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TOTW 26/08: Symbolism of food in the movie

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optom3:

--- Quote from: Front-Ranger on October 02, 2008, 09:32:02 am ---I agree with all you say, Fiona and Gab. However, I need to point out that both Jack and Ennis pitched in on food preparation. As Lureen poured the gravy over the turkey, Jack brought the tray in to the table and prepared to carve before L.D. took the knife away from him. Jack also knew that his wife spent three hours preparing the dinner.

Although late in the movie, Ennis helped by bringing in plates from the table. I always thought it was funny that he helped out while the rest of the family watched tv and smoked a cigar!!


--- End quote ---

I agree 100% with what you say.Both Jack and Ennis did contribute in smaller ways towards the family meals.
It always seemed more of a duty/chore though.Even the fact that Jack passed comment on how long the dinner had taken to prepare, seemmed more aimed at Newsome than anything else.
The food prep. between the boys seems so more loving, almost a bonding round the campfire type thing. I feel a closeness there, that just do not get with the family meals. Quite the reverse,I sit white knuckled waiting for the explosion.I even felt that on firts viewing, there was a palpable underlying tension.

Front-Ranger:
Somebody mentioned salt and pepper. I love the use of salt shakers in the movie so much that I made Ennis' salt shaker my chat avatar! When Jack rides up one morning, Ennis is just finishing up his breakfast, salting the eggs he's cooking in the cast iron pan. He has to check if any salt is coming out by shaking it onto his hand (as I recall, he's wearing a glove).

Another time, Alma is cooking in her kitchen, when the pining Ennis comes in after work. Alma Jr. is at her toy stove pretending to cook. You can see the salt and pepper shakers on the counter, in the gap between Alma's body and her arm where she's leaning on the counter. The two shakers, in addition to the many other paired things in the kitchen, as well as the many handles and the closed-up-tight containers, speak mutely of Ennis' longing for his natural partner.

The salt shaker in the movie is an example of the synergy with which Ang Lee applied the words of Annie Proulx. In the story, Ennis remembers Jack's "sweet salty stink" but there's no way to translate this to the screen, so Ang brings salt into different places. Ennis knows the salty words to The Strawberry Roan, and, because of his nosebleed, knows the salty taste of blood.

Penthesilea:

--- Quote from: Front-Ranger on October 03, 2008, 12:05:39 pm ---The salt shaker in the movie is an example of the synergy with which Ang Lee applied the words of Annie Proulx. In the story, Ennis remembers Jack's "sweet salty stink" but there's no way to translate this to the screen, so Ang brings salt into different places. Ennis knows the salty words to The Strawberry Roan, and, because of his nosebleed, knows the salty taste of blood.

--- End quote ---

Love this synergy observation FRiend! :)

But on the blood: salty? Blood has a ferreous taste to it (which resonates with the tire iron), but I don't think salty.
Tears are salty, and our boys sure get to know the taste or them :(

Marge_Innavera:
But there's also the fact that about 80 percent of the human body is basically salt water.

I've seen this a number of places, but the source I most recently checked is at http://www.madsci.org/posts/archives/1998-12/912791455.Mb.r.html

Gabreya:
Yes. Without salt, basically, foods can be really bland. I love your observation, Front-Ranger.

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