Brokeback Mountain: Our Community's Common Bond > Brokeback Mountain Open Forum
The Laundry Room
Penthesilea:
--- Quote from: Front-Ranger on March 09, 2008, 12:04:57 am ---Yes, I love laundry and all its allusions. In fact, in my laundry room I have a series of photographs on the wall which I took years ago. I used to go into people's laundry rooms and poke around and take pictures. I found all that stuff amazing!! THere's also some needlepoint that my mother made for me hanging over the washer. It says, "Please don't do my laundry" LOL!
--- End quote ---
My first thought was: no way I would let you take pictures of my collected laundry mess. And then the sentence in blue: don't do my laundry! How true. My mother-in-law sometimes uses the chance to dive into my dirty laundry when she is at our house and I'm not there. I hate it! She knows it, I've made it cristal clear (and I'm not the shy type). But I guess that's just a typical mother-in-law thing to do: being annoying from time to time :laugh:.
I just wanted to point out what an intimate thing doing the laundry for someone else is, but then I noticed I pointed out exactly the same thought already two years ago ::). Guess I better go and reread the whole thread before I repeat the same ole stuff.
serious crayons:
--- Quote from: Front-Ranger on March 09, 2008, 12:04:57 am --- In fact, in my laundry room I have a series of photographs on the wall which I took years ago. I used to go into people's laundry rooms and poke around and take pictures.
--- End quote ---
Good idea for a photo project, FRiend. When I went to italy last fall with a group of old friends, one woman in the group made a project of photographing laundry hanging from lines, suspended between those beautiful old buildings. She got some really interesting images.
--- Quote from: Penthesilea on March 09, 2008, 06:53:48 am --- Guess I better go and reread the whole thread before I repeat the same ole stuff.
--- End quote ---
If we had to worry about that, I'd spend weeks just doing the back-reading! ;D
BlissC:
Well I've not read the whole thread (read bits and skim-read through others) and I've not been here that long, but I'm finding it fascinating reading about all the different symbolisms in the film (and in the story - though it's a while since I read the story - I really need to read it again), and while I'd spotted various bits of symbolism, I'd not noticed the laundry one, though now thinking about the film again I see it. Fascinating thread.
Penthesilea:
I've skimmed through the article K linked. I found it a fascinating read, but was too impatient to read it thoroughly right now. Anyway, two quotes from it:
In television commercials for laundry detergent, the housewife sensually presses her face into a soft, warm, fragrant, fluffy towel which, along with a tidy bowl, signifies her success as a wife and mother, as a woman, her love for her family. Laundry signifies love."
Yup, we've all seen this image countless times in different variations. This is exactly what Ennis does with Alma Junior's sweater after she left. The way he cares tenderly about a piece of clothing shows his love for its owner. The fact that it's not freshly washed, but still carries her scent, makes it even more poignant, IMO.
"When the ritual [of doing the laundry] is over, our clothes are clean and folded, and a kind of lesser order is restored. Dirt is gone; life starts anew. The bodies we put into these fresh clothes may do something different this time around."
I think this is a very interesting thought. New chances. We haven't discussed this aspect of doing laundry yet. When Jack does the laundry naked after TS1, something new starts. Before they had been friends, but now they are also lovers, a new part of their relationship begins.
serious crayons:
--- Quote from: Penthesilea on March 09, 2008, 01:04:26 pm ---"When the ritual [of doing the laundry] is over, our clothes are clean and folded, and a kind of lesser order is restored. Dirt is gone; life starts anew. The bodies we put into these fresh clothes may do something different this time around."
I think this is a very interesting thought. New chances. We haven't discussed this aspect of doing laundry yet. When Jack does the laundry naked after TS1, something new starts. Before they had been friends, but now they are also lovers, a new part of their relationship begins.
--- End quote ---
Good point, Bud, and way to connect the outside resource with the discussion of BBM!
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