Topic: Jake/Jack's Captivating Facial Expressions!

[JnE]

I've got to really hand it to Jake/Jack, he has the most enthralling facial expressions I've ever seen.  It doesn't hurt that he is graced with beauty, but it certainly goes deeper than that!  Everything you need to know is starin' straight atcha, no words necessary.  

Just some examples:
  
-   Mesmerized when first sees Ennis
-   Enigmatic, turning to introduce himself to Ennis, shake his hand
-   Cocksure, when horse starts looping on him
-   Yearning, looking out at Ennis’ campfire in distance
-   Anger, relief, doting, concern, tending to Ennis’ bear-scare wound
-   Full focus on potato peeling while Ennis bathes (barely noticeable sigh & swallow of frustration)
-   Sweet surprise, lovin’ on Ennis finally opening up, by campfire
-   Enigmatic bull riding imitation
-   Sleepy, frustrated, “Ennis, quit your hammerin’ and get in here!”
-   Angelic afterglow, after FNIT
-   Sullen, troubled, “See you for supper”
-   Melancholy, soulful, “It’s nobody’s business but ours”
-   Soft, peeking, denial, “Neither am I”
-   Passionate, nurturing, during SNIT
-   Contemplative concern, viewing Ennis agony on mountain, before leaving
-   Caring, distress, after inadvertently kneeing Ennis in nose
-   Soft, nervous, “Yeah”, to Ennis’, “Can’t believe I left my damn shirt up there”
-   Sweet, hopeful, “I may be back”, parting from Ennis
-   Longing, crestfallen, driving away from Ennis
-   Thrilled, pride regained, best bull ride ever, showing off to Lureen
-   Serene, dancing with Lureen, uncertain, distant glance over her shoulder
-   Whipped, humouring, dejected after father-in-law’s “Isn’t he the spittin’ image of his grandpa?”
-   Shocked realization of regained love from Ennis’ passionate reunion welcome
-   Desperate desire when Ennis affectionately pushes him back to go upstairs to introduce him to Alma
-   Kind, shy, disquieted regaining of composure when introduced to Alma
-   Understated hand to forehand, eyes closed, nod of head, lips pursed, pull of cigarette, “Of course, he hates my guts… so….”, at motel with Ennis
-   Hesitantly sharing cherished, innocent dream of living together with Ennis, full of hope and love, by campfire
-   Sorrowful, pensive, tender, after Ennis’ rejection of his idea
-   Concern for Bobby and incredulity at Lureen’s lack for same, during parka search
-   Pure joy, seeing Ennis on next camping trip
-   Heartbroken, after Ennis’ after-divorce rejection
-   Walking dead, lonely, broken-down, first-time picking up Mexican gigolo
-   Determine, fed up, “Sit down, you old son-of-a-bitch!”, to father-in-law at Thanksgiving
-   Distant unease, lack of contentment in marriage, “For what it's worth”
-   Quiet surprise, stiff, slight shake of head, after Ennis asks if Lureen ever suspects about them
-   Hesitant hope, “Maybe you oughta get outta there”
-   Mischievous, to-hell-with-it-all, “You wanna dance?”, to LaShawn, after Lureen snides
-   Sweet, patient, kind, dancing with LaShawn
-   Silent, stiff, stunned, after Randall’s invitation to the cabin, wishing it was Ennis
-   Pained longing, “Sometimes I miss you so much, I can hardly stand it”.
-   Dreamy, dazed flashback, Ennis cherishing Jack while sleeping standing up
-   Lost, shell-of-a-man, after last meeting with Ennis

Btw, just saw Jake on Man vs. Wild and he was simply amazing, adorable, and dignified the whole way through.  Really gotta love him!

[myprivatejack]

Beautiful and very well analysed sample of Jake/Jack's expressions,JnE ¡. Yes,Jake not only is a good looking man,but he's able to express a wide range of feelings and reactions that enchant us.What's more,there're several of these expressions of his that have remained as some of the most compassionate and sad,but also charming and lovely in the last years movies.Only with a glance of his nice blue eyes,he can show all what Jack overcomes during these 20 years of love,sorrow,hope,passion,disappointment and,above all,a great loneliness...It's good we have Jake...

[jackster]

At the risk of starting a run . . .

One from your list JnE where no words (and almost no movement) are employed,
the entire emotional content relies on the very subtle facial expression.
Jack's focus on the cigarette, the potatoes, and . . . .
[hello Mr. Freud, any suggestions?]

[kitty]

At the risk of starting a run . . .

One from your list JnE where no words (and almost no movement) are employed,
the entire emotional content relies on the very subtle facial expression.
Jack's focus on the cigarette, the potatoes, and . . . .
[hello Mr. Freud, any suggestions?]

As a Psychology student who has studied Freud, I think there are definitely some phallic symbols here in the cigarettes and potatoes, reinforcing the belief that Jack is very attracted to Ennis, who is fully naked behind him. You can see that Jack is clearly aroused by the knowledge of what's going on behind him, and wants to look but knows he shouldn't. Jake plays it very well indeed

Plus, the cigarette is in his mouth, and the potato is in his hand. Does it get any more phallic than that?

[JnE]

Beautiful and very well analysed sample of Jake/Jack's expressions,JnE ¡. Yes,Jake not only is a good looking man,but he's able to express a wide range of feelings and reactions that enchant us.What's more,there're several of these expressions of his that have remained as some of the most compassionate and sad,but also charming and lovely in the last years movies.Only with a glance of his nice blue eyes,he can show all what Jack overcomes during these 20 years of love,sorrow,hope,passion,disappointment and,above all,a great loneliness...It's good we have Jake...

Thanks, myprivatejack! I kept thinking about how an uplift eyebrow here, a bite of his tongue there, along with a nod of his head and those stunning eyes, made for some incredible silent articulations. Of course, none of it would work without an internal inferno, of which he possesses in great degree! The absolute beauty of it is that even when he goes all-out, there's that underlying subtlety that hits you to your very core. Serious wow.

At the risk of starting a run . . .

One from your list JnE where no words (and almost no movement) are employed,
the entire emotional content relies on the very subtle facial expression.
Jack's focus on the cigarette, the potatoes, and . . . .
[hello Mr. Freud, any suggestions?]

A run, indeed, jackster... How 'bout a stampede!!! Seriously, when I first saw this scene, the heated tension permeted through the very screen, but I was still trying to find that "thing" to prove that I wasn't just making it all up in my head... then I finally saw it... the oh-so-very-slight sigh & swallow... and it blew me away!!! (It also doesn't help to have a small screen, so to have to really keep aware not to miss any of the amazing hidden treasures!)

As a Psychology student who has studied Freud, I think there are definitely some phallic symbols here in the cigarettes and potatoes, reinforcing the belief that Jack is very attracted to Ennis, who is fully naked behind him. You can see that Jack is clearly aroused by the knowledge of what's going on behind him, and wants to look but knows he shouldn't. Jake plays it very well indeed

Plus, the cigarette is in his mouth, and the potato is in his hand. Does it get any more phallic than that?

Thanks for the insight, kitty... You hit on things that totally eluded me!  Goes to show how much there is to this film that can really keep you watching endlessly and still have an abundance of revelations jump out at you each time.

[suzycreamcheese]

turquoise eyes

[JnE]

turquoise eyes

Yes, gorgeous eyes... accentuated by lovely eyebrows!!

[TrumanHun]

I've got to really hand it to Jake/Jack, he has the most enthralling facial expressions I've ever seen.  It doesn't hurt that he is graced with beauty, but it certainly goes deeper than that!  Everything you need to know is starin' straight atcha, no words necessary.  

Just some examples:
  
-   Mesmerized when first sees Ennis
-   Enigmatic, turning to introduce himself to Ennis, shake his hand
-   Cocksure, when horse starts looping on him
-   Yearning, looking out at Ennis’ campfire in distance
-   Anger, relief, doting, concern, tending to Ennis’ bear-scare wound
-   Full focus on potato peeling while Ennis bathes (barely noticeable sigh & swallow of frustration)
-   Sweet surprise, lovin’ on Ennis finally opening up, by campfire
-   Enigmatic bull riding imitation
-   Sleepy, frustrated, “Ennis, quit your hammerin’ and get in here!”
-   Angelic afterglow, after FNIT
-   Sullen, troubled, “See you for supper”
-   Melancholy, soulful, “It’s nobody’s business but ours”
-   Soft, peeking, denial, “Neither am I”
-   Passionate, nurturing, during SNIT
-   Contemplative concern, viewing Ennis agony on mountain, before leaving
-   Caring, distress, after inadvertently kneeing Ennis in nose
-   Soft, nervous, “Yeah”, to Ennis’, “Can’t believe I left my damn shirt up there”
-   Sweet, hopeful, “I may be back”, parting from Ennis
-   Longing, crestfallen, driving away from Ennis
-   Thrilled, pride regained, best bull ride ever, showing off to Lureen
-   Serene, dancing with Lureen, uncertain, distant glance over her shoulder
-   Whipped, humouring, dejected after father-in-law’s “Isn’t he the spittin’ image of his grandpa?”
-   Shocked realization of regained love from Ennis’ passionate reunion welcome
-   Desperate desire when Ennis affectionately pushes him back to go upstairs to introduce him to Alma
-   Kind, shy, disquieted regaining of composure when introduced to Alma
-   Understated hand to forehand, eyes closed, nod of head, lips pursed, pull of electronic cigarettes, “Of course, he hates my guts… so….”, at motel with Ennis
-   Hesitantly sharing cherished, innocent dream of living together with Ennis, full of hope and love, by campfire
-   Sorrowful, pensive, tender, after Ennis’ rejection of his idea
-   Concern for Bobby and incredulity at Lureen’s lack for same, during parka search
-   Pure joy, seeing Ennis on next camping trip
-   Heartbroken, after Ennis’ after-divorce rejection
-   Walking dead, lonely, broken-down, first-time picking up Mexican gigolo
-   Determine, fed up, “Sit down, you old son-of-a-bitch!”, to father-in-law at Thanksgiving
-   Distant unease, lack of contentment in marriage, “For what it's worth”
-   Quiet surprise, stiff, slight shake of head, after Ennis asks if Lureen ever suspects about them
-   Hesitant hope, “Maybe you oughta get outta there”
-   Mischievous, to-hell-with-it-all, “You wanna dance?”, to LaShawn, after Lureen snides
-   Sweet, patient, kind, dancing with LaShawn
-   Silent, stiff, stunned, after Randall’s invitation to the cabin, wishing it was Ennis
-   Pained longing, “Sometimes I miss you so much, I can hardly stand it”.
-   Dreamy, dazed flashback, Ennis cherishing Jack while sleeping standing up
-   Lost, shell-of-a-man, after last meeting with Ennis

Btw, just saw Jake on Man vs. Wild and he was simply amazing, adorable, and dignified the whole way through.  Really gotta love him!

Well those examples are just awesome.. I can say nice collection..Jacks expressions are always amazing..

[BBMsheep]

Well those examples are just awesome.. I can say nice collection..Jacks expressions are always amazing..

Oh, Thanks TrumanHun for resurrecting this thread! I've never read it before. And welcome, BTW!  

This listing is wonderful! Brings back beautiful, funny, moving, sad or devastating moments of the film... 

Jack/Jake can be so expressive even without pronouncing a word...    

[lzara23]

I've got to really hand it to Jake/Jack, he has the most enthralling facial expressions I've ever seen.  It doesn't hurt that he is graced with beauty, but it certainly goes deeper than that!  Everything you need to know is starin' straight atcha, no words necessary.  

Just some examples:
  
-   Mesmerized when first sees Ennis
-   Enigmatic, turning to introduce himself to Ennis, shake his hand
-   Cocksure, when horse starts looping on him
-   Yearning, looking out at Ennis’ campfire in distance
-   Anger, relief, doting, concern, tending to Ennis’ bear-scare wound
-   Full focus on potato peeling while Ennis bathes (barely noticeable sigh & swallow of frustration)
-   Sweet surprise, lovin’ on Ennis finally opening up, by campfire
-   Enigmatic bull riding imitation
-   Sleepy, frustrated, “Ennis, quit your hammerin’ and get in here!”
-   Angelic afterglow, after FNIT
-   Sullen, troubled, “See you for supper”
-   Melancholy, soulful, “It’s nobody’s business but ours”
-   Soft, peeking, denial, “Neither am I”
-   Passionate, nurturing, during SNIT
-   Contemplative concern, viewing Ennis agony on mountain, before leaving
-   Caring, distress, after inadvertently kneeing Ennis in nose
-   Soft, nervous, “Yeah”, to Ennis’, “Can’t believe I left my damn shirt up there”
-   Sweet, hopeful, “I may be back”, parting from Ennis
-   Longing, crestfallen, driving away from Ennis
-   Thrilled, pride regained, best bull ride ever, showing off to Lureen
-   Serene, dancing with Lureen, uncertain, distant glance over her shoulder
-   Whipped, humouring, dejected after father-in-law’s “Isn’t he the spittin’ image of his grandpa?”
-   Shocked realization of regained love from Ennis’ passionate reunion welcome
-   Desperate desire when Ennis affectionately pushes him back to go upstairs to introduce him to Alma
-   Kind, shy, disquieted regaining of composure when introduced to Alma
-   Understated hand to forehand, eyes closed, nod of head, lips pursed, pull of cigarette, “Of course, he hates my guts… so….”, at motel with Ennis
-   Hesitantly sharing cherished, innocent dream of living together with Ennis, full of hope and love, by campfire
-   Sorrowful, pensive, tender, after Ennis’ rejection of his idea
-   Concern for Bobby and incredulity at Lureen’s lack for same, during parka search
-   Pure joy, seeing Ennis on next camping trip
-   Heartbroken, after Ennis’ after-divorce rejection
-   Walking dead, lonely, broken-down, first-time picking up Mexican gigolo
-   Determine, fed up, “Sit down, you old son-of-a-bitch!”, to father-in-law at Thanksgiving
-   Distant unease, lack of contentment in marriage, “For what it's worth”
-   Quiet surprise, stiff, slight shake of head, after Ennis asks if Lureen ever suspects about them
-   Hesitant hope, “Maybe you oughta get outta there”
-   Mischievous, to-hell-with-it-all, “You wanna dance?”, to LaShawn, after Lureen snides
-   Sweet, patient, kind, dancing with LaShawn
-   Silent, stiff, stunned, after Randall’s invitation to the cabin, wishing it was Ennis
-   Pained longing, “Sometimes I miss you so much, I can hardly stand it”.
-   Dreamy, dazed flashback, Ennis cherishing Jack while sleeping standing up
-   Lost, shell-of-a-man, after last meeting with Ennis

Btw, just saw Jake on Man vs. Wild and he was simply amazing, adorable, and dignified the whole way through.  Really gotta love him!

This is a really in depth analysis of Jack's character and there are all these expressions that make my heart melt. From all, if I had to choose what is the best, without a doubt it would be the divorce scene, when he says "I just thought this means you..." it hurts me as if he was my son  he expresses so much with his blue eyes, full of tears  he is such a wonderful actor

[FlwrChild]

I was struck right away by Jake/Jack's facial expressions too. He conveyed so much of what that character was feeling just through his eyes. And in a story like this, that subtlety and depth is so effective. Just as I felt that Ennis's postures and muttered vocalizations told us so much about what he was feeling. The combination of all those elements when the two came together made the feelings between them feel genuinely tangible and I think were a big part of the magic of this film.

I also loved the part in the final scene with them where Jack has expressed so much anger and frustration and then when he sees that Ennis is in distress it just all falls away and he instinctively goes to Ennis to comfort him.