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

Was Cassie in the Brokeback Mountain movie homophobic?

<< < (10/29) > >>

BlissC:

--- Quote from: Artiste on April 05, 2008, 11:36:18 am ---Can we all note that Ennis is reasoning and also using more his emotions, and when he combines that, he is becoming more clear... but that takes much, much, much time than Jack, Alma, Cassie tried as times !! ?? Does that make sense Bliss and all of you too on Bettermost/and guests ?

--- End quote ---

I think that they all probably gave up on him him in their own ways, and maybe with more time he may have learned to deal with his emotions better, but they grew tired of waiting for him, and tired of expending all that emotional energy on him for very little return. There is a sign though at the end of the film that maybe he's learning, and maybe he's realised with Jack's death that he has to change, and it makes him realise that he can't hide from his emotions. At the end he changes his mind about working so that he can go to Alma Jnr's wedding, and he sits and drinks with her. It's still awkward, and he still doesn't really know what to say, but he's trying.


--- Quote from: Artiste on April 05, 2008, 11:36:18 am ---I wondered why Cassie became a player here in the BM movie, and I thought that that was maybe because Eng and the ss writer(s) (and/or those connected doing this film) was maybe anti-gay by stressing this charactor: Cassie !!- That as so, because it deminishes Ennis as a good sport, as well as Jack too in some ways !! You understand?

Didn't Annie accentuate Ennis and Jack as good sports in her book ?? But he BM movie advances otherwise ??

Anyway, maybe by adding Cassie now in the BM movie, then we come to understand that Ennis (a gay or bi man of good charactor) is not the only one that needs helps to evolve but that straights (as in heterosexuals) too need help, yes as well to understand gay or bi life ?? Or is the BM movie only stressing being gay or bi is no good, and that the only importance is being straight or acting like that no matter of you are gay or bi ??

--- End quote ---


I don't think it's that at all. Cassie is in the SS, but in style the SS is necessarily sparse. The whole thing's only 28 pages, and even the time on Brokeback is only 8 pages, but the whole story covers 20 years in Ennis's life. To have enough material for the film they had to "invent" scenes and "fill in the gaps". Ennis telling Jack about Cassie is in the SS, but in the film it wouldn't make sense to show Ennis going from the divorce scene to the final camping trip with Jack where he talks about Cassie with nothing inbetween. From the divorce to the camping trip is quite a stretch of time, and there had to be some explanation.

Cassie's inclusion in both the SS and the film has nothing to do with being anti-gay, but just shows the complexity of Ennis's life. As a post-divorced single man he would have been expected at that time to be at least dating someone, if not married again. Maybe he was seeing Cassie as that was expected of him, and her having made the first move made it easier for him to start the relationship. Maybe he did feel something for her - who knows?! Ennis never was much the talking kind!   

I don't think the film says anything about heterosexuals needing help to understand gay or bi life (at least in terms of Cassie because we've no evidence she even knew of the other part of Ennis's life). The fact that Ennis had a relationship with Cassie, whether as a cover or not, is just one way of showing that especially at that time, in that society, Ennis didn't have an option, or didn't feel he had any option but to "act straight", and that's something unfortunately that has happened for a long time, and continues to happen, but the central thread throughout both the SS and the film is Jack and Ennis, and it is essentially their story. There's certainly nothing anti-gay about the film that I can see.

Artiste:
Merci Bliss!

I have read too quickly since I must return to create my paintings, and I assure that that I will re-read it (your post) many times, since I find it so marvelous!

For now, the idea that comes to my mind before I forget it, is that Ennis had also TO THINK ABOUT protecting his OWN Life ? Plus that of OTHERS too ??

But no one ponders about that ? And neither does Cassie?

Au revoir,
hugs! P.S. If I forget, please remind me!

BlissC:

--- Quote from: Artiste on April 05, 2008, 02:00:20 pm ---For now, the idea that comes to my mind before I forget it, is that Ennis had also TO THINK ABOUT protecting his OWN Life ? Plus that of OTHERS too ??

--- End quote ---

That's a good point, and one that probably had great bearing on why his emotions are so repressed. The murder scene he witnessed as a child had a huge impact on him, and the tire irons are a constant fear throughout his life. He first tells Jack about it up on the mountain at the start of the story, but the last lines of the SS are very telling also because in his dreams he sees the tire irons, and how Annie portrays that in so few words - "but the can of beans with the spoon handle jutting out and balanced on the log was there as well, in cartoon shape and lurid colours that gave the dreams a flavour of comic obscenity. The spoon handle was the kind that could be used as a tire iron" - makes you see that dream. The tire irons and Jack both haunt him, and I think maybe it's only with those last few lines that the full impact of fear on Ennis's life and how he had to hide his relationship with Jack really becomes clear. Ennis undoubtedly did have a problem with expressing his emotions and communicating with people, and he hurt a lot of people in the process, but I think that fear that was a constant in his life also played a a large part in him repressing so much about himself.

Maybe part of it with Cassie (and maybe Alma also to a certain extent) was that he feared getting too close, not only because allowing himself to get too close would mean opening himself up to her, but because that might also mean that there was a danger she would find out about his secret life with Jack, and feared her reaction, and who she might tell. If his secret was to come out...back to the fear of the tire irons again.

delalluvia:
For the original subject:

Was Cassie in the Brokeback Mountain movie homophobic?

We have no way to tell.

Artiste:
Merci encore Bliss!

Reading your post makes me think of something:
the two females that have a relationship with Ennis know a lot of people !! Really a lot like all (or nearly so) in those places where Ennis lives !! Ennis must have felt that as a danger  !! ??

If Ennis breaks up with them (Alma and Cassie), then it could be very dangerous for him !!
Both could tell that Ennis is gay or bi... to other persons, right ?? Easily !!

Too easily so ?? As revenge?? Or for other reasons, each woman could damage not ONLY Ennis reputation, but very well his PHYSICAL life... as we saw that that tough old bird of the two that he was murdered because he was gay... was horrid thing that had happenned to him since his sex was taken away... destroyed from that body so death occurs !!

Such murders of gay men still happen in our societies, unfortunately, just because they are gay men !! The case of Sheppard is one !! And many murderers get away with it - (I know of one in my last city who never spent a day in jail since the jury believed him and felt sorry for the murderer... of all things !!), or a murderer just spends few hours in prisons! But the dead can not talk... and neither can his relatives nor loves nor others talk to him now !!

I fear nearly daily getting to be discovered as a gay man, and getting murdered because of that orientation !!
I have lost jobs, reputations, health, a house and property, because I am a gay man in our democratic societies !! And I fear the islamics and other such radicals coming into our lands, since many would be proud to murder a gay man !!

So Ennis  fears and much more, since even for his life !!

Alma sure ruins Ennis's reputation at that Thanksgiving dinner, right ??

So what happened after THAT Alma outcry ? Did Ennis feel better ??

Wondering what you think... and others too,
au revoir,
hugs!!

Navigation

[0] Message Index

[#] Next page

[*] Previous page