Brokeback Mountain: Our Community's Common Bond > Brokeback Mountain Open Forum
Carving up the Two Old Birds
Meryl:
--- Quote from: ruthlesslyunsentimental on July 04, 2006, 03:30:53 pm ---LOVE IT! Thanks for this addition!
--- End quote ---
Thanks, glad it makes sense to you. And thanks for making it more clear to me that the birds really do symbolize Jack and Ennis. :)
--- Quote ---I can certainly go along with this. I am also pessimistic -- ruthlessly unsentimental -- about Ennis' future. I see him as working hard every day, maybe going to a bar, alone, for several beers, or to the bus depot, alone, for pie... but then sitting in his trailer all evening long, again, alone, drinking beers, smoking cigarettes and watching TV or gazing at the shirts hanging in the opened closet. To be brutally frank, I see Ennis starting to talk to the shirts after a while. I think those shirts are going to become his best and only friend. Still, we did see a teeny weenie bit of movement on his part at the end, didn’t we?
--- End quote ---
That is a grim picture, but one I can envision, too. Annie Proulx gave us even less hope than the screenplay, with her "wind strikes the trailer like a load of dirt coming off a dump truck" line, as if Ennis is literally being buried. I'm glad Ang Lee at least let in a crack of light under the door. :-\
ruthlesslyunsentimental:
--- Quote from: meryl on July 04, 2006, 04:21:00 pm ---I'm glad Ang Lee at least let in a crack of light under the door. :-\
--- End quote ---
Me too. Lee has said that he added the final scene to give some wisp of hope or promise to the story. Still, going to the wedding just gets him out of his trailer for a couple of hours on a very important day. This doesn't mean he'll ever do another Thanksgiving with Alma and Monroe, though. The amazing thing about this is that he will have to go to a public event where Alma Sr. is present. Maybe she'll take this opportunity to finally tell Ennis that she witnessed the passionate reunion kiss. Wouldn' that just make Jr.'s day all the more special?
Side question -- when Ennis goes to Jr.'s wedding, what do you think he wears? His wedding suit -- I'll bet he still has it -- or his slicked-back hair and bolo tie from the Thanksgiving scene? I go with the slicked-back hair and bolo tie. Any thoughts? Does he drink a little bit too much and get in a fight with one of the groomsmen?
Meryl:
--- Quote from: ruthlesslyunsentimental on July 05, 2006, 04:22:27 am ---Me too. Lee has said that he added the final scene to give some wisp of hope or promise to the story. Still, going to the wedding just gets him out of his trailer for a couple of hours on a very important day. This doesn't mean he'll ever do another Thanksgiving with Alma and Monroe, though. The amazing thing about this is that he will have to go to a public event where Alma Sr. is present. Maybe she'll take this opportunity to finally tell Ennis that she witnessed the passionate reunion kiss. Wouldn' that just make Jr.'s day all the more special?
Side question -- when Ennis goes to Jr.'s wedding, what do you think he wears? His wedding suit -- I'll bet he still has it -- or his slicked-back hair and bolo tie from the Thanksgiving scene? I go with the slicked-back hair and bolo tie. Any thoughts? Does he drink a little bit too much and get in a fight with one of the groomsmen?
--- End quote ---
I think Jr. is savvy enough to take Ennis in hand when it comes to looking good at the wedding. She'll probably arrrange for him to meet up with Kurt for a guys' day out shopping trip and haircut. It's nice to imagine, anyway. ;)
As for Alma, I wonder if she'd even know about Jack's death. It'd make an interesting fanfic: Alma making some remark to Ennis, only to find out his fishing buddy had passed away. She'd look like a hypocrite if she expressed sympathy, but she'd have to have some feelings about it. Maybe it would lead to a heart-to-heart talk with Ennis at last. It's nice to imagine, anyway. ;)
ruthlesslyunsentimental:
--- Quote from: meryl on July 05, 2006, 12:42:31 pm ---She'll probably arrrange for him to meet up with Kurt for a guys' day out shopping trip and haircut.
--- End quote ---
Or maybe a new episode of "Queer Eye for the Hopelessly-Believing-Himself-to-be-Straight Guy?"
--- Quote ---As for Alma, I wonder if she'd even know about Jack's death. It'd make an interesting fanfic: Alma making some remark to Ennis, only to find out his fishing buddy had passed away. She'd look like a hypocrite if she expressed sympathy, but she'd have to have some feelings about it. Maybe it would lead to a heart-to-heart talk with Ennis at last. It's nice to imagine, anyway. ;)
--- End quote ---
Oh, gosh. Now you turned my joking mood into a sad one.
So sad, because while Ennis did introduce Jack to Alma and the girls (he sort of had to since they were all there), he could never, ever talk to anyone about Jack except to say "We was good friends." Oh, poor, sad, grammatically incorrect Ennis... (At least he was a good speller.)
As far as Alma, if she ever found out, I could see her biting her tongue to keep herself from saying something patently offensive like "Well good!" But, I can't see a heart-to-heart. Well, maybe in 2006, when they're both in their sixties... and Alma has watched a lot of Oprah... but then, she'd still carry the bitterness that the lie he lived (for which she may express some sympathy) was a lie to her and to their relationship and to their children...
Thanks again! ???
(Kidding -- it's nice talkin' to ya. :-* )
serious crayons:
--- Quote from: ruthlesslyunsentimental on July 06, 2006, 03:06:55 am ---So sad, because while Ennis did introduce Jack to Alma and the girls (he sort of had to since they were all there), he could never, ever talk to anyone about Jack except to say "We was good friends."
--- End quote ---
I know, that is really sad. The only sympathy he got was from Mrs. Twist. So maybe he will go see her, on a day when Mr. Twist goes into Casper for supplies.
Or maybe someday, after Alma Jr. watches a lot of Oprah ...
--- Quote ---As far as Alma, if she ever found out, I could see her biting her tongue to keep herself from saying something patently offensive like "Well good!" But, I can't see a heart-to-heart. Well, maybe in 2006, when they're both in their sixties... and Alma has watched a lot of Oprah... but then, she'd still carry the bitterness that the lie he lived (for which she may express some sympathy) was a lie to her and to their relationship and to their children..
--- End quote ---
:laugh:
No, that kind of transformation would be beyond the powers of even Oprah. A wife would have to be pretty saintly to console her ex on the death of the person (man or woman) with whom he was having an affair throughout their marriage, let alone someone she considers "nasty." And Alma is far from saintly.
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