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

why was the very last scene of the book not in the film???????????????

<< < (2/3) > >>

mouk:
Moremojo, do you remember what was said about the mythic structure? I am intrigued

And it is true, the parents don't interact, but they do exchange looks that seem full of meaning, there is a whole lot of body language that would be well worth examining in detail. I guess it has already been done and I missed the boat...

moremojo:

--- Quote from: mouk on February 21, 2008, 08:04:53 pm ---Moremojo, do you remember what was said about the mythic structure? I am intrigued
--- End quote ---
Alas, those arguments were enshrined in an old IMDb thread called "Classical Allusions" that I have little doubt has long since disappeared into the electronic ether. They were made by our member Casey Cornelius, and may be cached somewhere by someone in the labyrinthine web of the Internet, but I am not sure where.

As I recall, Casey was arguing that Old Man Twist was comparable to Cerebus, the classical hound of Hades that had to be placated before the mythic hero could go further into the realm of the dead (for whatever reason). Mrs. Twist was the benevolent agent (goddess or sage) who comes to the hero's aid and gives him the resources to fulfill his journey/mission; the cherry cake was seen as an allusion to the honey cake that was thrown to Cerebus to divert him away from the entrance to the underworld. Ennis, the hero, successfully made his way into the world of the spirit (Jack's boyhood room) and retrieved the vital, powerful totem that he sought (in this case, without even knowing he was seeking it). Like Eurydice following Orpheus, Jack's spirit followed Ennis out of that house to dwell within his own abode and heart forever.

optom3:

--- Quote from: moremojo on February 21, 2008, 06:11:15 pm ---I think the filmmakers were trying to translate the gritty, realistic (though superbly evocative) quality of Proulx's prose into the special aural, visual, and temporal constraints imposed by the cinematic medium. Dream sequences have long figured in films, but they often invest the resulting film with an air of fantasy, however fleetingly that sense may be maintained. Brokeback Mountain was designed to be an uncompromisingly realistic film, with a significant degree of ambiguity inherent in its narrative and thematic structure, and a dream sequence would have compromised this strategy (the point-of-view flash Ennis has of Jack's possible murder is the closest the film comes to varying this approach).

--- End quote ---

OK, thanks for that,a very plausible and cohesive explanation.

I agree about the ambiguity,more evident in the film than book.The only point I struggle with is,after the trailer shirt scene,we the audience are left in no doubt ,regarding the strength of feelings Ennis has now come to accept. I just feel that the dream sequence would irrevocably tie together all the tire iron references.
Part of the tragedy of Ennis,who he is and what he becomes ,is so intertwined with that very object.

Maybe though Ang is trying to avoid spoon feeding us,so allowing us free rein with our imagination.Realistically a further shot of Ennis in tears, could I suppose be construed as reducing,what I do consider a cinematic masterpiece,to a more base level.Sometimes,now I think of it,less is more.

It makes for heart wrenching reading in the story,but in that context the reader is of course using their imagination,as opposed to having it visualised inch by inch.

Having read your post and given the matter some more thought,I think the omission was not only right but necessary.

See I knew someone would would provide an insight,enabling me to clarify my own thoughts on the subject.

moremojo:

--- Quote from: optom3 on February 21, 2008, 08:21:17 pm ---Maybe though Ang is trying to avoid spoon feeding us,so allowing us free rein with our imagination.Realistically a further shot of Ennis in tears, could I suppose be construed as reducing,what I do consider a cinematic masterpiece,to a more base level.Sometimes,now I think of it,less is more.
--- End quote ---
Absolutely; I agree with this. I do think that Ang with the film, just like Annie with the story, is inviting and even challenging us to make ultimate sense of the material for ourselves. Just as Annie has said that each reader must finish the story in their own life. The fact that Ang has so far refused to incorporate deleted scenes or commentary in any of the DVD versions of the film further suggests that he has taken great pains to ensure that each viewer is confronted with this responsibility.

delalluvia:
Because Ang wanted a 'happier' ending than the story gave.

IMO he "Hollywood-ized" the movie's ending to give audience the bare feeling of hope that Ennis' character learned from his experience with Jack, unlike the story which left Ennis no more enlightened than he was before.

While the movie ending was an artistic delight, it took away from the pure tragedy that was the story.

Navigation

[0] Message Index

[#] Next page

[*] Previous page