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

The imagined power of BBM ?

(1/8) > >>

optom3:
In the S.S, when Ennis discovers Jack and his shirts,he smells them,hoping for some scent of Jack and BBM.Apart from the fact that part makes me cry,every time I read it.It goes on to say,there was no real scent of it, "only the memory of it,the imagined power of Brokeback Mountain of which nothing was left but what he held in his hands."

That sentence has always intrigued me,does it mean that for Ennis,there was a brief time,i.e on Brokeback, where even he felt that anything was possible,hence the, imagined power phrase.
Being an incurable romantic I would love to think that.Simply because it then makes me review their time on BBM and feel that they were both truly happy there.
It does however mean that if that is the case,then BBM was the only time of pure 100% undiluted happiness.So the subsequent meetings, were all to some extent tarnished.It also fits in with the dozy embrace scene,where in the S.S Jack remembers it as the only perfect unmarred moment,from which maybe they had never advanced.
If they at least had one perfect moment,then it becomes slightly more bearable,for me anyway.

sel:
Hi Optom3,

I've always felt that that 'imagined power' was there, and , like you say, where even Ennis felt that anything was possible. But there's another important passage in the S.S. which to me means that Ennis, although later, realises that there had been a time and a place where  they had created such happiness and where they had had  the power to   change the directions of their lives if only he/they had wanted to.

“That summer”, said Ennis, “When we split up after we got paid out I had gut cramps so bad I pulled over and tried to puke, thought I ate somethin bad at that place in Dubois. Took me about a year a figure out it was that I shouldn't a let you out a my sights. Too late then by long, long a while.”.

But by then he had commitments, a wife and a daughter.

To me that I shouldn't a let you out of my sights , is equal to I love you, and said by Ennis, Ennis who can't bring himself to say much, is simply amazing.
I love the film, but how I wish that part of the dialogue at the Motel  had been included in it.

Artiste:
Merci optom !!

Ennis and Jack more than one perfect moment, thank goodness !!

optom3:

--- Quote from: sel on May 30, 2008, 01:40:27 pm ---Hi Optom3,

I've always felt that that 'imagined power' was there, and , like you say, where even Ennis felt that anything was possible. But there's another important passage in the S.S. which to me means that Ennis, although later, realises that there had been a time and a place where  they had created such happiness and where they had had  the power to   change the directions of their lives if only he/they had wanted to.

“That summer”, said Ennis, “When we split up after we got paid out I had gut cramps so bad I pulled over and tried to puke, thought I ate somethin bad at that place in Dubois. Took me about a year a figure out it was that I shouldn't a let you out a my sights. Too late then by long, long a while.”.

But by then he had commitments, a wife and a daughter

To me that I shouldn't a let you out of my sights , is equal to I love you, and said by Ennis, Ennis who can't bring himself to say much, is simply amazing.
I love the film, but how I wish that part of the dialogue at the Motel  had been included in it.

--- End quote ---
Some  of the saddest few words in the S.S "too late then"but it would always have been too late,as Ennis never came to terms with his feelings until too late as well.He knew what he felt,but was too emotionally crippled bychildhood just to go with it.
I sometimes go off into fantasy land,where anything would have been possible while they stayed on BBM, but as son as they left to come down,they descended not only the mountain phsically, they also had to descend or come down from the emotional high they had been on,back to terra firm.

Artiste:
Back down from their Borkeback Mountain to realism or anti-life, unfortunately, in too many some ways !!

Navigation

[0] Message Index

[#] Next page