Brokeback Mountain: Our Community's Common Bond > Brokeback Mountain Open Forum
TOTW 05/08: What do you make of the "Maybe Texas?" scene?
Artiste:
Did Alma talk to anyone about her husband (Ennis) kissing Jack??
Any proof??
Hugs!
Brown Eyes:
--- Quote from: optom3 on February 18, 2008, 11:28:09 pm ---I do to some extent agree that Jack still retains some vestige of hope. What concerns me is the conundrum in rhe story (motel scene)when he tells Ennis he thinks they may have been seen.If Ennis then concludes (and who knows) that even in their idyllic summer when they felt so carefree,they were being observed,what hope elsewhere.I just wish Jack had really listened to the ,what do other people do.Reading between the lines I suspect he was so desperate just to have some more time with Ennis once they left the motel that he missed completely the significance of that simple statement.
Having missed out on that he continues to nurture his dream of a life together and would seem to take every opportunity,to yet again broach the subject.
I find it so full of pathos that no matter how many times he is rebuffed he continues to bounce back for more.However as the film progresses,to me at least there seems to an inexorable desperation in his suggestions.It is almost as if he knows the answer,but will still use any excuse to introduce the idea.maybe even he has come to the realisation that it is not to be.
I keep comming back to the same conclusion in both story and film .that the whole premise hinges on the bittersweet regret of lost opportunities,whilst simultaneously wishing that at least in the story Jack had listened more closely to the sub text.Still got to love him for perseverance against all odds.The other thing that puzzles me is when he spends so much time travelling to meet Ennis.No distance seems too great,as witness the visit ,post divorce note,why does he suggest Texas which would involve Ennis doing the travelling.has he finally had enough of the effort all seeming to be one way.
Ironic then that the one (I think) card from Ennis to Jack re the nov. meeting is the harbinger of doom.Well yet again I seem to have asked myself more questions than resolved any issues.
What a great thing this Brokeback is.Never ever have I so analysed and dissected any film or book.It is such a treat to have an author who rather than spoon feeding us every detail,allows us to ponder and reflect on all the various connotations for ourselves.
--- End quote ---
It's interesting that film-Jack never is shown to tell Ennis that Aguirre had observed them. I don't think film-Ennis would have been able to handle that well at all. Jack was very careful about what he said to Ennis and how he communicated with him once he realized how nervous and afraid Ennis could be (I'm still talking about the film here). It seems that the "low startle point" horse could really be a metaphor for Ennis.
The whole question of how and how well Jack and Ennis communicate is a pretty important issue for this "Maybe Texas" scene.
And, on Jack and hope... I don't think Jack lost hope until maybe, maybe the moment during the lakeside argument towards the end where he all of a sudden uses the past tense to refer to his "better idea." When Jack says, "I did once"... this really sets Ennis off because all of a sudden it really seems clear that their relationship may be in jeopardy.
p.s. I'm still sort of blown away by the "maybe go to Denver" and "maybe Texas" parallel. I really had never thought of that before. Such a great observation optom3!
nakymaton:
One thing in that scene that always gets me: "Jack fuckin' Twist" echoes Ennis at the reunion scene. But the tone is so different.
Brown Eyes:
--- Quote from: nakymaton on February 18, 2008, 11:59:23 pm ---One thing in that scene that always gets me: "Jack fuckin' Twist" echoes Ennis at the reunion scene. But the tone is so different.
--- End quote ---
Yeah, absolutely. The evolution of the tone in Ennis's voice with that nickname is very telling... of course reaching peak intensity during the lake argument. :(
Mel, how do you interpret story-Jack's little quip about Denver? I've always just thought it was cute, but now that I'm thinking about it in terms of this sort of parallel "maybe Texas" film scene, I wonder if there's more to the Denver line than I had thought before.
nakymaton:
--- Quote from: atz75 on February 19, 2008, 12:02:59 am ---Mel, how do you interpret story-Jack's little quip about Denver? I've always just thought it was cute, but now that I'm thinking about it in terms of this sort of parallel "maybe Texas" film scene, I wonder if there's more to the Denver line than I had thought before.
--- End quote ---
I've always thought of it as a indication of how impossible Jack and Ennis found it, to be simultaneously rural men and to be gay. "Maybe move to Denver" sounds to me like "maybe move to the Moon" - like Denver is completely foreign from their existence. Denver might be part of the West, but a city is no place for a ranch hand.
I've always found the line to be incredibly sad.
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