about this one ;)
You know? OMG, how am I ever gonna look a woman in the eye again. :o :o :o :o
And here I thought it was our Jack Nasty little secret. ;)
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Maybe Ennis was so anxious to see Jack because of the way they parted back at Signal four years beforehand?
Ennis was so cold and matter-of-fact in his goodbye to Jack. There was no affection at all. Yet when Jack drove off it was Ennis who collapsed in a heap, struggling to suppress his emotions, almost sick at leaving Jack behind. Perhaps Ennis didn't know how Jack would greet him - would there be a coldness, a distance? So I think - fuelled by nerves and beer - Ennis' very passionate embrace and kiss was to leave no doubt in Jack's mind how he felt. I suspect Ennis regretted leaving Jack the way he did in Signal, and the greeting in Riverton was fully intended to make up for that lost opportunity.
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Maybe Ennis was so anxious to see Jack because of the way they parted back at Signal four years beforehand?
Ennis was so cold and matter-of-fact in his goodbye to Jack. There was no affection at all. Yet when Jack drove off it was Ennis who collapsed in a heap, struggling to suppress his emotions, almost sick at leaving Jack behind. Perhaps Ennis didn't know how Jack would greet him - would there be a coldness, a distance? So I think - fuelled by nerves and beer - Ennis' very passionate embrace and kiss was to leave no doubt in Jack's mind how he felt. I suspect Ennis regretted leaving Jack the way he did in Signal, and the greeting in Riverton was fully intended to make up for that lost opportunity.
That was a very good point Jagradess.... I very much agree...
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Maybe Ennis was so anxious to see Jack because of the way they parted back at Signal four years beforehand?
Ennis was so cold and matter-of-fact in his goodbye to Jack. There was no affection at all. Yet when Jack drove off it was Ennis who collapsed in a heap, struggling to suppress his emotions, almost sick at leaving Jack behind. Perhaps Ennis didn't know how Jack would greet him - would there be a coldness, a distance? So I think - fuelled by nerves and beer - Ennis' very passionate embrace and kiss was to leave no doubt in Jack's mind how he felt. I suspect Ennis regretted leaving Jack the way he did in Signal, and the greeting in Riverton was fully intended to make up for that lost opportunity.
I don't know if he would have been worried about a cold reception. After all, Jack made the first contact! Texas to Wyoming is a long way to drive just to deliver ice. I agree completely with the regrets Ennis may have been feeling about their parting.
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Wow, everyone. Thanks so much for all these terrific posts. (Yes, all.) ;)
What were they expecting ?
Jack : certainly not that kind of kiss ! I think that, because it's one of the surprise moments in the film. Even the embrace is so well done, it's completely unexpected (at least for me) because it was so intense. Then devouring Jack's mouth.... Ennis ? As for the beers, I always thought they were unplanned. Ennis was so nervous and impatient, he started waiting by the window in the daytime, Jack doesn't arrive until nearly night time, Ennis was even losing hope.
Ennis : expecting the happiness he had lost four years earlier when he and jack left the mountain, but I don't think he was expecting to be overwhelmed. Again, everything was unplanned. In that first reunion, both of them succumbed to their spontaneity.
Stephan
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It certainly is one of the most significant scenes in the movie. And amazingly, I think there's lust AND love on display - which perhaps isn't the easiest thing in the world to do as an actor. I reckon the love is shown in the way they nuzzle each other's noses, and the look in Jack's eyes as he realises Ennis still holds strong feelings for him. There's a real passion between the two men - and i love it!
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It certainly is one of the most significant scenes in the movie. And amazingly, I think there's lust AND love on display - which perhaps isn't the easiest thing in the world to do as an actor. I reckon the love is shown in the way they nuzzle each other's noses, and the look in Jack's eyes as he realises Ennis still holds strong feelings for him. There's a real passion between the two men - and i love it!
I agree, i love the nuzzle, and i love the way Jack clings on to Ennis' shirt and Ennis tries to get himself free. Its such a climatic moment. All the feeling that had been surpressed - probably forever Ennis thought - come raging out in one moment, Ennis' kiss is a passionate, longing response to seeing Jack. Jack...well...it kind of like he was eating Ennis alive. I think once he realised how pleased Ennis was to see him he had carte blanche to express his desire - and what a kiss - it looks so instinctive, so unrehearsed, you can't help but be moved by it :P
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Sooooo Hot!!
When the DVD becomes available it will be difficult not to replay this scene several times before moving on to the rest of the film!! :P :P :P :P
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Well the reunion was really impressing we saw the way Ennis started getting nervous and walking all over the house and smoking and drinking. Another point is how he pushed out Alma of the scene; I mean that he told Alma that he wanted to be only with jack in other words. He didn’t want a violinist on the scene. When he heard the car it was amazing the speed we went out and when he hugged Jack the way he looked at him it was like he was fighting with himself to not kiss him but he did it at the end he let his desires go on.
In Jack well I think that he was aware of what was going to happen I agree he was not prepared for the first kiss, Ennis was not that kind of person. For him, Jack just wanted to be with Ennis and he went to pickup ennis and escape with him, he propose him the idea of living together that same day. His ideas didn’t work as he wante but the reunion was the beginning of his “Marriage” relationship or better called “fishin’ trips
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I think you have to go back to the tag line of the movie "Love is a force of nature" Whether or not they realized it these guys fell in love on BBM...I don't really think either one had expectations for the reunion (although Jack definitely had hopes). They were just simply drawn, like a magnet to metal, to each other...and the reunion was based on that incredible draw. This "force of nature" had hold of them and that was all that really mattered.
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amazing the speed we went out
I think we see Ennis move fast three times, correct me if I missed another time. When he hurries to greet Jack here, when thay come from the hotel and are going away "fishing" and after Alma calls Jack Jack Nasty... Ennis is not the speeding type :) He speeds for Jack tho
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i dagree everytime tha happens it is because of jack, it is amazing how we react for love
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The 4 yr gap is part of the genius of the story.They grow up , have kids but for neither is it enough.Something so powerful happened that i think it almost took this time for the enormity to hit them. The longing didn't pass. Brokeback got them good.
For Jack --- I think he'd often asked around about Ennis as he travelled about. I think he knew the connection they had could have both good and bad consequences for them both. I also think he knew exactly why Ennis had hit him --- the intensity of the feelings.He was powerless to stop Ennis walking away and i bet he went over and over things he could have said or done during the 4 yr break. My guess is he knew there was a big risk getting in touch --- a tire iron could have been waiting for him --- but something in the simple ,honest message "you bet" gave him reason to hope. Great sex was never the sole motivating factor --- that would not have made it a risk worth taking.Jack puts himself on the line again and again.
For Ennis, the realization of his feelings for Jack is so much more complex and shocking to him. While he craves the sex --it's so much more. I think he fears he was the one to end it before it had begun because of the punch. So he tried "to stand it". HE HAD TO STRUGGLE WITH HIS VERY IDENTITY.The sense he's been given a second chance fills him with so much happiness .I think he had no plan to be so reckless initially i.e. the kiss --- but the physicality of Jack was so strong. It's an extraordinarily powerful moment --- prob thats why the actors were initially scared--- it exposes everyone involved.
This scene for me is the essence of the story --- it shows the power of the love and the fact it could endure and overwhelm them. There could be no going back.
Well said. I agree completely.
From the very first time I saw the movie I wondered why Ennis didn't contact Jack....if only to keep the friendship....such a deep friendship...going. All he had to do is send a letter to:
Mr. Jack Twist
c/o Mr. & Mrs. John Twist
Lightening Flats, Wyoming
c/o means "in care of"
I am sure Jack's mother would have given it to him when he came home next time.
I don't think that Ennis really knew how Jack felt about him at that point in time. They never were good at revealing their feelings to each other...and the summer ended in such an abrupt way: "Well, I guess I'll see you around, huh?" "Right."
Maybe both of them...(but especially Ennis)...just thought that it happened...and that like he said in that one scene..."It's a one shot thing we got goin' on here."
We see Ennis dry heaving in deep despair...We see Jacks teary eyed look in the mirror as he drives away...
But they don't know that of each other at that point.
I think that Ennis might have felt that he was 'chasing' after Jack if he did that. No straight guy would do that.
sam
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We see Ennis dry heaving in deep despair...We see Jacks teary eyed look in the mirror as he drives away...
But they don't know that of each other at that point.
I think that Ennis might have felt that he was 'chasing' after Jack if he did that. No straight guy would do that.
sam
Excellent point!!!
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exactly, the Ennis of 1963 wouldn't had go to chase Jack he was so confused of himself at that time.
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Very insightful, Sam. And you just reminded me of a question I had which is a bit off topic: after Ennis says his "guess I'll see you around" to Jack, and then starts walking until he dry-heaves, is he on his way to thumbing home? Does Jack realize he has to hitch a ride to get home? And as to their first reunion, do you think if Ennis had not had consumed all the beers, that the reunion would have happened as it did?
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Very insightful, Sam. And you just reminded me of a question I had which is a bit off topic: after Ennis says his "guess I'll see you around" to Jack, and then starts walking until he dry-heaves, is he on his way to thumbing home? Does Jack realize he has to hitch a ride to get home? And as to their first reunion, do you think if Ennis had not had consumed all the beers, that the reunion would have happened as it did?
Thanks for bringing this up Stephen, I often pondered that scene too, wondering why Jack didn't offer to give Ennis a lift. I've been thinking about it since the very first time I watched the movie, and the first reason that I could come up with is that maybe both of them were just heading in different/opposite directions... If I'm not mistaken (please correct me if I am mistaken!), Ennis was a headin' for the train station (in the short story), which was located only a hop-skip-and-jump away from Aguirre's trailer...so he probably didn't need a lift as he wasn't going so far.
The second reason I could fathom up was the fact that both of them had probably been dreading the "final farewells" so much, that neither one of them knew of a "correct" or "appropriate" way of taking their leave. With both of them just "playing it by ear"...things just turned out that way. In my opinion, without deliberate intention on any of their parts. It was just so tough for them to say goodbye to each other, that they both must have just (intuitively) felt that a simple and "quick" goodbye was the easiest/right way to go.
I mean, after a summer of being so close to each another...up on the Mountain, where things were so idyllic...being up there alone together...caught up in their own small almost perfect world...having fun, sharing together deep warmth and affection...far away from the rest of the world, having to face the brutal fact that the summer had abruptly come to an end (Aguirre called them down from the mountain prematurely), must have been downright devastating for them. They finally have to come back down to "reality" again. Both of them are still confused by the emotions they feel for each other. And both are hiding their feelings...trying to be brave. Trying to "be a man". At this point, neither of them want to admit to any gay feelings. ("I'm not queer...Neither am I.") They seem to be so awkward saying their sudden "goodbyes" (if you can even call it that!). I just think that they they decided to keep it simple and short. To have offered a ride, would have just prolonged the agony of farewell...
If you ask me, I truly think that Jack had been hoping all along for some kind of sign from Ennis (however tiny it might have been!), which would have shown him that Ennis was open to perhaps continuing or building on their relationship now that they were now down from the Mountain. If you watch that scene carefully, the one just before they both go their separate ways, you will see that Jack is almost always looking directly at Ennis. It looks like he is studying Ennis' every movement, glance, gesture...hoping for a glimmer of hope. Any small sign of acceptance. But, Ennis is aware that Jack has his eyes on him. He looks downright uncomfortable and tries to avoid Jack's direct stare. He looks down, constantly fiddles with that cotton bag, mopes in a fidgety way about his 'lost shirt'. I got the impression that he was so damn terrified that Jack would bring up their 'summer romance'...
This scene is a classic example of two people saying one thing to the other, while meaning/ or referring to something completely different. For example:
Jack says: "You gonna do this again next summer?"
Ennis answers: ""Oh, maybe not. Like I said, me and Alma is gettin' married in November...So, uh..."
Meaning:
Jack: "Will I see you again next summer? Can we meet up again? Would you like to see me again next summer, Ennis?"
Ennis: "Uh...well...I'm not queer you know...I already told you: me and my girlfriend Alma is gonna get married. No, I don't think it's possible to see you anymore..."
Jack says: "I might be back...if the army don't get me."
Meaning:
"Well, ok...I hear you, Ennis...I understand what you are saying to me. I know that it's hard for you. But: listen: I'll be here again next summer...if you ever change your mind and decide you want to see me again... I'll be here next summer, Ennis. I really want to see you again, Ennis..." Keeps looking at Ennis. Hoping for any kind of affirmation...
Ennis avoids giving Jack any kind of accepting sign. With only fleeting, almost furtive glances back to Jack, he quickly just answers with:
"Well, I guess I'll see you around, huh?"
Meaning:
Please Jack, this is the end of this conversation. I don't want to talk about it anymore. I understand you, but let's just leave it be. It's time for us to end this now...
Jack answers: "Right."
Looks saddened and crushed. His black hat tilts and he has to look down for a second in deep disappointment. Finally accepts Ennis' refusal to commit with heavy resignation. There is a trace of great and emty sadness in both his eyes.
(None of them are smiling. In fact, they both have an almost grim, tight and desperate looking grimace on their faces...)
Ennis notices the deep sadness in Jacks eyes. He too has to look down...looks away from Jack. He can't seem to deal with it. Maybe he feels guilty for not being able to give Jack what he's asking for...(What he also truly wants himself...)...so he shoves his hand in his jacket pocket (body language="closed/shut off")...abruptly turns...and starts to walk away from Jack and his truck in a swirl of dry, prarie dust...
Jack enters the battered truck without a second delay, and not saying a word more, he hurriedly drives off.
He looks back at the image of the solitary Ennis on the road behind him, in the pickup's round outside side mirror. Sooooo small...and already sooooo far away from him... There is great disappointment reflected in his eyes. He lets out a small, deep, melancholic sigh...
We can almost hear him thinking: "Why not Ennis? Why not? We could have a sweet life together...". :'(
But of course...this is just the way I personally percieved this scene. (Big sigh!) Maybe you all have a different perception of it than mine...
sam
And as to their first reunion, do you think if Ennis had not had consumed all the beers, that the reunion would have happened as it did?
I think so. His return postcard with "You bet." revealed to us his true and innermost feelings for Jack.
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Sam, you express things so well...am going to have you write out BBM from your view. It would be as insightful as anything we have seen.
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Sam you had left me without words, if I totally agree with your perception it is excellent!!!!
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I think so. His return postcard with "You bet." revealed to us his true and innermost feelings for Jack.
good take and great observation Sam except for the story. In the story both the boys have driven trucks to Signal. "Right, said Jack, and they shook hands, hit each other on the shoulder, then there was forty feet of distance between them and nothing to do but drive away in opposite directions. Within a mile Ennis felt like someone was pulling his guts out hand over hand a yard at a time. He stopped at the side of the road and, in the whirling new snow, tried to puke but noting came up." The first time I read this I had to walk away from the book I was reading. It was just too hard to accept.
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good take and great observation Sam except for the story. In the story both the boys have driven trucks to Signal. "Right, said Jack, and they shook hands, hit each other on the shoulder, then there was forty feet of distance between them and nothing to do but drive away in opposite directions. Within a mile Ennis felt like someone was pulling his guts out hand over hand a yard at a time. He stopped at the side of the road and, in the whirling new snow, tried to puke but noting came up." The first time I read this I had to walk away from the book I was reading. It was just too hard to accept.
Thanks BBBOY, you are probably right about the short story. I'll have to check that out. (Gives me another reason to re-read the short story, hehe!~~it's been awhile since I first read it...) (I had just been to see the movie again yesterday afternoon for like the 20th time!~~so I must have only had the cinematic images in my head when I wrote the above post late last night.) But it seems that in both the screenplay and in the final commercial film version, Ennis has hitched a ride to Signal, rather than have had driven himself into Signal. In the movie, we see this at almost the very start: he steps off that large dark blue and red "cargo" (?) truck with shiny metallic trim after it suddenly stops and lets him disembark along side that grassy piece of road in the soft, early morning sunlight...(just before the words "1963-Signal Wyoming" appear on the bottom of your screen). It looks (from the movie introductory shots) as if they had been travelling all night, in the dark... We see Ennis hop down from the high cab, and put his coat on, balancing/jiggling with his brown paper grocery sack as he does this...before turning and walking down that deserted street towards Aguirre's "Farm and Ranch Employment Office" in that trailer.
And in the movie, didn't Ennis say something about the transmission on his pickup being "broke", (so that he couldn't continue attending high school)?
Anyway, here are some excerpts from my copy of the screenplay:
MAIN STREET, SIGNAL WYOMING:
The truck stops with a screech of air brakes...
ENNIS steps out of the truck, no suitcase, just a grocery sack stuffed with his only other shirt and pair of Levi's.
The truck moves again, almost before he hits the ground, spraying him with dust.
No one in sight on the streets of Signal...
Hehe...but, I admit: I love this film so much...I can see how my imagination sometimes just gets the better of me, and I sometimes start to see things that might not entirely be there! Just call it: "creative fan imagination/forum post writing", if you please. LOL~lol~LOL! ;D "OOOOoooeeeeeee! I jest git carried away and I can't seem to help it!"
from an honest-to-goodness, present-day suffering, Post-Brokeback Mountain-Syndrome victim: sam
"I tell you what, this here a film has got me good!~~And I mean it!" ;)
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Had the parting in signal been like the reunion in Riverton the neither would have been any good. That is what I think :) I agre with u'r post sam about wanting to do it fast, hurt less when you rip of the band-aid u know :) And It does make the reunion so much more believable cause this is what Ennis has wanted ever since he saw Jack drive off. Thats what I think
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thank you so much, Sam, for your detailed and cogent response to my questions; but aren't the details of that scene in the book different from those on the screen? The film opens with the 14? wheeler driving across the screen and then we find, don't we, that Ennis has hitched a ride, apparantly a long way, to the trailer in search of a summer job. So, when he and Jack part, I'm imagining Ennis having to return all that way.....and thank you for taking me back to the story; I'd already forgotten the details you mentioned. I love your insights on the emotional subtexts of Ennis and Jack's parting scene.....and now I'll take these to my next viewing when the DVD is released!
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Had the parting in signal been like the reunion in Riverton the neither would have been any good. That is what I think :) I agre with u'r post sam about wanting to do it fast, hurt less when you rip of the band-aid u know :) And It does make the reunion so much more believable cause this is what Ennis has wanted ever since he saw Jack drive off. Thats what I think
I think that's very true Esme. The reunion is so amazing because their departure from Brokeback is so quick and heartless (at least on the surface - although not if you watch their eyes and facial expressions) Although the movie doesn't reveal directly that Ennis has been thinking ("wringin' it out"!) about Jack over those four years, there are loads of subtle signs - his gut cramps, the way he has sex with Alma (or is it just me who thinks that shows he's thinking of Jack? :-[), the reaction when he gets the postcard...
I think that both of them have been hoping for that sort of reaction at the reunion, but neither of them is sure it will be like that. The hug, however, reveals everything - they're hugging so tightly that they would feel the other's heart beating faster and, I'm guessing, feel each other tremble....and when the desire is that obvious and that strong, they're both powerless to resist where it takes them.
I still love the look of surprise on Jack's face when Ennis slams him against the wall though. Someone, somewhere, said it was like "what the hell???" to "hell, yes" in 10 seconds - great description.
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Something that struck me very much in the "second chapter" of the movie--Ennis's years right after marriage--was how feminine Ennis's world was. When they live in the country, he is stuck at home with three females all day.
When they move into town, "above the laundrymat," it's also a feminine atmosphere. Sure, Ennis still works with men, but, being Ennis, he doesn't really connect with the guys there.
Ennis, having grown up mostly without a father, and having been pushed out of his home by an insensitive brother, longs for a friendship with another male. I don't really think he is much planning on the sex with Jack (though he certainly doesn't mind), but he responds "You bet" because he is very very lonely for the only (male) friend he has ever had.
Then, with the drinking and all, his deepest feelings/desires overflow--certainly he had not plannned that. The hug is what he planned; the kissing was an accident.
If things had been different--if Jack had come several hours earlier, if Ennis hadn't been drinking... They *might* have just gone out for some beers, flirted a little, and Ennis gone back home, sending Jack off to his parents. All the factors just happened to be in place, and Ennis was so hungry for male companionship that he slipped into something he never intended to. (But, like I said before, something he enjoyed, and wanted on some level.)
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Edgar, thank you for you interesting insights; you pull a lot together that I hadn't really thought about! Yes, Ennis must have had a subcoonscious need for male companionship and fate brought Jack, who filled the bill as friend, soulmate, and surprisingly, lover! Ennis had it all, but of course could not know that until it was too late. The reunion, as many have said, is all the more powerful because we were left with a bittersweet and abrupt parting after the Mountain summer, and Ennis seemed destined to enter married life without looking back!
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If things had been different--if Jack had come several hours earlier, if Ennis hadn't been drinking... They *might* have just gone out for some beers, flirted a little, and Ennis gone back home, sending Jack off to his parents. All the factors just happened to be in place, and Ennis was so hungry for male companionship that he slipped into something he never intended to. (But, like I said before, something he enjoyed, and wanted on some level.)
I, on the other hand, think that it would've happened with or without the drinking. I don't think it would've mattered if Jack came a coupla hours earlier. Ennis had such strong feelings for Jack and he wanted him so much, subconsciously or not, that once Jack was in his arms the kiss and what followed were inevitable.
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If things had been different--if Jack had come several hours earlier, if Ennis hadn't been drinking... They *might* have just gone out for some beers, flirted a little, and Ennis gone back home, sending Jack off to his parents. All the factors just happened to be in place, and Ennis was so hungry for male companionship that he slipped into something he never intended to. (But, like I said before, something he enjoyed, and wanted on some level.)
I, on the other hand, think that it would've happened with or without the drinking. I don't think it would've mattered if Jack came a coupla hours earlier. Ennis had such strong feelings for Jack and he wanted him so much, subconsciously or not, that once Jack was in his arms the kiss and what followed were inevitable.
Agreed keren. :) Even when we first see Ennis (i'm presuming its morning) before he has drunk too much beer, he is anxiously waiting by the window, wearing his best shirt, chainsmoking - he must have run the scenario over and over ever since he received postcard from Jack. Alma offered to go out with them and he quickly put her off - he wanted Jack all to himself despite the fact he'd not seen him for 4 years, and as soon as he did see him - WOW. :P
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Just to clarify what I'm sayin'...
I really think the sexual nature of the reunion (including the kissing) took Ennis by surprise. Heck, Ennis never goes beyond the "I'm not queer" stage in examining his sexuality. Ennis *didn't know* that he and Jack would "get back into" the sexual aspect of their relationship.
I think that, in his mind, he was just really looking forward to seeing an old friend again, especially since his childhod and his present life were so short of good male companions.
Jack was *hoping* for the rekindling of a lifetime love affair, of course. But I think he probably expected Ennis to resist. He was obviously shocked when Ennis kissed him. For all Jack *knew* (as opposed to dreamed, thought, hoped, fantasized), they would meet, have a coupla low-altitude beers, and then a replay of "Well, I guess I'll see ya round, then."
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edgar, thank you for your interesting posting.
I too agree that Jack and Ennis were not expecting anything like their kisses. Ennis must have gone through the time he and Jack had back in Brokeback Mountain. Seeing Jack, Ennis just could not resist to show his affection. The result was the reunion kisses we all cherish dearly. ;)
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My turn to clarify myself...
Edgar, I understand what you're saying and you may be right - it's pretty hard for me to "decide" what Ennis was or wasn't expecting, but what you say makes a lot of sense. still, my point is that even if Ennis didn't expect anything like that, once he hugged Jack the kissing was inevitable - even if he hasn't been drinking. Once he had Jack in his arms he couldn't repress his feelings any longer.
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Just to clarify what I'm sayin'...
I really think the sexual nature of the reunion (including the kissing) took Ennis by surprise. Heck, Ennis never goes beyond the "I'm not queer" stage in examining his sexuality. Ennis *didn't know* that he and Jack would "get back into" the sexual aspect of their relationship.
I think that, in his mind, he was just really looking forward to seeing an old friend again, especially since his childhod and his present life were so short of good male companions.
Jack was *hoping* for the rekindling of a lifetime love affair, of course. But I think he probably expected Ennis to resist. He was obviously shocked when Ennis kissed him. For all Jack *knew* (as opposed to dreamed, thought, hoped, fantasized), they would meet, have a coupla low-altitude beers, and then a replay of "Well, I guess I'll see ya round, then."
Oh I don't agree at all. Ennis was much too nervous and much too anxious about meeting Jack to just be expecting they would have a few beers. Drinking or not the way his face lights up when he sees Jack his underlying hope was that somehow someway they would rekindle their "love" although he would be loathe to call it that. Now I would agree that he probably felt he needed to drink in order to calm himself and face up to whatever might come next. Although he likely suspected that Jack MUST have wanted him, he couldn't be absolutely sure until they were in each other's arms. But with the way Ennis "prettied" himself up with his best shirt and took the day off from work he had to at least be hoping for a lot more than a few beers...my take anyway.....