Brokeback Mountain: Our Community's Common Bond > Brokeback Mountain Open Forum
Yin and Yang: Ennis and Jack
starboardlight:
--- Quote from: pinku on May 26, 2006, 10:48:21 pm ---It could be since Ang Lee is Chinese or Taiwanese! Not that there is any difference.
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uh oh! don't let a Taiwanese hear you say that. ;D They'll give you an earful of differences.
--- Quote from: opinionista on May 25, 2006, 08:19:34 pm ---According to wikipedia, "yin" is black and represent a passive, dark, femenine dowright seeking personality. The "yang" (white), is active, light, masculine, upward-seeking and corresponds to the day. Yin is often symbolized by water, while yang is symbolized by fire. So I guess, Jack, who wears the black hat is yin, and Ennis is yang. However, Jack isn't exactly passive in the relationship, but quite the contrary. He isn't downright either but quite upright; always dreaming; Ennis is the exact opposite.
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Interesting, downright/upright. There was a thread sometimes back talking aobut how Jack is often in the reclining versus Ennis' upright. For example, the "Tent don't look right" scene, Jack is reclined playing his harmonica, while Ennis is upright. Or Jack is reclined while trying to open the can of beans, while Ennis sits upright tending to hygiene. Even in the opening scene, Jack's tendency to drape himself on the truck, instead of standing on his feet.
but like Amanda and others have said, the men don't stay in passive/aggressive mode all the time. They have a push/pull dynamic, so they both are yin and both are yang at different times. But yes, I definitely thing that the choice of black and white hats are deliberate. Not only on Ennis and Jack, but on other men in the scenes. You think of all the colors of cowboy hats the costume designer could have chosen for the cast and extras, you'd think that there'd be more variety. The use of black and white is overwhelmingly noticeable.
Brown Eyes:
Just tonight while watching the movie I noticed another visual detail that suggests the yin and yang symbol... much along the lines of the images that Meryl has posted here.
It's right after Ennis drives past the Elks building and pulls into his driveway behind the laundromat, right before he heads upstairs to be told of the arrival of the first postcard. When Ennis parks his black truck in that driveway it's positioned along the light-colored exterior wall with a dark window in it. The black truck in profile with it's window showing the light siding through it, intersects with the wall with the light siding and dark window... So the two windows appear like the dots in a traditional yin and yang symbol and the truck and the sided wall are like the black and white opposite halves of the symbol. I hope I'm being somewhat clear in this description. I don't know where to get those great screen-saves/ still-shots that people post here sometimes. But, it would be awesome if someone could post that shot. Again, it's right before Ennis heads upstairs to discover the arrival of the first postcard.
:D
Meryl:
I think we have a winner! ;D
I checked the DVD, and it does look very yin/yangy. Who knows, that sneaky Ang Lee might have intended that shot to be foreshadowing of the reunion. Good catch, Amanda! 8)
I checked stripedwall.com, but they don't have a cap of that shot, so hopefully someone with screencapping ability will post one here.
serious crayons:
--- Quote from: Penthesilea on May 28, 2006, 02:57:37 pm ---I also never saw any cherry-cake, let alone the one cherry in it.
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Thank you, Penth, for saying this!!! Me neither! And, blurry with tears as my eyes may have been, I have looked for it.
--- Quote from: atz75 on May 28, 2006, 06:04:49 pm --- Someone, somewhere (maybe Katherine, I don't quite remeber) once noticed how Jack's room contains all sorts of reminders of the Brokeback summer.
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I would so love to take credit for this one, because I was blown away by it the first time I read it (I can't remember who said it, either). This problem comes up so often. Maybe we should start a thread where people can post their brilliant concepts, so when others refer to them later they can credit the right person. ;D
--- Quote from: starboardlight on May 29, 2006, 12:51:29 am ---Interesting, downright/upright. There was a thread sometimes back talking aobut how Jack is often in the reclining versus Ennis' upright. For example, the "Tent don't look right" scene, Jack is reclined playing his harmonica, while Ennis is upright. Or Jack is reclined while trying to open the can of beans, while Ennis sits upright tending to hygiene.
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One notable exception is the "prayer of thanks" scene. And it's the classic exception that proves the rule: it's one of the few times Ennis utters a (fairly) unambiguous spoken endearment, one of the few times Ennis seems to be fully submitting himself to their relationship. But sure enough, as soon as Jack proposes the cow-and-calf operation, Ennis sits upright and puts on his hat.
Penthesilea:
--- Quote ---Quote from: Penthesilea on May 28, 2006, 01:57:37 pm
--- Quote ---I also never saw any cherry-cake, let alone the one cherry in it.
--- End quote ---
Thank you, Penth, for saying this!!! Me neither! And, blurry with tears as my eyes may have been, I have looked for it.
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Now I got curious and really wanted to see the famous cake. Therefore I looked for screencaps. And here it is. Click to enlarge
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