Brokeback Mountain: Our Community's Common Bond > Brokeback Mountain Open Forum
Black Hats, White Hats
Front-Ranger:
Hi, and welcome! Yes it makes sense to me! Looking forward to hearing more from you. I like your signature!
starboardlight:
--- Quote from: ednbarby on May 09, 2006, 03:12:35 pm ---OH-MY-GOD. I think this is HUGE! And why on Earth did I never notice it before???
To me, throughout the movie, Jack always wearing solid shirts symbolizes his security in his sexuality. Ennis always wearing light, patterned shirts symbolizes his lack thereof. If he's wearing a solid shirt in the pie scene and in the Lightning Flat scene, even if it is light in color (and all the more appropriate, really), this CLINCHES that he was ready to accept himself as he was and therefore possibly make a go of having a life with Jack.
HOLY crap. Now I've gotta watch it again tonight. DARN you, Katherine! ;)
--- End quote ---
WHAO! just when I thought all the observations have been made. :) Will have to pop the dvd in later on tonight.
starboardlight:
--- Quote from: TJ on May 09, 2006, 09:23:49 pm ---This discussion reminds me of an conversation which I have heard lots of times when a person inquired why someone did something a certain way.
Person one, "Why did you do that?"
Person two, "'Cause."
Person one, "'Cause why?"
Person two, "Just because, no reason. I just did it."
--- End quote ---
with most other directors, I'd agree with that. but with Ang Lee, I don't. He's known to be a very meticulous director. Actors that have worked with him have said that he's the kind of artist that give thoughts to every detail. For him, "no reason. I just did it." is not the usual mode. In addition, the use of black hat/white hat is too prominent in the film to not have meanings. In the world how many colors of cowboy hats is there? yet in the film the majority of hats are black or white. Visually, it dares us to dig for reasons. If the yin/yang theory doesn't sit with you, then perhaps you can offer another.
Front-Ranger:
That is an excellent observation, Barb!
ednbarby:
--- Quote from: latjoreme on May 09, 2006, 03:26:09 pm ---Barb, I've never been so pleased to be cursed! ;)
I LOVE your interpretation. I hope I'm right about when he wears the solid color. I know for sure he does in the pie scene, but I haven't seen the movie in weeks, and my memory of what he's wearing at the Twists is not trustworthy. I went to my old reliable reference source, YouTube, and the site is down. So Barb, you and other DVD-owners will have to check it out and report back!
--- End quote ---
Well, here is my report after last night's viewing. He is wearing a patterned shirt underneath a light grey canvas jacket. But the interesting thing about the patterned shirt is that the stripes are so close together as to seem almost solid. So it's certainly the most solid shirt he wears in the entire movie. I like to think this means that he wasn't quite there yet - but almost. Another thing I noticed about this ensemble is that he seems to have *the exact same* one on in the Lightning Flat scene, as if he contacted Jack's parents (Mrs. Twist looks like she expects him when she comes to the door) immediately after getting off the phone with Lureen, got in his truck, and drove straight there.
And I noticed something in an early scene that I don't remember anyone mentioning before: Jack says to Ennis in the bar, "My second summer up here - last summer - one lightning storm killed 42 sheep..." He has worked for Aguirre TWICE before, not just the previous summer. Yes, that's an assumption on my part - it could have been some other guy the summer before. But if it is Aguirre, they have quite the history, do they not?
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