Merci encore Front-Ranger,
as your post is very interesting.
Regarding clowns in stories, they do vary, as you described. Did Annie use Jimbo in her Brokeback Mountain story?
If Jimbo outlines an escape from the serious parts of life, that may seem so as he smiles to his friends after smiling to Jack refusing Jack, but he is likely two-faced and represents danger, may I repeat!
Jack was happy to ask Jimbo to be his friend (as a mate) but Jimbo cuts out that happiness in many ways.
The whole scene is like a mask... and it becomes a circus of bad behaviours by Jimbo, the barman and by Jimbo's friends which becomes a gang (a dangerous one to my view) !
I can never think that anyone see that Jack's death can be other than murder by a gang which is anti-gay And not only because that has hapenned to me, more than once!! It's logic that the story undertones towards gang murder of Jack!
But did Annie want Jack's death?
May I ask such questions ?
Au revoir,
hugs! As far as other directors, I would have loved to see Fellini do this Brokeback Mountain movie ! Would you too?