Topic: how many lies were told?

[athena0204]

I agree with you that indeed it was Randall that Jack was seeing in Texas. But the ambiguity that I spoke of, was referring to the cause of Jack's death: was it an accident or murder? To Ennis, it was surely the tire iron.

As for Jack lying to Ennis about it, it's simply an extension of what he had been doing, lying or rather omitting to tell the truth, about Mexico. He felt it was justified, as pay-back after the incident at the divorce scene. And by the time Randall came along, the bitterly frustrated Jack felt he was justified there, too.

I think Ennis didn't realize what Jack meant to him until about a year later, so he was already married by the time he figured out the truth. You can also see the change in him, from the frolicking good times in the snow during the honeymoon phase, to the next year, in the drive-in, and the next summer. He married Alma simply because that's what he planned, and he didn't understand until too late that he should never have let Jack outa his sight.

I think he felt the marriage was a trap that he couldn't get out of. Remember, back in 'em days in rural Wyoming, people simple don't get divorced. Some may walk off and go away, leaving behind wive and kids, but most men stuck with it. Ennis probably was subconsciously careless to get Alma to divorce him. He refused to apply for the job at the power company. That was the last straw for her. And Ennis got his wish. Problem was, his subconscious never figured on Child Support, or the custody with the kids. So that cut into his days with Jack. He was even more miserable than if he were to work for the power company, and spend the generous vacation time with Jack. Dumbass.  

Ang Lee did say that the scene where Lureen is talking to Ennis on the phone, it should have been clear that she's lying about how Jack really died. I don't really see how it could have not been murder. Jack was very careless about making efforts to hide his homosexuality. I don't really think he cared if people knew, or was afraid of them finding out. I don't think it would have been a big secret that he was gay by the time the story reached shortly before his death. His relationship with Randall in Texas is probably what got him killed, I don't think they truly knew about Ennis, other than Lureen knowing he was Jack's "fishing buddy". But think about this, Lureen could have mentioned casually one day to her father that Jack goes on these trips to visit a friend of his a few times every year. I think it would have been very easy from there for LD to figure out the kind of relationship Jack really had with this Ennis fella, since LD probably suspected Jack was gay from the beginning. I really feel he knew something, that was what the whole "don't you want Bobby to grow up to be a man" comment was all about. And you are right about Ennis's lies to Alma about who Jack really was to him. Ennis could have been making Alma get tired of the marriage on purpose, because he felt he was trapped in that marriage and it was the only way he could get out of it. So in a passive way, he waited till Alma finally divorced him rather than just coming out and saying he wanted a divorce. But I also believe that part of the reason why Ennis was so careless around Alma was because Jack's love really got to him. At the reunion scene, for example, he kisses Jack right out there in the open because he's so happy to see him and he's not thinking of anything else but Jack at that moment. As for the lies Jack told, I wonder what he told Lureen about Mexico and Randall.

[tpe]

Thomas ¡ I also believe that being too clear in showing their relationship would have been taken like a "treason" for many of us,in all the senses of the word...Moreover,in this way,our minds and feelings get free to imagine and give an answer,that could be very different according to the viewer.As a matter of fact,almost everything in Jack's life and specially death,is open enough...

And I do think that it is true to the ss, which practically doesn't say anything.  A mere suggestion of a Texas neighbor was enough for them to conjure the image of Randall, and I am glad that they didn't develop it beyond a reasonably tantalizing suggestion of a relationship.

[buckskinbronc]

Is this a lie?

You're the reason I'm like this.  I'm nothing.  I'm no where.

This is a hard one for me.  Is Ennis just lashing out in anger trying to hurt Jack?  Or does he really believe that he was trapped in poverty because in the old days he'd just quit his job if he had to just to take off with Jack?  That one night/summer with Jack plus Jack pursuing/finding him four years later ruined his chance for a 'normal' life?

Either way, I see Jack, the one who has always been more empathetic, wondering if it wasn't true, if he had in fact ruined Ennis' life and deciding that the only way he COULD fix it was to leave him be.

For me, the accusation is either the coldest lie or the hardest truth.

[lancecowboy]

Is this a lie?

You're the reason I'm like this.  I'm nothing.  I'm no where.

This is a hard one for me.  Is Ennis just lashing out in anger trying to hurt Jack?  Or does he really believe that he was trapped in poverty because in the old days he'd just quit his job if he had to just to take off with Jack?  That one night/summer with Jack plus Jack pursuing/finding him four years later ruined his chance for a 'normal' life?

Either way, I see Jack, the one who has always been more empathetic, wondering if it wasn't true, if he had in fact ruined Ennis' life and deciding that the only way he COULD fix it was to leave him be.

For me, the accusation is either the coldest lie or the hardest truth.

The truth:
Jack was his reason for being, the meaning of living.

The lie:
He was not nothing, not no where. He was happy with Jack, happiest with Jack in his arms. He was right where he should be, but he just wasn't brave enough to take it, to take it from the world who has its own idea about where he should be.

But the threat of Jack seeing someone else, moving on from this g@#dre unsatisfactory situation, put him into the dark space where he was nowhere, nothing. The world just collapsed around him, just as he collapsed on his knees.

In a way, for Jack to leave, to quit Ennis, it made the lie into a truth.

[fullmoon]

I don't think Jack quitted Ennis.  Jack knew Ennis will never merge their lives together.  He decided to get "outside interests" to sustain him for the periods inbetween seeing Ennis.  Jack saying "I wish I know how to quit you" is actually an acknowledgement that Ennis will always be the central figure of his life, even if this hurt him so much.

If Jack hadn't die, I'm sure their relationship would have carried on as always, even if Jack had another interest at home/on his dad's ranch.

[tpe]

In many ways, Ennis's accusation had both a grain of truth and untruth.  It was true that Jack was a large part of Ennis's inner life, but perhaps it may have been untrue to suggest that there was nothing in Ennis's inner nature that beckoned Jack to be a part of that life.  In more ways than one, Ennis also shaped who Jack was and had become.  What Ennis said was one side of the coin.

[buckskinbronc]

The truth:
Jack was his reason for being, the meaning of living.

The lie:
He was not nothing, not no where. He was happy with Jack, happiest with Jack in his arms. He was right where he should be, but he just wasn't brave enough to take it, to take it from the world who has its own idea about where he should be.

But the threat of Jack seeing someone else, moving on from this g@#dre unsatisfactory situation, put him into the dark space where he was nowhere, nothing. The world just collapsed around him, just as he collapsed on his knees.

In a way, for Jack to leave, to quit Ennis, it made the lie into a truth.

Lance-
I like your perspective.  I'm not sure I would have gotten that if I were standing in Jack's place, however.  Prior to saying "I'm nothing...."  he's reminding Jack of what it's like to be broke, the hardships of meeting his child support, etc.  And Ennis collapses only after Jack stops him from lashing out physically, again. 

I think Ennis takes his rage against himself, which is both for loving a man and for not being brave enough to be with that man, and turns it against others, mainly Jack.  But, I think he hates himself for loving Jack that he believes he deserves what he is and has, nothing, and that he really is nowhere.

Yes, Jack leaving (or dying) leaves him desolute.  I believe, however, that it finally breaks the biggest lie in Ennis' mind.  The one that says "this is wrong".

I think I just took the long way 'round to get to sayin' that I think you're right. It is both lie and truth.

[buckskinbronc]

I don't think Jack quitted Ennis.  Jack knew Ennis will never merge their lives together.  He decided to get "outside interests" to sustain him for the periods inbetween seeing Ennis.  Jack saying "I wish I know how to quit you" is actually an acknowledgement that Ennis will always be the central figure of his life, even if this hurt him so much.

If Jack hadn't die, I'm sure their relationship would have carried on as always, even if Jack had another interest at home/on his dad's ranch.

Ah, Fullmoon, the romantic in me wants to believe that so much.  Unfortunately, I'm old and jaded and sometimes love does hurt too much.  When a lover accuses you of ruining their life and the accusation seems true, isn't the most loving thing to leave?

But we know Jack, don't we?  He'd forgive Ennis no matter what, I think.

[buckskinbronc]

In many ways, Ennis's accusation had both a grain of truth and untruth.  It was true that Jack was a large part of Ennis's inner life, but perhaps it may have been untrue to suggest that there was nothing in Ennis's inner nature that beckoned Jack to be a part of that life.  In more ways than one, Ennis also shaped who Jack was and had become.  What Ennis said was one side of the coin.

tpe-
Isn't every good lie part truth?  And isn't the BEST lie one that the liar believes himself?   

Forgive me for being stupid, but could you help me better understand what Jack's side of the coin was?

[lancecowboy]

Lance-
I like your perspective.  I'm not sure I would have gotten that if I were standing in Jack's place, however.  Prior to saying "I'm nothing...."  he's reminding Jack of what it's like to be broke, the hardships of meeting his child support, etc.  And Ennis collapses only after Jack stops him from lashing out physically, again. 

I think Ennis takes his rage against himself, which is both for loving a man and for not being brave enough to be with that man, and turns it against others, mainly Jack.  But, I think he hates himself for loving Jack that he believes he deserves what he is and has, nothing, and that he really is nowhere.

Yes, Jack leaving (or dying) leaves him desolute.  I believe, however, that it finally breaks the biggest lie in Ennis' mind.  The one that says "this is wrong".

I think I just took the long way 'round to get to sayin' that I think you're right. It is both lie and truth.

thanks, buck, and i like the way you round up 'em strays. it's a fine line that separates fear and hatred, and a fuzzy line that keeps the homophobic man from self-hatred. ennis bottled up all 'em fear and self-loathing, all 'em anger and confusion.

it's been a while since i watched the movie and read the short story, but if i recall, it was jack saying "i wish i knew how to quit you" that triggered ennis' collapse to the ground. it was after his response "well, then why don't you...it's because of you that i'm like this, ... nothing...nowhere." In the heat of the moment, ennis didn't realize that jack was saying he could never quit him, and jack was no better, all he could offer was the embrace that's not an embrace, with the "d@32 you" thrown in.

yup. the biggest lie was told to ennis when he was nine. you got that right.

[lancecowboy]

I don't think Jack quitted Ennis.  Jack knew Ennis will never merge their lives together.  He decided to get "outside interests" to sustain him for the periods inbetween seeing Ennis.  Jack saying "I wish I know how to quit you" is actually an acknowledgement that Ennis will always be the central figure of his life, even if this hurt him so much.

If Jack hadn't die, I'm sure their relationship would have carried on as always, even if Jack had another interest at home/on his dad's ranch.

I've always believed that Jack never could quit Ennis even if he were to try. But then all 'em years driving 14 hours each way and getting nothing more than a couple high altitude f@#$ a few times a year sure put a man's love to the test.

Problem was, that day when Jack got turned back cold after the divorce, got him started looking outside, and even since, he hid it behind his mustache. They never talked about that incident, or about anything that matters, except that one time by the river, when Jack proposed.

The problem is not so much lying deliberately, but lying implicitly, by omission, by neglect. They left things as they were, nothing changed, nothing discussed...in the end, only the inevitable change of death, finally changed everything for the one left behind.

If Jack really loved Ennis, he wouldn't cheat on him, no matter what. Ennis never cheated. If Jack really loved Ennis, he wouldn't get himself killed by no tire iron, or no accident. Ennis held on to his dreary life running around the tea pot looking for the handle, but he held on, careful even in the hard life of a ranch hand.

In his mind, heading up to Lightning Flat that sunny day, Ennis wasn't sure that Jack loved him. He only knew that he missed him, and wanted anything just to be close to him. When he got 'em two shirts in the closet, all the lies were swept aside, the lies that say it was wrong to be loved by a man, the lies that say they were nothing but fishin' buddies or f@#kin' buddies, the lies that say Jack was looking to bring another guy home.

In that one brilliant moment of discovery, Ennis saw the truth, the only truth that mattered, and embraced it with all his being.

[tpe]

tpe-
Isn't every good lie part truth?  And isn't the BEST lie one that the liar believes himself?   

Forgive me for being stupid, but could you help me better understand what Jack's side of the coin was?

Excellent point, buckskinbronc.

As for Jack's side, he was also as much a captive to Ennis as Ennis was to him.  Jack had always dreamed of a sweet life, and Ennis's refusal to share this through the years kept Jack "stunted" -- unable to progress any further in reaching that goal of happiness.  Had he loved Ennis less than this dream of a sweet life, he would have gone with someone else a long time ago...

[buckskinbronc]

Excellent point, buckskinbronc.

As for Jack's side, he was also as much a captive to Ennis as Ennis was to him.  Jack had always dreamed of a sweet life, and Ennis's refusal to share this through the years kept Jack "stunted" -- unable to progress any further in reaching that goal of happiness.  Had he loved Ennis less than this dream of a sweet life, he would have gone with someone else a long time ago...

tpe-
Excellent explaination.  Thanks.

[tpe]

You're welcome, buckskinbronc!  And as I said, you made an excellent point.

[rdx]

Ang Lee did say that the scene where Lureen is talking to Ennis on the phone, it should have been clear that she's lying about how Jack really died.

Just a minor observation: in the interview on the Japanese DVD Ang Lee states (twice actually) that Lureen is lying about Jack's death.

[lancecowboy]

Just a minor observation: in the interview on the Japanese DVD Ang Lee states (twice actually) that Lureen is lying about Jack's death.

  rdx  What an awesome linguistic master. How many languages DO you speak? 

That's one aspect of the movie that is central to it and yet left most ambiguous of all and discussed by Ang Lee and Annie Proulx with the most equivocating confusion. Annie said at one point Jack was murdered, and then Ang Lee said in response that the film left it indeterminate for Ennis. It is possible that he is saying that Lureen was hiding something, and that Jack didn't die the way she said.

It just occurred to me that Jack died in the early eighties, during the beginning of the AIDS epidemic. It's highly unlikely that either Annie or Ang Lee meant to imply that Jack died from AIDS, especially since there were no symptoms etc leading up to the Confrontation Scene. If Ang Lee said Lureen was lying, then how did Jack die...by tire iron, by disease, or perhaps even by suicide. After all, like his old man said, he talked about his ranch neighbor that spring, but nothing came of it. Could Jack have committed suicide after being depressed over Ennis, and then Randall's rejection, and the twenty years of getting no where?

If the circumstances of Jack's death are suspicious for Lureen, why would she want to keep half of Jack's ashes in Texas? Would she not want to be rid of him altogether? Suicide would explain the reason for Lureen to hold on to him, and tearing up when she heard Ennis describing Brokeback Mountain, because in that one moment she realized the cause behind all of Jack's drinking, his death.

Brokeback Mountain is fundamentally about homophobia, and Jack's death is the result of homophobia, either by violence at the hands of bigots, or by internalized violence at his own hands. The tragedy of it all is deeper than the separation of two lovers; on the other hand, when love denied is so infinitely tragic, how can more tragedy add to it?

[rdx]

Brokeback Mountain is fundamentally about homophobia, and Jack's death is the result of homophobia, either by violence at the hands of bigots, or by internalized violence at his own hands. The tragedy of it all is deeper than the separation of two lovers; on the other hand, when love denied is so infinitely tragic, how can more tragedy add to it?

Yup, there you said it LC, thanks.

 

rdx  What an awesome linguistic master. How many languages DO you speak? 

  "Tell you what..the truth is" that Mr Lee's spoken English is fluent and highly articulated..

[chowhound]

Just a minor observation: in the interview on the Japanese DVD Ang Lee states (twice actually) that Lureen is lying about Jack's death.

Hi rdx! Is there an English transcription of this Japanese  interview? If so, I'd be very grateful if you would post it as I'd love to read it.

I've just revisited an interview Ang Lee had with Charlie Rose a few days before the movie's initial release. In that interview, Ang Lee says that Lureen is "obviously lying about what happened..." and, a few phrases later, '...she's angry, she's lying..." Anyone who saw that interview and then went on to see the movie would presumably be predisposed to believe that Jack was killed by tire irons and not by a tire rim.

[brokebacksoul]

Just a minor observation: in the interview on the Japanese DVD Ang Lee states (twice actually) that Lureen is lying about Jack's death.

Hi rdx! Is there an English transcription of this Japanese  interview? If so, I'd be very grateful if you would post it as I'd love to read it.

I've just revisited an interview Ang Lee had with Charlie Rose a few days before the movie's initial release. In that interview, Ang Lee says that Lureen is "obviously lying about what happened..." and, a few phrases later, '...she's angry, she's lying..." Anyone who saw that interview and then went on to see the movie would presumably be predisposed to believe that Jack was killed by tire irons and not by a tire rim.

This verifies my first impression when watching the film for the first time. And since then I never doubted that point. It was my first thought that Lureen was lying and all the time I`m dealing with BBM now my convincement never changed. Yes,  "she's angry ..."  and she is hurt .... because she had known about Jake's plans to leave her  ... for a man, to cap it all   (if not necessarily because of Ennis  ) - an absurdity in those days. She would be disgraced if everybody would get to know about it. -- Jack died at least (!) with her knowledge of what was planned (to murder him), OR probably with her approval  OR even at her insistence, IMO.

[WildCatIsle]

I had the same impression, Lureen is lying, yet it seems that she feels the death of Jack, don't think she cooperate in her murder

[brokebacksoul]

I had the same impression, Lureen is lying, yet it seems that she feels the death of Jack, don't think she cooperate in her murder

I know MY judgement;-) sounded very rigorous, but I can' help it ....  

 

[rdx]

Hi rdx! Is there an English transcription of this Japanese  interview? If so, I'd be very grateful if you would post it as I'd love to read it.

 
Sorry to say but I don't have any transcription and I guess the interview is not to found online. But I could try to do a transcription by myself;  no schedule promised..

Mr Lee speaks English, the questions are in written Japanese (out of my knowledge), e.g:



Here's a (very) brief synopsis by Mr dirtbiker: http://www.ennisjack.com/index.php?topic=5837.msg320459#msg320459.

This verifies my first impression when watching the film for the first time. And since then I never doubted that point. It was my first thought that Lureen was lying and all the time I`m dealing with BBM now my convincement never changed.

I so agree. Lureen's lines are like a narrative, a news report; something that she has practised beforehand. Her story is way too coherent and descriptive to be true.

[chowhound]

Sorry to say but I don't have any transcription and I guess the interview is not to found online. But I could try to do a transcription by myself;  no schedule promised..

Mr Lee speaks English, the questions are in written Japanese (out of my knowledge), e.g:



Here's a (very) brief synopsis by Mr dirtbiker: http://www.ennisjack.com/index.php?topic=5837.msg320459#msg320459.

I so agree. Lureen's lines are like a narrative, a news report; something that she has practised beforehand. Her story is way too coherent and descriptive to be true.

Thanks again, rdx! Any further information you can provide on this Japanese interview would be very much welcomed by me and no doubt others as well.

[myprivatejack]

This verifies my first impression when watching the film for the first time. And since then I never doubted that point. It was my first thought that Lureen was lying and all the time I`m dealing with BBM now my convincement never changed. Yes,  "she's angry ..."  and she is hurt .... because she had known about Jake's plans to leave her  ... for a man, to cap it all   (if not necessarily because of Ennis  ) - an absurdity in those days. She would be disgraced if everybody would get to know about it. -- Jack died at least (!) with her knowledge of what was planned (to murder him), OR probably with her approval  OR even at her insistence, IMO.

First of all,thanks,rdx,for Ang's Japanese interview ¡  Coming back to the subject,I have always thought also that Lureen was lying because she knew more about Jack's death than we and Ennis could imagine...I wouldn't say that she approved or collaborated in it,but see how she "recites" by heart its details,as cold and bored as a teenager who is explaining her parents that she has been at a girlfriend's,whereas she has been making love with her boyfriend... We only see some tears in her eyes when Ennis corroborates to her that Brokeback really exists and that it was where Jack and him met and where they had come back during all those years;it's to say,where she realises that the man she was talking to was her old rival,this one whom her husband was cheating her with during all her life and who he was going to leave her for...Don't you think also that this is enough as to let others do the dirty job without her opposition?...

[rdx]

I wouldn't say that she approved or collaborated in it,but see how she "recites" by heart its details,as cold and bored as a teenager who is explaining her parents that she has been at a girlfriend's,whereas she has been making love with her boyfriend... We only see some tears in her eyes when Ennis corroborates to her that Brokeback really exists and that it was where Jack and him met and where they had come back during all those years;it's to say,where she realises that the man she was talking to was her old rival,this one whom her husband was cheating her with during all her life and who he was going to leave her for...Don't you think also that this is enough as to let others do the dirty job without her opposition?...

Yup, I agree; she didn't collaborate (at least personally) or approve either. But strangely I get this feeling while watching the Ennis-Lureen call that Lureen somehow internally accepted her husband's relationship with Ennis while they were talking, after Ennis's "Back in '63". Lureen knew more (about Ennis) than she told. Maybe she felt some kind of comfort that there was/is someone (else) who loved/loves Jack.

[lancecowboy]

Yup, I agree; she didn't collaborate (at least personally) or approve either. But strangely I get this feeling while the watching Ennis-Lureen call that Lureen somehow internally accepted her husband's relationship with Ennis while they were talking, after Ennis's "Back in '63". Lureen knew more (about Ennis) than she told. Maybe she felt some kind of comfort that there was/is someone (else) who loved/loves Jack.

Thanks rdx. Those screen captures tell the story all their own. Two people hurting in their own way, and as you said, sharing a moment of grief separated by thousands of mile in distance, and months apart in the evolution of that grief in time.

I think it was the genius of Ang Lee, and the great performance of Anne Hathaway that the scene evokes so many different interpretations. Just like much of the rest of the movie, it walks the fine like that balances on the border of different interpretation, without giving a definitive answer. At first viewing, I felt it strange that Lureen was so mechanical in reciting the death of her husband in such a fashion, but then reading the interpretations here online, I can understand the possible explanation of her repeating the same story over and over. The emotional subtext of her reaction to Ennis's revelation about Brokeback is also poignant. But it just occurred to me now, that the much talked about imperfection of her nail polish, also shows a woman, a wife, who is no longer mourning her dead husband. Lureen was over the death of Jack. The mechanical recital perhaps reflect the lack of grief on her part months later. The emotion evoked by Ennis was telling. It showed that she still loved Jack, even though she knew that he was not in love with her. I don't necessarily agree with rdx that Lureen was comforted by knowing Ennis also loved Jack. I think in a way, she had mixed feelings...both anger and jealousy, and also sympathy and shared grief.

On the one hand, she told Ennis to go see Jack's folks where half his ashes went. She didn't have to say that, or tell him anything, but I think she understood that he loved Jack, and Jack loved him, so she was doing right by him, doing right by them, angry or not. The way she slammed down the phone and shocked Ennis also showed that she was angry. It's amazing that Anne Hathaway showed such a range of emotion, deep and powerful, in the short span of time during the scene. Of course, Heath brings out the best in everyone, just like he did in the scene with Jack's ma in the kitchen.

Thanks again rdx. Those screen caps are awe inspiring.

[rdx]

Thanks again, rdx! Any further information you can provide on this Japanese interview would be very much welcomed by me and no doubt others as well.

[Moderators, feel free to exercise your vital powers; most of YouTube is more of copyright violation.. ]

You're welcome CH!

I tried to write an abridged transliteration of Mr Lee's interview but it just didn't work out: me, a non-native-speaker reciting another one wouldn't just justify the objective. I don't want to compromise the train of thought. So, you can download an audio file, AL_Jap_int.mp3, here; 5.6 MB, 24:27. It's only 32 kbps but quite audible. Sorry for the ads!

Here are the pictures showing the questions in Japanese for our 日本語を話す friends and others too...
(@mm:ss on the audio file)

Q1 (@01:39):

Q2 (@05:08):

Q3 (@06:52):

Q4 (@08:38):

Q5 (@09:49):

Q6 (@12:44):

Q7 (@13:49):

Q8 (@16:28):

Q9 (@19:44):

Q10 (@22:08):


Note also the introductory picture I've posted before: the interview took place on January 25^th 2006. The film opened in Japan on March 4^th 2006, though the backdrop of the interview states March 18^th..? I wouldn't be suprised that the opening was advanced.

The interview contains some culturally interesting points: how the film did in Utah, rating (systems) in different countries, the taste of Hong Kong audiences, what did Ennis deserve, etc...

[chowhound]

[Moderators, feel free to exercise your vital powers; most of YouTube is more of copyright violation.. ]

You're welcome CH!

I tried to write an abridged transliteration of Mr Lee's interview but it just didn't work out: me, a non-native-speaker reciting another one wouldn't just justify the objective. I don't want to compromise the train of thought. So, you can download an audio file, AL_Jap_int.mp3, here; 5.6 MB, 24:27. It's only 32 kbps but quite audible. Sorry for the ads!

Here are the pictures showing the questions in Japanese for our 日本語を話す friends and others too...
(@mm:ss on the audio file)

Q1 (@01:39):

Q2 (@05:08):

Q3 (@06:52):

Q4 (@08:38):

Q5 (@09:49):

Q6 (@12:44):

Q7 (@13:49):

Q8 (@16:28):

Q9 (@19:44):

Q10 (@22:08):


Note also the introductory picture I've posted before: the interview took place on January 25^th 2006. The film opened in Japan on March 4^th 2006, though the backdrop of the interview states March 18^th..? I wouldn't be suprised that the opening was advanced.

The interview contains some culturally interesting points: how the film did in Utah, rating (systems) in different countries, the taste of Hong Kong audiences, what did Ennis deserve, etc...

Many thanks, rdx, for the link. Even though I'm very "technologically challenged", I was able to open it and to listen to what Ang Lee has to say. I found it full of fascinating details.

[rdx]

It showed that she still loved Jack, even though she knew that he was not in love with her. I don't necessarily agree with rdx that Lureen was comforted by knowing Ennis also loved Jack. I think in a way, she had mixed feelings...both anger and jealousy, and also sympathy and shared grief.

Yup, now you're making sense LC..

On the one hand, she told Ennis to go see Jack's folks where half his ashes went. She didn't have to say that, or tell him anything, but I think she understood that he loved Jack, and Jack loved him, so she was doing right by him, doing right by them, angry or not. The way she slammed down the phone and shocked Ennis also showed that she was angry. It's amazing that Anne Hathaway showed such a range of emotion, deep and powerful, in the short span of time during the scene. Of course, Heath brings out the best in everyone, just like he did in the scene with Jack's ma in the kitchen.

Lureen's feelings were mixed indeed but eventually, I think, she felt some comfort knowing how Ennis felt and what Jack and Ennis shared together. In the above mentioned interview Ang Lee praised Anne Hathaway's way of expressing a wide range of emotions regardless her age at the time of the filming.

[haveacrush]

Is this a lie?

You're the reason I'm like this.  I'm nothing.  I'm no where.

This is a hard one for me.  Is Ennis just lashing out in anger trying to hurt Jack?  Or does he really believe that he was trapped in poverty because in the old days he'd just quit his job if he had to just to take off with Jack?  That one night/summer with Jack plus Jack pursuing/finding him four years later ruined his chance for a 'normal' life?

Either way, I see Jack, the one who has always been more empathetic, wondering if it wasn't true, if he had in fact ruined Ennis' life and deciding that the only way he COULD fix it was to leave him be.

For me, the accusation is either the coldest lie or the hardest truth.

"nothing, nowhere" was not all about ennis's lamentations on being broke or not having a good enough job.. it could be not at all about such things.. it was far beyond all these, he was describing his state of being, his despairs