Brokeback Mountain: Our Community's Common Bond > Brokeback Mountain Open Forum
TOTW 15/07: Short story or movie, which one do you prefer?
brokeplex:
--- Quote from: ineedcrayons on December 03, 2007, 01:42:37 am ---
One question about Jack and Lureen's house, Brokeplex. Do you think it's tacky in an inherent sense, or is it tacky to our contemporary eyes because it's so '70s?
--- End quote ---
Very good question ineedcrayons. (I like your name its from "Mama, I need crayons" right?)
I am 51 and remember the 70's very well! My comment about the Jack Twist home decor being tacky is because if I had seen a home decorated that way during the 70's I would have felt the same way. I don't remember homes decorated quite like that while growing up in small town Texas. No offense to anyone who likes the decor, but it reminded me a lot of the decor in the Hyatt Regency in Houston during that time.
Growing up I knew a number of family's like the Newsomes who would have been politely called "recently comfortable". And remember some funny excesses. Sometimes the decor of the 70's all around was a bit excessive, probably too much chrome, flashy wall paper, velour everything. In regard to the Jack Twist home, it was the combinations of what I saw as fake Southwestern motifs, mismatched velour pillows, fake cactus lamps that caused me to wonder if Ang Lee was making a comment on the artificiality of the Twist marriage - reflected in the decor. I don't think that anything in this movie is by accident, it clearly was all very well thought out! That coupled with the unaturalness of Lureen's appearance by the 1970's, way too much peroxide, the loud nail polish, and that blouse is way too tight for her age in 1977 or 1983! She was so beautiful early on, then kinda brittle towards the end. I think the combinations of all of this is making a statement.
(Oh, I hope everyone knows that I was joking about the decor suggesting that the movie is anti-Texan, I was just doing a mild take off on Artiste's opinion that the movie is anti-gay - my humor runs towards the dry side sometimes)
Brown Eyes:
Great post brokeplex!
I definitely agree that the artificiality in both the interior design and the clothing of Lureen and Jack might be a sign of their false marriage.
As the years go on, Jack seems to "dress-up" as a cowboy, but he no longer engages in activities that would make him a cowboy and his outfits get more flamboyant in a certain way (flashy watch, really colorful shirts, etc.). And a degree of artificiality seems to creep into his wardrobe. Note the much bigger black hat at the end. He no longer seems to wear real working-cowboy gear. For Jack, being a cowboy is already a fantasy that's escaped him by the time of the reunion in 1967. He proposes a "cow and calf operation" as if this is some ideal form of employment and not part of his reality and from the story we know that by '67 he's already quit the rodeo. Whereas for Ennis, we know he already works for a "cow and calf" operation both in what he says to Alma in the grocery store, in the shot where we see him feeding cattle, in what he tells Cassie, etc. For Ennis working with cows (I'm being very literal here in my definition of cow-boy) is a form of daily subsistence or maybe even drudgery... not the same kind of fantasy-ideal that it seems to be for Jack. By the time we see the interior of Jack's house in Texas he's a salesman who works in an office and drives combines around a parking lot.
I wonder if the artificial signs of nature inside the Twist house (the fake cactus plant lamps) and the faux signs of being "western" in their decor might correspond a bit to the framed pictures of mountains in Ennis and Alma's homes (in the isolated ranch house and in the apartment over the laundromat).
The containment of the symbol of the mountain for Ennis may be slightly different in meaning from what you've pointed out here about Jack's daily-Texas environment.
brokeplex:
--- Quote from: atz75 on December 04, 2007, 12:40:24 am ---Great post brokeplex!
I definitely agree that the artificiality in both the interior design and the clothing of Lureen and Jack might be a sign of their false marriage.
I wonder if the artificial signs of nature inside the Twist house (the fake cactus plant lamps) and the faux signs of being "western" in their decor might correspond a bit to the framed pictures of mountains in Ennis and Alma's homes (in the isolated ranch house and in the apartment over the laundromat).
The containment of the symbol of the mountain for Ennis may be slightly different in meaning from what you've pointed out here about Jack's daily-Texas environment.
--- End quote ---
good point your are making about the mountain pictures in Alma's house over the laundry in Riverton being a partial analog to the Twist house decor.
good point about noticing the fact that Jack's hat in 1983 is too large, a fake dimestore cowboy sized hat! His Rolex watch: I noticed that as a particularly good bit of verisimilitude on the part of Ang Lee. During that period 1970's -1980's, Rolex's were known as Texas Timex's. The massive clunky variety was very popular with upscale Texans during that period. In the mid 1980's after the that particular oil boom crashed, you could pick up a good Rolex in a Texas pawn shop for peanuts.
did you notice that he wore the same Rodeo belt buckle throughout the entire movie? what a symbolic connection to his frustrated love for his father.
did you notice in Jack's room in the scene where Ennis visits the Twist home that Jack as a little boy had collected statues of cowboys on horses? Jack always idealized the cowboy image, even as a little boy. I couldn't help but cry when I saw Ennis pick up that little statue. Was Jack always looking for respect from his father, his whole life? Did he try to realize that frustrated love in his attraction and love for a real cowboy Ennis?
Kelda:
back on topic!
I persanally I am a fan of the movie - I read the short story after watching brokeback on film. I did not connect with the story in anywhwere near the same way. I think partly this is because I'm a more visial person. I also felth that the film allowed formuch more tender scenes between jack and Ennis which the book didn't display. Still wish they ahd put lil darlin in the screen version though.
Artiste:
Does Annie's story tend to be more pro-gay and human, while the movie is much anti-gay in some ways??
This need to be detailled!! So, it is hard to say if the book or the movie, is liked more than the other??
Hugs!
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