Brokeback Mountain: Our Community's Common Bond > Brokeback Mountain Open Forum
Scene Discussion: Nursery Window
Front-Ranger:
I said in the first post that this is a favorite scene of mine even though Jack's not in it. But is that really true? In the movie, McMurtry and Ossana made Alma Jr. the heir of Ennis and Jen the embodiment of Jack. The name of the second child of Alma and Ennis was even changed to Jen from Francine. My theory is that this was done because the heroine of Lee's masterpiece Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon was named Jen (anglicized). Her demeanor was similar to Jack's. So, we can see that the crying child who was soothed by the embrace of Ennis WAS Jack in a way.
Shakesthecoffecan:
I like the scene too because it shows a seperation, a barrier if you will between Ennis and Alma that already exists. He has run to the aid of his daughters after their exhausted mother has given up. He will do anything for them he can, include shield them from the dangers of the world, like having a father who has a boyfriend.
Brown Eyes:
--- Quote from: Front-Ranger on July 08, 2007, 01:20:46 pm ---We see Ennis in this scene embracing his daughter Jen, and also in other scenes embracing Alma, and Jack, and even Cassie when he dances with her. But where do we ever see Ennis being embraced? The abandoned boy surely needs to be embraced, to feel the safety of arms around him. The closest thing I can think of is when Mrs. Twist's hand touches his shoulder. And the hand of his father, when he was nine years old, forcing him along to witness a horrific deed...
--- End quote ---
Well, the most significant time that I can recall Ennis being embraced is TS2 when Jack pulls Ennis on top of him and sort of cradles and rocks him. Actually, I think almost that whole tent scene from the moment that Jack caresses Ennis's forearm to the kissing at the end is Jack "embracing" Ennis since he's the one in the lead here or guiding Ennis along.
I think that Jack's Mom at the end is a great example of another kind of "embrace" directed towards Ennis. To me it's one of the most poignant moments reminding us of the fact that Ennis is an orphan (the other scene that always reminds me that Ennis is an orphan is the dozy embrace when he mentions his Mother). Mrs. Twist definitely seems like she could have served as a surrogate mother figure (or doting mother-in-law figure) if Ennis had pursued a more committed relationship with Jack.
And, as you suggest about the topic of the nursery scene, I think this also may be about Ennis as a father in light of the fact that he's an orphan and had a horrible role model for a father. His tenderness towards his daughters and his willingness to help Alma with the children, I think go a long way to show how different Ennis is from his own father (or at least what we know of his father).
The image you include in the first post is really, really interesting to analyze. In that shot we see Alma separated from Ennis through multiple layers of glass and presumably she'd be able to see him through those multiple windows (even if it would be a fuzzy image). In this image she'd be seeing Ennis as she would want to see him, as a devoted husband and father. Later, she again sees Ennis through glass (the glass of the screen door during the reunion kiss). When she sees him kissing Jack her view is much clearer with only on layer of intervening glass and maybe she's getting her first clear view of Ennis as he really is. The great issue of Film Quarterly devoted to BBM has a long article in it titled "On the Universality of Brokeback Mountain" by D.A. Miller that's divided into many sections. One section of the article is called "The Homosexual Observed: Erotic Play Under Glass" and it's about heterosexual characters (Aguirre through his binoculars and Alma through the glass door) observing intimate moments between the two gay characters through the mediation of a glass device. This nursery scene seems to be another interesting, and very complicated, moment of Alma perhaps observing Ennis (a gay character in this case not with his partner) through multiple layers of mediation.
shortfiction:
--- Quote from: adiabatic on July 15, 2007, 02:30:28 pm ---Thinking about domesticity and kids:
* On Brokeback, both men play the roles of camp tender and sheep tender. Housekeeping, fixing and serving meals, taking care of the “children”—it’s all the same to them.
* The nursery scene: Ennis unloads his horses, greets his wife—who’s cooking and washing—then rushes to take care of his children.
* The grocery store: Ennis leaves his children in his wife’s care—at her job—to go to work.
* Refusing the sweet life: “You got your wife and baby...and I got my life in Riverton.”
* The swingset scene: “No one’s eating unless you’re serving it.” Why? This seems the biggest departure from what he did on the mountain.
* The post-divorce scene: “I got the girls this weekend.”
* The lake scene: “You ever hear of child support?”
Regarding Jack’s mom: In an interview, Mr. Ledger said, “It was rather sweet.” From the moment Roberta Maxwell turned up on set, he explained, she embraced him, patted his face, and was “naturally trying to find some warmth between us.” She found it.
--- End quote ---
I took "No one's eating it unless you're serving it" to mean that Ennis did not want Alma to take the extra shift, possibly because he suspects that she and Monroe are involved; or because he thought he might get called in to work; or he knows that Alma is pulling away from him.
To expand on the domesticity issues. ....There's not much shown of Jack and Bobby, except for the scene where Jack is letting Bobby steer the giant tractor around and the infamous Thanksgiving scene where Jack regains control of his domain--"This is my house, this is my child, and you are my guest"---and there is also food involved, the food that "his mama took three hours to cook." And one more sarcastic bit from Ennis: "Sure, and maybe you [Jack] can convince Alma to let Lureen adopt the girls."
RE: Roberta Maxwell---you can really see the love and tenderness in her face directed towards Ennis and when she speaks of her deceased son. She did a great job.
Good post you made.
moremojo:
Five other examples of Ennis getting hugged: (a) not exactly an embrace, but the moment when Jack tends to Ennis's bleeding after the aborted tussle on the last day on the mountain is a kind of quasi-embrace--and one which Ennis, in his anger and desperation, violently rejects. (b) Alma bringing her arm around her husband when coaxing him away from the lonely ranch. (c) The reunion is an emphatic moment of Ennis getting one great bear-hug, from the love of his life, Jack. (d) The post-divorce arrival of Jack at Ennis's place is another clear occurrence of someone giving Ennis an unambiguous hug. (e) Alma, Jr. hugging her dad back at the film's end. Ennis actually gets touched rather a bit in the film; it's remarkable how lonely and alone he still seems despite this.
As for that nursery-window still, the love and concern of Ennis for his daughter is unmistakable here. Both Ennis and Jack come across as much more engaged fathers in the film than they do in the story. One final thought: looking at this image, I can't help but wish that I could, but for a moment, be that disconsolate babe held by those strong hands and arms!
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