Author Topic: Scenes with ONLY Ennis or ONLY Jack (Read 58597 times)

welshwitch · « **Reply #60 on:** Jun 13, 2006, 05:32 PM »

Remember Forster? Only connect.
But it wasn't enough for Ennis and Jack.

FlwrChild · « **Reply #61 on:** Jun 13, 2006, 05:33 PM »

I'm also sorry if we've gone OT, but yes, you do get exactly what I was trying to say. Thank you.

And to get back on topic, if I were to pick another two 'alone' scenes, they would be:

Jack: On the way to Ennis after the divorce (which is so sad to watch now, knowing his heartbreak to come)

Ennis: Waiting for Jack the first time he visits. I too Love that smile when he sees Jack's truck!

tpe · « **Reply #62 on:** Jun 13, 2006, 05:39 PM »

FlwrChild, we thank you.

In the scene with Jack you selected, you add the twist of the knife: he is so happy before the fall... I did not expect this at all...

Christie and welshwitch, there are digressions that make a journey meaningful, if only to add depth. Thanks.

MississaugaRed · « **Reply #63 on:** Jun 14, 2006, 08:13 AM »

Quote from: FlwrChild on Jun 13, 2006, 05:02 PM

I think I need to watch this again tonight. I think they need me to watch over them when they're hurting.

Now I will think of you, thinking of them, as they think of each other from afar ...

dalemidex · « **Reply #64 on:** Jun 14, 2006, 02:27 PM »

So many great choices, here, and I agree with the "controversial" choice of Jack meeting Lureen as a favorite. I could just eat him up with a spoon in that scene he's so irresistible.

Among my very favorite Jack-only and Ennis-only scenes are adjacent ones.

Jack's whole face smiles so broadly as his in-laws come to visit his wife and new son, but it's clear as the scene goes on how it's going to be. He's nothing in their eyes. It's right after this that the post card arrives in Riverton, and I've always seen this scene as a turning point for Jack. He understands he belongs with Ennis.

The following scene when Ennis gets that first postcard holds so much to me. How his lips move unconsciously as he re-reads the card. How his thumb -- still damp from having just washed his hands -- frays the back of the postcard as he rubs it. How he instinctively knows to hide the truth of Jack by calling him a fishing buddy. And finally how he replies in true Ennis nature with two simple words "You bet" on a plain postcard. I find this scene among my favorites.

I definitely agree with many others posted here...in particular how Ennis acts waiting for Jack to come to Riverton and when he hears the truck. But I think these two scenes are somewhat underrated.

MississaugaRed · « **Reply #65 on:** Jun 14, 2006, 02:34 PM »

Wonderful choices, dalemidex! You've given me renewed appreciation for them.

And congratuations on posting 200!!!

tpe · « **Reply #66 on:** Jun 14, 2006, 02:42 PM »

Quote from: dalemidex on Jun 14, 2006, 02:27 PM

So many great choices, here, and I agree with the "controversial" choice of Jack meeting Lureen as a favorite. I could just eat him up with a spoon in that scene he's so irresistible.

Among my very favorite Jack-only and Ennis-only scenes are adjacent ones.

Jack's whole face smiles so broadly as his in-laws come to visit his wife and new son, but it's clear as the scene goes on how it's going to be. He's nothing in their eyes. It's right after this that the post card arrives in Riverton, and I've always seen this scene as a turning point for Jack. He understands he belongs with Ennis.

The following scene when Ennis gets that first postcard holds so much to me. How his lips move unconsciously as he re-reads the card. How his thumb -- still damp from having just washed his hands -- frays the back of the postcard as he rubs it. How he instinctively knows to hide the truth of Jack by calling him a fishing buddy. And finally how he replies in true Ennis nature with two simple words "You bet" on a plain postcard. I find this scene among my favorites.

I definitely agree with many others posted here...in particular how Ennis acts waiting for Jack to come to Riverton and when he hears the truck. But I think these two scenes are somewhat underrated.

Jack's realization that he is an outsider in his own family -- yes, that face is priceless. The expression, so willing initially to please and to accomodate, quickly realizes where his place is among his in-laws.

And the quiet build-up of Ennis's exceitement at Jack's renewed appearance in his life? The almost impreceptible tinge of delight that peeps out at us in that singular scene -- a quiet joy to behold.

I join MississaugaRed in congratulating you on your 200th post. Every single one of these is a gem. Every single one.

dalemidex · « **Reply #67 on:** Jun 14, 2006, 03:25 PM »

Quote from: tpe on Jun 14, 2006, 02:42 PM

I join MississaugaRed in congratulating you on your 200th post. Every single one of these is a gem. Every single one.

Thank you both! I knew I was teetering on the brink of becoming an "Alma". Tom, If I think of it I'll drop you a line the next time I have a Chicago client and perhaps we can meet in person sometime.

I really like this thread. There are so many scenes between them we focus on that sometimes we overlook great material in others.

tpe · « **Reply #68 on:** Jun 14, 2006, 03:28 PM »

Quote from: dalemidex on Jun 14, 2006, 03:25 PM

Thank you both! I knew I was teetering on the brink of becoming an "Alma". Tom, If I think of it I'll drop you a line the next time I have a Chicago client and perhaps we can meet in person sometime.

I really like this thread. There are so many scenes between them we focus on that sometimes we overlook great material in others.

The pleasure will be mine.

Wish you could come to Montreal...

NoReins · « **Reply #69 on:** Jun 25, 2006, 04:45 PM »

What an excellent thread...and what a hard choice to make, so I'm going to cheat and pick one happy and one sad scene from Ennis and two bitter sweet ones from Jack if that's ok.

Ennis

Waiting for Jack's arrival after four years (damn), particularly once he hears the truck and he rushes to the window. I can't help but smile when he does, and it's such a beautiful smile, his eyes full of love, so happy to be seeing Jack again.

Finding the shirts in the closet at Lightning Flat. The build up to the moment is heart breaking enough, but then when he holds the shirts, realising how much Jack loved him, and breathes in, hoping to get even the merest scent of him from them, I just come undone every time. :\'(

Jack

Singing along to King of the Road on his way to see Ennis after the divorce. He's so excited, truly believing that this is their chance to have that sweet life, so sure that it's all going to work out $:-\\$

Bobby's birth, when he's pushed out of the picture by the arrival of Lureen's parents, made to feel like an insignificant extra at his own son's birth. So sad, but I guess there's a slightly happy undercurrent, because it's this moment that makes him seek Ennis out by sending the postcard. $:-\\$

KatKat · « **Reply #70 on:** Jun 25, 2006, 10:34 PM »

Ennis: the scene which he cries and throw up against the wall, that was so sad ><

Jack: well can I choose two? the scene that Jack came to Ennis after hearing about the devorce, singing "Kind of the Road" and the crying scene when he leaves, they are contrasting,

tpe · « **Reply #71 on:** Jun 26, 2006, 07:22 AM »

Quote from: NoReins on Jun 25, 2006, 04:45 PM

What an excellent thread...and what a hard choice to make, so I'm going to cheat and pick one happy and one sad scene from Ennis and two bitter sweet ones from Jack if that's ok.

Ennis

Waiting for Jack's arrival after four years (damn), particularly once he hears the truck and he rushes to the window. I can't help but smile when he does, and it's such a beautiful smile, his eyes full of love, so happy to be seeing Jack again.

Finding the shirts in the closet at Lightning Flat. The build up to the moment is heart breaking enough, but then when he holds the shirts, realising how much Jack loved him, and breathes in, hoping to get even the merest scent of him from them, I just come undone every time. :\'(

Jack

Singing along to King of the Road on his way to see Ennis after the divorce. He's so excited, truly believing that this is their chance to have that sweet life, so sure that it's all going to work out $:-\\$

Bobby's birth, when he's pushed out of the picture by the arrival of Lureen's parents, made to feel like an insignificant extra at his own son's birth. So sad, but I guess there's a slightly happy undercurrent, because it's this moment that makes him seek Ennis out by sending the postcard. $:-\\$

NoReins, I am happy that many of the posters (myself included) agree with you about Ennis waiting for Jack at the beginning of the reunion scene. In his excitement and his impatience -- his eyes, constantly gazing out the window -- and especially in that smile... 4 years was a lifetime of waiting, it seemed.

tpe · « **Reply #72 on:** Jun 26, 2006, 07:23 AM »

Quote from: KatKat on Jun 25, 2006, 10:34 PM

Ennis: the scene which he cries and throw up against the wall, that was so sad ><

Jack: well can I choose two? the scene that Jack came to Ennis after hearing about the devorce, singing "Kind of the Road" and the crying scene when he leaves, they are contrasting,

Those scenes with Jack: one of the saddest of bookends in the entire movie.

aintfoolin · « **Reply #73 on:** Jul 07, 2006, 05:06 PM »

Ennis : I like the scene where he has just gotten the supplies and is riding back to the camp right before the bear. He is heard humming a song. Sounds like "streets of Laredo: It give me a different side to his personality, which up to thispointoint has been bottled up.Seems very relaxed too. Jack: Where he's doing the laundry in the nude, shows he cares enough about Ennis to wash his clothes . does he use Tide or Cheer? Smiles.

Jennis · « **Reply #74 on:** Jul 07, 2006, 08:56 PM »

The Ennis scene that touches me the most is when he is in the coffee shop with the apple pie.I have said it before on other threads,so probably no surprise there.Heath's face as Ennis,so depressed,not really caring if he eats or not.I almost get the impression he is forcing it down.This scene touches me inside.I can feel his suffering even though i think it's self inflicted.

The Jack scene that impresses me(I am choosing impresses rather then touches,as so many Jack scenes get me) is the thanksgiving dinner.

To see Jack finally snap at LD is pure Gyllenhaal gold.All that pent up frustration,the shifting up and down in his seat,the hand to the head,that says "How much more of this can i take?" i find it all pure genius on Jake's part.He plays it perfectly.

Jennis.x

FlwrChild · « **Reply #75 on:** Jul 07, 2006, 09:00 PM »

Good picks Jennis! Ennis is just so...broken in that scene. And though it is self-inflicted (or maybe because it is self-inlicted) it's utterly heartbreaking.

Jennis · « **Reply #76 on:** Jul 07, 2006, 09:14 PM »

Quote from: FlwrChild on Jul 07, 2006, 09:00 PM

Good picks Jennis! Ennis is just so...broken in that scene. And though it is self-inflicted (or maybe because it is self-inlicted) it's utterly heartbreaking.

It is

...It might seem odd,but it gets me as much as the shirts,if not more.I think it's because he looks so lonely

J.x
P.S.You worded it beautifully...Broken :\'(

FlwrChild · « **Reply #77 on:** Jul 07, 2006, 09:16 PM »

Yep, I know Cassie is crying and all, but it's Ennis I really weep for there.

ennis_lover · « **Reply #78 on:** Jul 07, 2006, 10:08 PM »

ennis: my fav is when is when its close to then end of the movie and ennis is putting away alma jr sweater and sees jack and his shirts and said "i swear jack"

jack:is probaly when hes all sad at ennis and is heading off to mexico

ennis_lover · « **Reply #79 on:** Jul 07, 2006, 10:09 PM »

ennis: my fav is when is when its close to then end of the movie and ennis is putting away alma jr sweater and sees jack and his shirts and said "i swear jack"

jack:is probaly when hes all sad at ennis and is heading off to mexico

KatKat · « **Reply #80 on:** Jul 07, 2006, 10:49 PM »

Quote from: ennis_lover on Jul 07, 2006, 10:09 PM

ennis: my fav is when is when its close to then end of the movie and ennis is putting away alma jr sweater and sees jack and his shirts and said "i swear jack"

jack:is probaly when hes all sad at ennis and is heading off to mexico

awww these scenes are so sad $:-\\$

tpe · « **Reply #81 on:** Jul 09, 2006, 03:20 PM »

Quote from: ennis_lover on Jul 07, 2006, 10:09 PM

jack:is probaly when hes all sad at ennis and is heading off to mexico

In this scene, I feel it as if my heart would break.

FlwrChild · « **Reply #82 on:** Jul 09, 2006, 06:25 PM »

Quote from: tpe on Jul 09, 2006, 03:20 PM

Quote from: ennis_lover on Jul 07, 2006, 10:09 PM
jack:is probaly when hes all sad at ennis and is heading off to mexico

In this scene, I feel it as if my heart would break.

I usually find myself talking to the tv at this point, saying:
"I'm sorry, honey. I'm so sorry."
I just can't help myself. :\'(

tpe · « **Reply #83 on:** Jul 10, 2006, 07:00 AM »

Quote from: FlwrChild on Jul 09, 2006, 06:25 PM

Quote from: tpe on Jul 09, 2006, 03:20 PM
Quote from: ennis_lover on Jul 07, 2006, 10:09 PM
jack:is probaly when hes all sad at ennis and is heading off to mexico

In this scene, I feel it as if my heart would break.

I usually find myself talking to the tv at this point, saying:
"I'm sorry, honey. I'm so sorry."
I just can't help myself. :\'(

That scene is all too familiar, I suspect. I think many of us cannot help but relate to the pain. Getting rejected sometime in life is a universal experience. In a sense, one has not learned the true meaning of love without having gone through the fire of rejection.

dalemidex · « **Reply #84 on:** Jul 10, 2006, 12:06 PM »

Quote from: FlwrChild on Jul 07, 2006, 09:16 PM

Yep, I know Cassie is crying and all, but it's Ennis I really weep for there.

Funny...I definitely like the character of Cassie (I know she's not everybody's favorite) and when I watch that scene I do sometimes cry, and I think it's for her. But in my like for Cassie I think I've failed to really hook up with Ennis in that scene, and just thinking about it right now it feels like a weight in the pit of my stomach.

I think about the pie. What's the point of getting pie? It's not something you eat because you're hungry. It's not hot on nutrition. It's not usually included in a meal (like a roll might be included with a meal at a diner) It's not something people generally even crave. It's not something you *should* eat. No, you get pie as a treat. Because it tastes good. Because it will make you happy.

Ennis is clearly not happy. He probably ordered the pie hoping to enjoy it. That the treat would pick him up. That he'd get some pleasure or happiness out of it. But he simply isn't getting any happiness out of it.

Many of us know the feeling of sub-consciously getting something to eat in the hope it will make us feel better when clearly something other than hunger is wrong. And the hollow feeling of realizing it doesn't help. Even without the important confrontation with Cassie...the thing I've always focused on...an underlying current of the scene is Ennis failing to find happiness even in one of the most basic, simple pacifiers we have: food. In a very base way it speaks volumes about the state of Ennis. Even *before* the confrontation (which itself could lead one to lose one's appetite) Ennis is clearly just going through the motions with that pie.

FlwrChild · « **Reply #85 on:** Jul 10, 2006, 03:02 PM »

dalemidex, that was beautifully put!

bubbaluna · « **Reply #86 on:** Jul 10, 2006, 03:12 PM »

I love the scene when Jack and Ennis have set up camp and we see Jack (the first night alone) sitting up smoking looking down on the camp most likely thinking about Ennis. It is at this point so full of hope, so ripe with possibilities and so laden with thoughts of how the story might develop......and above all...so peaceful...

tpe · « **Reply #87 on:** Jul 10, 2006, 04:14 PM »

Quote from: bubbaluna on Jul 10, 2006, 03:12 PM

I love the scene when Jack and Ennis have set up camp and we see Jack (the first night alone) sitting up smoking looking down on the camp most likely thinking about Ennis. It is at this point so full of hope, so ripe with possibilities and so laden with thoughts of how the story might develop......and above all...so peaceful...

And it is quite a pendant to the scene where Ennis looks up at Jack as Ennis washes the coffee pot by the stream. This is not as peaceful as the Jack scene, but you see Ennis with an anxious look in his face as he sees Jack high up with the sheep. You know from that look that Ennis is starting to care for Jack.

bubbaluna · « **Reply #88 on:** Jul 10, 2006, 04:16 PM »

Quote from: tpe on Jul 10, 2006, 04:14 PM

Quote from: bubbaluna on Jul 10, 2006, 03:12 PM
I love the scene when Jack and Ennis have set up camp and we see Jack (the first night alone) sitting up smoking looking down on the camp most likely thinking about Ennis. It is at this point so full of hope, so ripe with possibilities and so laden with thoughts of how the story might develop......and above all...so peaceful...

And it is quite a pendant to the scene where Ennis looks up at Jack as Ennis washes the coffee pot by the stream. This is not as peaceful as the Jack scene, but you see Ennis with an anxious look in his face as he sees Jack high up with the sheep. You know from that look that Ennis is starting to care for Jack.

great point.........ah if only the movie stayed there........

tpe · « **Reply #89 on:** Jul 10, 2006, 04:22 PM »

Quote from: bubbaluna on Jul 10, 2006, 04:16 PM

Quote from: tpe on Jul 10, 2006, 04:14 PM
Quote from: bubbaluna on Jul 10, 2006, 03:12 PM
I love the scene when Jack and Ennis have set up camp and we see Jack (the first night alone) sitting up smoking looking down on the camp most likely thinking about Ennis. It is at this point so full of hope, so ripe with possibilities and so laden with thoughts of how the story might develop......and above all...so peaceful...

And it is quite a pendant to the scene where Ennis looks up at Jack as Ennis washes the coffee pot by the stream. This is not as peaceful as the Jack scene, but you see Ennis with an anxious look in his face as he sees Jack high up with the sheep. You know from that look that Ennis is starting to care for Jack.

great point.........ah if only the movie stayed there........

Yes, sometimes I wish that the first part of the movie never ended...