Brokeback Mountain: Our Community's Common Bond > Brokeback Mountain Open Forum
Jack's and Ennis' gaydar
Jeff Wrangler:
--- Quote from: latjoreme on June 25, 2006, 01:51:19 am ---OK. But just in case there's any confusion, the glance I'm talking about is not the one before they go up on the mountain (when, I fully agree, he does give a "who is this guy?" look), but the one later, when they've been up there a while and Ennis is straightening up dishes and Jack's horse is jumping around. Jack looks embarassed and then gets the horse under control and turns around and heads off toward the sheep. Ennis watches him go, then he leans way out to watch Jack as he recedes into the forest, then a split second later visibly catches himself and turns back to the dishes.
--- End quote ---
Sorry about that! Wrong "looking at Jack" scene on my part!
--- Quote ---But, if I may ask, why are you on this thread in the first place? Isn't that sort of parsing or pinpointing the whole point of this discussion?
--- End quote ---
Is it? I thought the point was Jack and Ennis's gaydar, if any? If you want to try to identify specific instances, that's fine. I'm just not interested in doing that sort of close examining any more.
serious crayons:
--- Quote from: Jeff Wrangler on June 25, 2006, 05:03:32 pm ---Is it? I thought the point was Jack and Ennis's gaydar, if any? If you want to try to identify specific instances, that's fine. I'm just not interested in doing that sort of close examining any more.
--- End quote ---
OK. To me, identification of specific instances -- in this case, of Jack and Ennis' gaydar, if any -- seem sort of the bread and butter of threads like this. But clearly you see the threads in a different way, and prefer different kinds of conversations. That's just fine. I don't think anyone wants to draw you into anything you're not interested in doing. All discussions here are completely optional! And we're interested in whatever you feel you DO want to contribute.
:)
Rayn:
--- Quote from: latjoreme on June 24, 2006, 04:24:18 pm ---
....when did Jack begin to think Ennis might be gay, and vise versa? Did Jack have reason to believe in advance that Ennis would be receptive when he made his move in the tent? Obviously he knew Ennis liked him, but did he have a clue that Ennis liked him that way? As for Ennis, did it occur to him to wonder about Jack's sexuality before the FNIT? When he jumps up in the tent, he looks surprised, but maybe not that surprised. Did he perhaps already register something subconsciously? When Ennis tells Jack he ain't had the opportunity to sin, and Jack goes "Hmmmmm!" in response, as if to say, "Well, we'll have to do something about that!" were they openly flirting, or unconsciously flirting, or not flirting at all, or what?
--- End quote ---
I think Jack was very aware of himself from the GITGO! Note when they first met. Jack practically stared Ennis down like a coyote scoping out a hen house! He sized him up, kept checking him out, watched in the mirror when he was shaving. He felt an attraction for Ennis right away and didn’t mind it. Jack didn't have a problem with his sexuality and pretty much accepted himself as he was.
Ennis, on the other hand didn't have much of a clue. His was a journey of self discovery and Jack opened a whole huge adventurous sexual and emotional territory to him, led him in to it and did all he could to keep him there because, he loved Ennis.
I see Jack as rather unafraid to love whereas Ennis had "ideas and notions" of what love was "suppose to be", but Ennis didn't understand true love, didn't understand his emotions all that well. That's why he couldn't make the best choice for himself when Jack asked him to live with him. He should have said yes to Jack, but he couldn’t. He just didn't get it and was too afraid because of the trauma of his childhood and fear of abandonment.
Rayn
ednbarby:
I agree with you, Rayn. And I think that Jack decided to take a chance the first time they were together in the tent because he figured that Ennis and he were close enough as friends that if it turned out Ennis wasn't the least bit interested, he'd most likely not kick his ass. Yes, it was a big chance to take, for sure. But considering they were all alone on the mountain (or so they thought) and he'd have thought no one would ever have to know about his failed attempt were that the case but the two of them, it was a chance worth taking.
Brown Eyes:
--- Quote from: Rayn on June 26, 2006, 02:25:04 pm ---
I think Jack was very aware of himself from the GITGO! Note when they first met. Jack practically stared Ennis down like a coyote scoping out a hen house! He sized him up, kept checking him out, watched in the mirror when he was shaving.
--- End quote ---
Well, thinking of the "GITGO"... I totally agree. And, this long enigmatic opening meeting just must be significant. Lee dwells on this interaction for so long... you know every nuance must be important.
I think this is all about testing each audience member's viewpoint. There are a number of different ways to read/interpret each look, pose, foot-shuffle, etc. and the reading probably reflects right back onto the audience member and how they want to see the scene or how they're predisposed to see the scene.
Navigation
[0] Message Index
[#] Next page
[*] Previous page
Go to full version