That zany Uncle Harold

[serious crayons]

Jack is wearing the solid dark grey shirt he is seen in several of the Brokeback scenes. His only other one is 'the' blue denimn.

Oh, OK. Thanks for the clarification, JP. 

[Penthesilea]

Here's what I notice: The scene where Aguirre announces Uncle Harold's illness mirrors the post-divorce scene, in several ways. In both, someone -- Aguirre in the first and Jack in the latter -- shows up unexpectedly and says, "So here I am." In both, Jack is wearing uncharacteristically dark clothes (going from memory, I think his shirt is blue in the Aguirre scene, but it's a darker, grayer blue than usual, and in post-divorce it's black and gray, colors that elsewhere in the movie seem associated with death or murder). In both, someone has been doing some investigating beforehand -- Aguirre with the binoculars, Jack by asking 10 people where Ennis lives. In the first, Aguirre peers at Ennis through his binoculars and Jack follows his gaze, perhaps realizing what Aguirre is thinking. In the second, Ennis peers at the white truck and Jack follows his gaze, perhaps realizing what Ennis is thinking.

Great observations, Katherine 



"So here I am" said by Aguirre always makes me chuckle. I don't know exactly why, but I find it pretty funny how he delivers this line: not grumbling like he mostly speaks, but somehow... I don't know, can't find the right expression for it. But it's definately different.
And this applies for both versions I've seen: the original and the German dubbed version. Something is definately in Aguirre's tone and it's outstanding enough that the dubbing people noticed it and incorporated it.
I've never seen someone mention that this sentence by Aguirre is funny. Am I the only one who thinks so? Or is it so obvious that nobody mentions it?

Thinking about it, the whole conversation is funny, or at least strange.
Paraphrasing here:
Jack: Nothing I can do about it up here
Aguirre: Nothing you can do down there neither. Unless you can cure pneumonia.

Aguirre answers as if Jack would have considered to go down the mountain to rush to Uncle Harold's sickbed. And as if Aguirre would assure him to stay up the mountain, because it wouldn't make any difference.
But Jack's tone isn't concerned or at least upset, Jack is rather indifferent about it. Jack surely did not consider running down the mountain because of Uncle Harold. Or did he (NO!)? Or did he think his mother expectates him to?

More questions than answers, as usual.


For the OP question: I always thought the purpuse this scene serves is to show us (and Jack) that they are not invisible on the mountain, as they believed.

I just checked the story about it and noticed a difference to the movie: in the story Aguirre comes by two times only to give Jack news about Uncle Harold. The first time is the scene we see in the movie. The second time is only shortly mentioned: "Though he [U.Harold] did[survive] and Aguirre came up again to say so, fixing Jack with his bold stare, not bothering to dismount." The bold stare and not dismounting is included in the scene in the movie.
But in the story Aguirre's second visit up the mountain is not the day when he says to bring them down. The second time Aguirre comes by is even before the hailstorm (the one which courses the mixed sheep). When Aguirre wants our boys to bring the sheep dowm, he doesn't come himself, he sends word.

[serious crayons]

Great observations, Katherine 

Thanks, Chrissi!

"So here I am" said by Aguirre always makes me chuckle. I don't know exactly why, but I find it pretty funny how he delivers this line: not grumbling like he mostly speaks, but somehow... I don't know, can't find the right expression for it. But it's definately different.

I know what you mean, and it IS hard to articulate. There's something light, or even flip, about it, something slightly ironic. Maybe because Aguirre wouldn't normally consent to run an errand for someone else, but under these circumstances he's doing it, so his tone acknowledges that in this one instance he's grudgingly being uncharacteristically nice.

And maybe, too, it sounds funny after you've seen the movie more than once, because it echoes Jack saying the same line, under such different circumstances.

Aguirre: ... Unless you can cure pneumonia.

I've often thought that line seems significant, too. From time to time people have mentioned Jack's savior-like qualities -- first there's mention of him controlling the weather, here it's about curing disease.

And, as Mel says, the fact that pneumonia is a disease of the lungs (wind) may be important.

But how?!? 

[Mikaela]

Couple of thoughts on this:

I've half-way considered poor uncle Harold a means to tie the boys to the outside world, reminding them (and us) that the real world off the mountain is waiting, - the world they are soon going to have to live in. A place where they have family and family-related obligations. A place where people are ill and even dying. A place where supporting the family, being part of a family, illnesses and births and deaths and the implications of such events take on a much greater importance relative to the emotions the boys are grappling with on the mountain. Yes; a far cry from their isolated heaven on the Mountain.

Aguirre being the messenger between those two worlds just seems to fit, somehow.

I've pondered how little we get to see and hear about the familiy members. Especially about Ennis's family, perhaps. There are his brother and his sister, both of whom are married, so I assume as time goes by there are nephews and nieces as well. Before he's divorced, there are the in-laws, Alma's sister, her mother (and father and grandmother) - probably further family members on Alma's side. Through their connection to his girls Alma's family in a way remain his family even after the divorce. Yet we never get to meet all these people (apart from a tiny glimpse in the wedding - I suppose that's Ennis's brother and Alma's sister we see left and right of bride and groom?) We never get to know them. Judging from the film narrative, they meant little in Ennis's grown-up life. Ennis must have kept in contact, though - there must have been Christmases, Thanksgivings, christenings, weddings, other events and just family meet-ups.

Apparently, apart from the untimely death of his parents,  none of that made a significant impression in his life, neither as one-time specific watershed events, nor as representative of the direction his life is going in. While many of the meetings with Jack did take on such importance. I suppose it's all showing us how much family took back stage in Ennis's mind to his relationship with Jack.

Nevertheless, when seeing Jack's uncle Harold in that light, he's useful simply as an early reminder that the boys *have* family connections and obligations, beyond what we get to see in the film itself.

Perhaps he's also an indication that family ties and obligations are stronger and mean more on the Twist side of affairs than on the Del Mar side - also considering Jack's going back to help his folks out in later years.

Perhaps the total picture of family relations in the film is showing us that Ennis, having experienced the shock and trauma of his parents' death, consciously or subconsciously made sure to keep family at arms length thereafter - simply to avoid another such painful grief.

Perhaps uncle Harold *not* dying after all contrasts the Del Mars' too-early death - or rather contrasts the impact on Ennis and Jack, respectively: Of losing family members - or of keeping them. Of experiencing the grief of abandonment through death, or of having it pass you by......

Lots of thoughts here, brought on by the elusive uncle Harold! 

----------

I've somehow gotten the impression that Aguirre knows Jack's mother. I just think he speaks relatively respectfully there - as if he knows who Jack's ma *is*, and feels especially obliged to do her a service and convey a message himself after having talked with her. It's not entirely impossible that they knew each other once upon a time, is it?  As we later learn, Jack's mother *is* a woman who inspires respect and kindness even in quite gruff guys (unless they're her hubby). Aguirre knowing Mrs. Twist from before might be one reason why Jack was hired on the first year. Might even be the reason why Aguirre holds back from letting Ennis and Jack have it after he discovers them in flagranti.

[Mikaela]

Oops - did I scare everyone away with my stream-of-consciousnesss ramblings about uncle Harold? Hope not. Because here are some further random thoughts.

I forgot the most obvious of all, I think - that uncle Harold serves to point out that Jack, specifically, has close family beyond his parents. From the rest of the tale that's not apparent. We don't get to see Jack's and Lureen's wedding (which must have been a very quiet affair, anyway - not even their picture taken) and we don't hear about any other of Jack's family members as far as I can recall. Neither is there exactly an abundance of family pics on the Twist farmstead's walls.  The existence of Harold makes the contrast to Ennis less stark - both Ennis and Jack *do* have a family  - however much or little they're seen to be in contact with that family.

We don't know the first thing about uncle Harold, but when did that stop *me* from speculating?  Suppose he was the positive male role model to Jack that his father certainly was not.... even though we never hear about it, Jack *may* have had other supportive adults to relate to, growing up, in addition to his mother. I like that thought. 

I wonder if the "ain't much I can do about it up here" /Ain't much you can do about it down there neither" exchange is simply their way of saying: "I think I may have to leave/No you don't, there's no call for that."

[serious crayons]

I wonder if the "ain't much I can do about it up here" /Ain't much you can do about it down there neither" exchange is simply their way of saying: "I think I may have to leave/No you don't, there's no call for that."

To me, Jack doesn't sound very interested in leaving. In other words, he's not saying, "Ain't much I can do about up here  ... so I'd better get packing." More like, "... so I guess he's a goner." And Aguirre, rather than talking Jack out of going, sounds to me like he's just reassuring him (gruffly, of course) that Jack's presence wouldn't make a difference in Uncle Earl's fate anyway.

Back to your thoughts about Ennis' contact with his family vs. Jack's. It's true, we do see more of Jack's. Partly because they're more crucial to the plot; it's possible Ennis saw his relatives but Ang Lee and the camera crew just didn't go along.

But I realized reading your post that Ennis hardly ever even mentions his siblings -- except as a way of sharing info with Jack -- whereas Jack mentions his folks pretty frequently. Which made me think: you know, in some ways we know more about Jack's life than we do Ennis'. Even though Ennis has more screen time, parts of his life are mysterious. For example, what did he do between leaving the mountain and marrying Alma? Where did he meet Alma in the first place, for that matter? For some reason, I feel like I can pretty well picture Jack's life in Childress and even in Lightning Flat, whereas Ennis' in Riverton seems hazier.

[Mikaela]

To me, Jack doesn't sound very interested in leaving.

I agree - but he has a huge reason to not want to leave..... Perhaps his lack of enthusiasm and the circumspect way he frames his comment stem from him feeling he *should* leave, should *want* to leave - but he absolutely wants no such thing. He just wants to be with the one who makes him laugh and lets him love.  Especially in view of the happy scene that Aguirre witnesses before he rides down to camp to tell Jack of uncle Harold -  I imagine it would take more than a bout of family phneumonia to make Jack really want to leave from the heaven he's in just then.

[serious crayons]

“Not so lonely like you were raised” means she knew Ennis’s childhood was unhappy, but since he doesn’t say much I often think they knew each other growing up. Her sister’s in Riverton, though, so I’m at a loss to say for sure.

Good point. I always pictured them meeting at a church picnic or something, maybe matched up by others. Maybe Alma's sister is married to a guy Ennis worked with or something. Otherwise Alma probably would have to be the initiator, and that's a bit hard to picture. She's no Lureen or Cassie.

But you've got a good point, Barbara. If she didn't know him growing up, how would she know he was raised lonely? That would require him talking to her in depth about his childhood. And not only that, discussing his emotions! Not likely!

[opinionista]

What is up with Uncle Harold? He's a phantom character we hear about but never see (along with Roy Taylor, Don Wroe, Steve, Kurt, Troy and Ennis' mother -- only Uncle Harold is far more conspicuous and seemingly significant)? Why would the movie introduce a character, put him in dire jeopardy, then save his life -- all completely offscreen and with little or no connection to the plot?

The news about Uncle Harold's pneumonia is ostensibly what gets Aguirre up the mountain and in a position to spy on Jack and Ennis. But it also seems kind of pointless. Aguirre could have been given any number of other routine reasons for stopping by; he could even just be checking on things. Uncle Harold's illness does not propel any action -- Aguirre rather indifferently makes the announcement, Jack rather indifferently replies that he can't do anything about it, Aguirre agrees, and that's the end of that.

By the time they break camp, we viewers have pretty much forgotten about Uncle Harold. Yet, as if we'd been waiting in suspense, Jack feels compelled to mention him again and reassure us that he's OK. He says it quickly, as if it's only of passing interest, yet he announces it even before he gets to the bigger news (and, in the screenplay, pauses afterward) You'd think Jack would normally say, "Aguirre came by, said to bring 'em down" and then after that, or maybe even hours later, he'd add, "Oh by the way, Aguirre also said my uncle didn't die after all."

So let's figure out what purpose Uncle Harold is supposed to serve.

Here's what I notice: The scene where Aguirre announces Uncle Harold's illness mirrors the post-divorce scene, in several ways. In both, someone -- Aguirre in the first and Jack in the latter -- shows up unexpectedly and says, "So here I am." In both, Jack is wearing uncharacteristically dark clothes (going from memory, I think his shirt is blue in the Aguirre scene, but it's a darker, grayer blue than usual, and in post-divorce it's black and gray, colors that elsewhere in the movie seem associated with death or murder). In both, someone has been doing some investigating beforehand -- Aguirre with the binoculars, Jack by asking 10 people where Ennis lives. In the first, Aguirre peers at Ennis through his binoculars and Jack follows his gaze, perhaps realizing what Aguirre is thinking. In the second, Ennis peers at the white truck and Jack follows his gaze, perhaps realizing what Ennis is thinking.

So what does it all mean? When Jack says, "nothing I can do about it up here," and Aguirre agrees, "nothing you can do about it down there, either," are they metaphorically talking about Jack's inability to do anything to change Ennis' mind? Or does Uncle Harold somehow fit into Ennis' fears about the dangers they'd face if they lived together -- and does his recovery show that the dangers actually aren't as great as Ennis believed? Is Uncle Harold gay (as someone theorized a while back)?

What are your thoughts?

There's no enough information to infer that Uncle Harold was gay. That is rather unlikely, IMO. In any case he'll be a very very very closeted gay. I always thought that uncle Harold line was a plot device to let us know that Aguirre knew about Ennis and Jack's secret. In the movie he sees them frolicking on the ground. In the sort story he sees them having sex. When Jack comes back to Aguirre looking for work the third time, long after he and Ennis had left BBM, Aguirre tells him he knew they weren't doing their jobs: "Twist, you guys wasn't getting paid to leave the dog baby-sit the sheep while you stemmed the rose", Aguirre said. If Proulx had written that line without some previous context, we wouldn't have understood how he knew. Also, it was to show some of the consequences of being gay in the 1960's in Wyoming. I think Aguirre refuses to re hire Jack because of what he knew about him.

On the other hand, Aguirre didn't trust them with the sheep. I think he hired them because he had no other choice. He didn't have a long line of people in front of his trailer hoping he give them the job, did he? When he first meet with Ennis and Jack and explains the job, he he makes a point that he doesn't want to lose another 25% of his cattle, the 25% Jack had lost the previous year. So, my guess is that he uses the Unlce Harold information as an excuse to spy on them.

[serious crayons]

There's not enough information to infer that Uncle Harold was gay. That is rather unlikely, IMO.

I absolutely agree. I was being kind of flip. I think at one time or another, people here have speculated that every presumably straight man in the movie is gay: Aguirre, Jimbo, Old Man Twist ...

I always thought that uncle Harold line was a plot device to let us know that Aguirre knew about Ennis and Jack's secret.

I agree, I think he's a reason for getting Aguirre up there. But the Uncle Harold subplot is so elaborate and yet so pointless, when Aguirre could easily have been given a simpler, less complicated reason for stopping by. In a way, Uncle Harold is like the tattooed lady dancing in the bar -- so conspicuous you wonder if she's supposed to mean something beyond just showing that Ennis and Cassie weren't the only people in the bar dancing. Same with Uncle Harold; I wonder if he's supposed to have some metaphoric or symbolic significance in addition to serving the practical function of prompting Aguirre to pay a visit.