Topic: Did Jack ever say 'I love you' to Ennis?

[shieldmaid]

I agree completely with all the speculation about the other ways in which Jack said I love you to Ennis--"I miss you so much I can hardly stand it," "It could be like this, just like this, always."  And I think there are a couple of moments for Ennis, too, when he comes close--"Jack, I swear," as other people have suggested, and also maybe "I'm sending up a prayer of thanks."    And I also agree that the movie is stronger without them actually uttering these words to each other.  After all, consider what the story says: "He looked at the ensemble through a few stinging tears. 'Jack, I swear. . . ', although Jack had never asked him to swear anything and was not himself the swearing kind."

One of the only things that ever frustrated me about this movie (although maybe on reflection this is a good thing anyway) was that Ennis never says "little darlin" to Jack in the reunion scene, although he does in the book.  In a way he's more communicative in the short story than in the film . . . .

Sorry, a bit off topic!

[BBBOY]

I agree completely with all the speculation about the other ways in which Jack said I love you to Ennis--"I miss you so much I can hardly stand it," "It could be like this, just like this, always."  And I think there are a couple of moments for Ennis, too, when he comes close--"Jack, I swear," as other people have suggested, and also maybe "I'm sending up a prayer of thanks."    And I also agree that the movie is stronger without them actually uttering these words to each other.  After all, consider what the story says: "He looked at the ensemble through a few stinging tears. 'Jack, I swear. . . ', although Jack had never asked him to swear anything and was not himself the swearing kind."

One of the only things that ever frustrated me about this movie (although maybe on reflection this is a good thing anyway) was that Ennis never says "little darlin" to Jack in the reunion scene, although he does in the book.  In a way he's more communicative in the short story than in the film . . . .

Sorry, a bit off topic!

Not at all off topic. "Little darlin" or "Lil darlin" as I say it is exactly the way Ennis would say I love you to Jack. He is so repressed that to even get "little darlin" ot of him is an achievement.

[honestjoe1959]

There are two times the word love is pronounced in the movie, I might be wrong.

Cassie:  "girls don't fall in love for fun"  :'(

Ennis, asking Alma Jr.  "does Kurt loves you?"  :'( :'(

there is a third time:  alma jr replies 'yes, daddy...he loves me.'

[*Froggy*]

JACK: "Tell you what... truth is sometimes I miss you so bad I could hardly stand it..."

Was almost a way to say I love you.

yes it was ....  :'(

[chameau]

JACK: "Tell you what... truth is sometimes I miss you so bad I could hardly stand it..."

Was almost a way to say I love you.

yes it was ....  :'(

Yup  :'(

I just saw the film again  :'(

off topic 

[coguaro]

JACK: "Tell you what... truth is sometimes I miss you so bad I could hardly stand it..."

Was almost a way to say I love you.

yes it was ....  :'(

of course it was....why Ennis didn't reply in this scene.... ?

[Mars]

JACK: "Tell you what... truth is sometimes I miss you so bad I could hardly stand it..."

Was almost a way to say I love you.

yes it was ....  :'(

of course it was....why Ennis didn't reply in this scene.... ?

Because he didn't want to recognize it.
He could not to take note of a stable love affair with another man.

[pierralex]

JACK: "Tell you what... truth is sometimes I miss you so bad I could hardly stand it..."

Was almost a way to say I love you.

yes it was ....  :'(

of course it was....why Ennis didn't reply in this scene.... ?

Because he didn't want to recognize it.
He could not to take note of a stable love affair with another man.

And Ennis was still unable to express his feelings. He started once Jack died.

[Mars]

JACK: "Tell you what... truth is sometimes I miss you so bad I could hardly stand it..."

Was almost a way to say I love you.

yes it was ....  :'(

of course it was....why Ennis didn't reply in this scene.... ?

Because he didn't want to recognize it.
He could not to take note of a stable love affair with another man.

And Ennis was still unable to express his feelings. He started once Jack died.

It's sadly so.

[jimmy]

I Think in so many ways they both said I Love You

1-- The first night drunk or not the sex was love
2-- when they both say that they are not Queer well it must just be love.
3-- The second night when Ennis goes to enter the tent he removes his hat, jack takes the hat and set's it to the side just like a gentlemen entering a ladies home or room out in the west.
4-- When Ennis say he sorry after they kiss and jack says that all right , that all right come lay back and the ( I Love you ) start there.
5-- The next day in broad daylight when Ennis Knocks jacks hat off his head and jack starts chasing Ennis around and they fall into each others arms and they kiss again.
6-- When it was time to go Cowboy and jack lasso Ennis and they start play fighting and it goes aw air jack still try to show Ennis that he loves him by making sure hes alright.
7-- What can I say at the reunion after four years there has to be love You don't kiss some that much unless you do love them.
  Plus there are at least maybe sixteen other times that you can say they might have said I love you but not in those words, but I will tell you though without those words this was the best and saddest  love story since ( romeo and Juliet )

[chameau]

I Think in so many ways they both said I Love You

1-- The first night drunk or not the sex was love
2-- when they both say that they are not Queer well it must just be love.
3-- The second night when Ennis goes to enter the tent he removes his hat, jack takes the hat and set's it to the side just like a gentlemen entering a ladies home or room out in the west.
4-- When Ennis say he sorry after they kiss and jack says that all right , that all right come lay back and the ( I Love you ) start there.
5-- The next day in broad daylight when Ennis Knocks jacks hat off his head and jack starts chasing Ennis around and they fall into each others arms and they kiss again.
6-- When it was time to go Cowboy and jack lasso Ennis and they start play fighting and it goes aw air jack still try to show Ennis that he loves him by making sure hes alright.
7-- What can I say at the reunion after four years there has to be love You don't kiss some that much unless you do love them.
  Plus there are at least maybe sixteen other times that you can say they might have said I love you but not in those words, but I will tell you though without those words this was the best and saddest  love story since ( romeo and Juliet )

Hi Jimmy,

First of all welcome to ennisjack.com, this is one very nice post.  I hope you will enjoy this place and share more with us. 

[NoReins]

I think the first time Jack says "I love you" in other words is when he whispers "Ole Brokeback got us good, don't it?" in the motel. To me, he's acknowledging the fact that what they have together would not have stood the test of 4 years if it was just sex and not love.

I also think there's another time that Ennis all but says it - and that's when he says "Ain't no reins on this one" when I think he's admitting to having feelings far deeper than anything that can be constrained.

[shieldmaid]

I think the first time Jack says "I love you" in other words is when he whispers "Ole Brokeback got us good, don't it?" in the motel. To me, he's acknowledging the fact that what they have together would not have stood the test of 4 years if it was just sex and not love.

I also think there's another time that Ennis all but says it - and that's when he says "Ain't no reins on this one" when I think he's admitting to having feelings far deeper than anything that can be constrained.

Yes, that's a great point.  I also love it in this scene when Ennis says, "If you can't fix it, Jack, you have to stand it," after which Jack asks, "How long?" and Ennis replies, "As long as we can ride it"--before "ain't no reins on this one."  To me, this suggests that he's committing, in a way, to some kind of long-term relationship with Jack.

[NoReins]

I think the first time Jack says "I love you" in other words is when he whispers "Ole Brokeback got us good, don't it?" in the motel. To me, he's acknowledging the fact that what they have together would not have stood the test of 4 years if it was just sex and not love.

I also think there's another time that Ennis all but says it - and that's when he says "Ain't no reins on this one" when I think he's admitting to having feelings far deeper than anything that can be constrained.

Yes, that's a great point.  I also love it in this scene when Ennis says, "If you can't fix it, Jack, you have to stand it," after which Jack asks, "How long?" and Ennis replies, "As long as we can ride it"--before "ain't no reins on this one."  To me, this suggests that he's committing, in a way, to some kind of long-term relationship with Jack.

Yep, that's my take on it too. To me he's saying to Jack "we have a future together, just not living together"

[karen1129]

JACK: "Tell you what... truth is sometimes I miss you so bad I could hardly stand it..."

Was almost a way to say I love you.

That scene makes me cry to this day !!!
It was Jack's way of saying I love you. 
I think Ennis knew it anyway. 

[tpe]

JACK: "Tell you what... truth is sometimes I miss you so bad I could hardly stand it..."

Was almost a way to say I love you.

That scene makes me cry to this day !!!
It was Jack's way of saying I love you. 
I think Ennis knew it anyway. 

Welcome karen1129.

May of us here weep with you.  You are in good company.


 

[shieldmaid]

Now that I think of it, even the scene when they're getting ready to leave BBM shows Jack expressing his love for Ennis.  He says to Ennis, "Come on, cowboy, time to go" (paraphrasing a bit?), and playfully ropes him.  I interpret this as Jack showing Ennis that he belongs to him, reassuring him before they have to part.  That makes their struggle, fight, and painfully understated farewell just that more poignant. 

[*Froggy*]

JACK: "Tell you what... truth is sometimes I miss you so bad I could hardly stand it..."

Was almost a way to say I love you.

That scene makes me cry to this day !!!
It was Jack's way of saying I love you. 
I think Ennis knew it anyway. 

Welcome karen1129.

May of us here weep with you.  You are in good company.


 

I'm with you too x

[danac]

One of the only things that ever frustrated me about this movie (although maybe on reflection this is a good thing anyway) was that Ennis never says "little darlin" to Jack in the reunion scene, although he does in the book.  In a way he's more communicative in the short story than in the film . . . .

It is a bit off topic, but I think if you listen really closely and watch Ennis' mouth...when he pats Jack's face and says "Hey", then he nuzzles his faces and says "darlin", then "c'mere" and he walks away.
I've played it over and over and today someone else told me they finally heard it. It's almost like he's exhaling - very soft.

Sorry, mods...new here. Will search about appropriate thread.

[danac]

JACK: "Tell you what... truth is sometimes I miss you so bad I could hardly stand it..."

Was almost a way to say I love you.

of course it was....why Ennis didn't reply in this scene.... ?

The thing is, I don't think Jack required a response from Ennis. I think just he knew in his gut what he meant to Ennis' and didn't have to hear it...aaawwwww :'(

[Rønnaug]

The thing is, I don't think Jack required a response from Ennis. I think just he knew in his gut what he meant to Ennis' and didn't have to hear it...aaawwwww :'(

BUt I think that deep down he would have liked to have heard something

[Patriot1]

The thing is, I don't think Jack required a response from Ennis. I think just he knew in his gut what he meant to Ennis' and didn't have to hear it...aaawwwww :'(

BUt I think that deep down he would have liked to have heard something

Just my opinion but I think we all want to hear it.  I think it is needed, no matter how much you think you know.

[NoReins]

The thing is, I don't think Jack required a response from Ennis. I think just he knew in his gut what he meant to Ennis' and didn't have to hear it...aaawwwww :'(

BUt I think that deep down he would have liked to have heard something

Just my opinion but I think we all want to hear it.  I think it is needed, no matter how much you think you know.

I think you're right Patriot1 and Esme - although I'm certain Jack knew that Ennis loved him, if Ennis had said it, even just once, it would have been the sweetest thing Jack had ever heard.

[danac]

You're all right, of course, but I'm just saying that these were ranch boys from tough backgrounds and, in that culture, there isn't alot of sweet talk. And Ennis said it his way - which I think Jack heard loud and clear: he quit jobs just to see Jack for a few days...the prayer of thanks, "there ain't no reins on this one" and, of course, little darlin.

There're alot of ways to say I love you and I think your soulmate hears it with his heart not with his ears.

[Patriot1]

There're alot of ways to say I love you and I think your soulmate hears it with his heart not with his ears.

You are right, of course, danac.  There are many ways to tell and show a person you love them.  Jack did it when he told Ennis, "Sometimes I miss you so much I can hardly stand it."

But, every so often, I would think I would like the hear the words. Maybe not daily, and not even weekly or monthly.  Just every so often.

[danac]

There're alot of ways to say I love you and I think your soulmate hears it with his heart not with his ears.

You are right, of course, danac.  There are many ways to tell and show a person you love them.  Jack did it when he told Ennis, "Sometimes I miss you so much I can hardly stand it."

But, every so often, I would think I would like the hear the words. Maybe not daily, and not even weekly or monthly.  Just every so often.

I 'd just like to hear it again in my lifetime!
And a little slammin' up against a wall wouldn't be bad either!!!

[NoReins]

There're alot of ways to say I love you and I think your soulmate hears it with his heart not with his ears.

You are right, of course, danac.  There are many ways to tell and show a person you love them.  Jack did it when he told Ennis, "Sometimes I miss you so much I can hardly stand it."

But, every so often, I would think I would like the hear the words. Maybe not daily, and not even weekly or monthly.  Just every so often.

I 'd just like to hear it again in my lifetime!
And a little slammin' up against a wall wouldn't be bad either!!!

Mmm hmm - I guess Ennis didn't need to say "I love you" at the point where he was slamming Jack up against the wall. His hands and lips - and his whole being - were screaming it from the rooftops.

[welshwitch]

Yes, love resides in actions as well as words. And there's a sense inwhich the words are sometimes devalued by casual use, you know, people saying" I love you" as a sort of bargaining counter or a means of trying to tie someone down. Ennis and Jack didn't need that, and I think after the SNIT and the reunion kisses they never needed to say what was so patently obvious. theris was a love which,in Shakespeare's words, " bears it out even to the edge of doom", and doesn't need affirmation in words.

That said, Patriot 1, I wish I could say "I love you" to you; I feel a sense of love for everyone on these forums, because we all have something in common, no, not just an obsession with BBM but a basic humanity.

[Rønnaug]

I jsut thought of something before I remembered the name of the thread, did JACK ever say.... I think he came close with the I love you so much I can hardy stand it line...

and OT mayby but in the story, he says he miss him so much it makes him whip babies...not want to, but makes him...

But the thought I had was does Ennis ever say or do anything back..like was discussed over here..and what came to me was the scene between Alma and Ennis in the kithcen at thanksgiving... I think for Ennis to physically abuse Alma, and threaten to make both her and monroe eat the floor cause she calls Jack Jack Nasty is pretyt close to an I LOVE HIM...

should we create a how did Ennis express his love? thread??

[NoReins]

That said, Patriot 1, I wish I could say "I love you" to you; I feel a sense of love for everyone on these forums, because we all have something in common, no, not just an obsession with BBM but a basic humanity.

You got that right, welshwitch.