Brokeback Mountain: Our Community's Common Bond > Brokeback Mountain Open Forum

TOTW 14/07: Is a cigar just a cigar?

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Penthesilea:
Happy new week, BetterMostians  :D,

hope you all had a weekend just to your own taste: relaxing, adventurous, socializing - whatever suits you.

This week, I'd like to take a step back and have a critical look not only at the movie/story itself, but also at our own view of it, especially regarding all those discussions about significant (?) details:

Is a cigar just a cigar?

What is your conception regarding the movie's underlying motifs, symbolism and unspoken truths?

Are there occasions when you think 'a cigar is just a cigar', meaning do you think people sometimes overinterpret the smallest detail? Or do you think one can't be observant enough because both, Annie Proulx and Ang Lee put so much thought into the smallest word/single picture? Are there specific things discussed, which you just can't buy?

Jeff Wrangler:

--- Quote from: Penthesilea on November 05, 2007, 08:09:52 am ---Are there occasions when you think 'a cigar is just a cigar', meaning do you think people sometimes overinterpret the smallest detail?
--- End quote ---

Yes, but I'm not going to get any more specific than that. I'm not interested in arguing about it, and I don't want to risk causing hard feelings.  :-\

Brown Eyes:
LOL, I thought this was going to be a question about all the uses of cigarettes in BBM!  :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:

Especially in the scene where Jack and Randall are on the bench... Very apropos to this question I think.
:)





Anyway, during my recent get-together with Pipedream ( :D :D :D) we found ourselves talking about the religious symbolism in BBM... an old topic I realize... but she managed to point out at least two details that I never noticed before! I promised her that I'd start a new thread on the topic of religious symbols in Open Forum.  So, look for that soon.

I really am one to believe that there's a TON going on in Brokeback with regard to symbols (no big surprise to anyone who knows me here).  And, often the symbols in the film are reinforced by Proulx's choice of language and detail in the story story too. 

My three "favorite" symbols are the wind, the black/white hat situation, and the yin and yang (I now where an old yin and yang ring again in honor of this symbol... it's a goofy old ring that I've had since I was 16 when I went though a bit of a hippy phase... actually it's sort of pretty).

jstephens9:

--- Quote from: Jeff Wrangler on November 05, 2007, 03:25:31 pm ---Yes, but I'm not going to get any more specific than that. I'm not interested in arguing about it, and I don't want to risk causing hard feelings.  :-\

--- End quote ---

Jeff, I remember us talking about this very topic the last night we were in Denver  :) That was a fun time.

Jack

jstephens9:

--- Quote from: atz75 on November 05, 2007, 04:20:47 pm ---My three "favorite" symbols are the wind, the black/white hat situation, and the yin and yang (I now where an old yin and yang ring agai in honor of this symbol... it's a goofy old ring that I've had since I was 16 when I went though a bit of a hippy phase... actually it's sort of pretty).


--- End quote ---

That's funny you mention the wind. I had read something about the wind symbol since I watched the one scene yesterday of the last night on the mountain. I thought about the wind when Ennis was in the alley after Jack left. I noticed it more since I had read about it.

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