Brokeback Mountain: Our Community's Common Bond > Brokeback Mountain Open Forum
Black Hats, White Hats
Rayn:
I must say, with all the good natured humor I can muster, I never saw anything but boots, jeans, shirts, vests, jackets and hats in all the clothes people wore in the movie. Just clothes is all I saw.
I paid closer attention to when Jack or Ennis had no clothes on than to what color hat either of them wore, but I will admit, Lureen looked hot in her red cowgirl hat and she was HOT, but I didn't come away thinkin' her red hat symbolized her fiery love for Jack. I guess I'm just not that into clothes or somethin'... (Smirk)
Ok, I'm teasin' you all now, come on... ;D
Rayn
starboardlight:
--- Quote from: Penthesilea on May 11, 2006, 12:47:46 pm ---He's wearing the light gray jacket in the scene were he gets the postcard, too. And he also wears it in the trailer scene with Alma jr.
He wears it from the pie scene on (directly after the flashback and the one shot of Jack) through the entire rest of the movie: pie scene, receiving the postcard, phone call, Twist home, sticking numbers on the mailbox outside the trailer, Junior arriving, inside the trailer, up to "Jack, I swear".
Do we see Ennis in that light grey jacket before Jack's death? I don't think so, but I'm not sure. Hmmm...
I believe, before Jack's death we see him only in brown jackets, after Jack's death in only in a grey one.
What about the pie scene? Is Jack already dead at this point? Maybe the grey jacket indicates that.
"Ennis didn't know about the accident for months..." (from story). At the pie scene neither Ennis nor the audience know about Jack's death, but maybe the pie scene takes place in one of the months Ennis doesn't know about it, but it already had happened.
Any thoughts, someone?
--- End quote ---
but he does wear the tan jacket on this trip to Lightning Flat, right? I'll have to watch the dvd again, but I'm sure that it was tan, when he came out of the house with the paper bag, mirroring what he wore at the beginning of the movie.
Penthesilea:
--- Quote ---but he does wear the tan jacket on this trip to Lightning Flat, right? I'll have to watch the dvd again, but I'm sure that it was tan, when he came out of the house with the paper bag, mirroring what he wore at the beginning of the movie.
--- End quote ---
No, I'm sorry, Star. He wears the grey jacket at Lighnting Flat, not the tan one. He wears always the grey jacket from the pie scene on for the entire rest of the movie.
Click to enlarge and look:
TJ:
Unless a person involved with the movie has put in writing that a particular color coordination agenda, or the "Black Hats, White Hats" thing, was actually used with the movie, all we can do is discuss our own theories about it.
If I still lived in North Hollywood, CA, I might ask someone whom I know would be in show business to find out for me. I did have actor friends in LA and even knew some guys who were executives in Movie Studios.
Brown Eyes:
Wow, Katherine! I'm certainly glad you watched the movie again! Great observation of details. I love the idea that the jacket-shirt-no shirt transitions are significant in showing the boys getting closer, more comfortable and intimate - or conversely pulling away. And, I do also like the idea of Ennis going back and forth in his emotional confusion re: both Jack and the women in his life. I've never thought to look at the other clothes in Ennis's final closet. But, you're right. They must be important. I say this because the clothes in Jack's Lightning Flat closet all seem to be important (in addition to the main shirts). The boots (even in Proulx) are supposed to be boots that draw Ennis in and he thinks he recognizes them. The furry/wool collar on one of Jack's jackets must remind Ennis of the flashback caress/ Jack's Brokeback jacket (although it's a different jacket hanging there... are the colors blue and red? I can't quite recall). And, the most important item in Jack's closet is the shirt or jacket that keeps swinging once Ennis has fondled it. When we see Ennis kneeling down that jacket or shirt (I can't tell which) seems to be pushing or urging Ennis on to look in the secret nook. A subtle suggestion of Jack's ghost perhaps...
More ideas about colors, hats, etc.:
I know this has been discussed either on a board long ago and far, far way or maybe even here (sorry, I haven't re-read this whole thread tonight) that Jack's sudden transition into purples and muted red colors after the post-divorce fiasco may have something to do with the metaphor of a bruise. I know it's been discussed that these are the colors of blood (both wet and dry) and indicate not only his somewhat brokenheart from this point on, but also his hidden secret about the blood soaked shirts in his closet. Kind of a lovely thought actually.
Also, it seems important that Jack reverts to a black cowboy hat in the argument scene. It's a rather large, maybe *Texas* size hat actually. I think no matter how many shifts in hat color he went with in the middle of the movie, we and certainly Ennis think of him as a black-hatted cowboy (black sheep).
I've always wondered why Ennis stops wearing cowboy hats. Ang Lee has said he was expecting Ennis to carry the weight of the "western" genre and mood (which I think he does do). But, given this I think it's very odd that he stops wearing cowboy hats... in a gradual way as has been pointed out. I don't know what to make of this. And, I've never liked his smaller hats for some reason.
It's probably been said too many times. But, the colors of brown (predominantly for Ennis) and blue for Jack correspond with their nature symbols (earth and air/water). I quite love this too.
Oh my, there's a lot to think about in this thread!
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