Brokeback Mountain: Our Community's Common Bond > Brokeback Mountain Open Forum

Brokeback Mountain's "heftiest emotional moment"

<< < (4/6) > >>

Katie77:
Good point Mandy.....
I have to admit, that I was one of those first time viewers of the movie that did not see "DECEASED" stamped on the postcard.
It wasn't until he was making the phone call that it hit me what had happened.

Was it a case of Ennis justifying what he had always thought, that they could not live together safely, we see that when his own thoughts of what happened are contradicting what Loreen is telling him. Was he half expecting something like this to happen?

I think the reason it would be so much of a wallop to the story line and us viewers, was the finality of what we were all hoping might happen, the "they lived happily ever after" conclusion was not going to happen. But as far as Ennis was concerned, they were never going to live happily ever after, so when Jack died, of course heartbreaking, it was also the end of the SECRET, the double life Ennis had been living. Look how easily, he could phone Laureen, even talk to her about Brokeback Mountain, for the first time admit he was a friend of Jacks. And then to go to Jack's home, something he  would never have done while Jack was alive.

Finding the shirts, was Ennis's wallop....here it was, the two of them together as " lovers", in Jack's family home. It was then, that Ennis mourned the loss of the love of his life, and taking the shirts, and that nod to Jacks mother was the first time he acknowledged to anyone the feelings he had for Jack.

RouxB:

I didn't see him as composed at all. I saw him as barely holding it together as he was making that call. Also, stoic Ennis just wouldn't break down in the street-not his personality.

One of the (many) differences between the short story and movie characters is their emotionality. Annie wrote those guys to be rough products of their environments. Ang directed them as much more emotional and sympathetic. We have so romanticized these characters and our interpretations are colored significantly by that. I don't think it is unusual for people to save their breakdowns for more private times and for when the initial shock wears off.

On January 22 2008 I walked back into my work place from lunch to be met at the door by one of my friends who said "hey, your boy Heath died". I said "what?" and he told me the story. I just walked into my office and got back to work. Later that afternoon I had to make a phone call to a customer that I was friendly with and in the middle of the conversation I started to cry (completely freaked him out). I shut my door and put my head on my desk. I cried everyday for a year.

Grief doesn't have a pattern.


--- Quote from: Mandy21 on April 17, 2011, 05:56:45 pm ---You know something about that I never understood was how Ennis could so quickly compose himself in order to go down the street to a pay phone within minutes and call up his long-time lover's wife?  I would think he would have just crumbled on the street or walked to his truck and curled up in the seat and cried like a baby.  I never understood how he could be so strong in those moments, almost to the point of imperviousness, it seems.  Any thoughts, Janice or anyone?

--- End quote ---

chowhound:
I see Ennis's willingness to almost immediately phone Lureen as an aspect of denial. A common reaction to the sudden and unexpected death of a loved on is denial - 'no,no, surely it can't be!" Ennis may even been hoping that it would be Jack's voice he'd hear at the end of the line and that the postcard was some dreadful mistake.

This suggestion is in line with the short story:

"Ennis didn't know about the accident for months until his postcard to Jack saying that November still looked like the first chance came back stamped DECEASED. He called Jack's number in Childress...This would be all right, Jack would answer, had to answer. But he did not. It was Lureen..."

serious crayons:
But even in the story, and certainly in the movie, we don't know how much time elapses between Ennis getting the postcard and making the call, do we?

Mandy21:
I always had the impression that he walked from the post office to the nearest phone booth immediately.  Am I wrong?

Navigation

[0] Message Index

[#] Next page

[*] Previous page