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

Smokes and Fire

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Front-Ranger:
It's funny that Alma is the only one in the movie to ask for a pack of cigarettes. The story says, "'Ennis--' said Alma in her misery voice, but that didn't slow him down on the stairs and he called back, 'Alma, you want smokes there's some in the pocket a my blue shirt in the bedroom.'" Alma's getting no fire from Ennis, that's for sure, and the little fire she does get comes from Ennis's blue shirt, the one he has to remind him of Jack's blue eyes.

Lureen is smoking when she asks Jack why it is that husbands don't never want to dance with their wives. She's using the fire as a substitute for the fire that she doesn't feel in their relationship. Jack brushes the barb off of himself, literallly--he brushes the cigarette ash off his sumptuous black duded up cowboy outfit, and says "Ain't never give it any thought." His fire for her is in ashes, since it never did burn that brightly anyway.

Rutella:
And thinking of cigarettes, one part of the story which I wish was shown in the film is from the motel scene:
"Ennis pulled Jack's hand to his mouth, took a hit from the cigarette, exhaled. 'Sure as hell seem in one piece to me[....]'" There is something about the sharing of a cigarette in that way that gets me good. The next line also makes me feel a bit wibbly inside, though I can see why they might not have wanted Movie Ennis to say it.

And I also love the imagery when Jack is up with the sheep when he is smoking and looking down at Ennis' fire. The cigarette is a very small fire (and barely lit it seems) and despite the fact that Ennis is miles away, his fire is still burning bright. And the idea of Ennis as fire just seems so apt.

Front-Ranger:
I don't smoke, but these passages make me want to fire one up and share it with each of you, Rutella and goadra!

nakymaton:
The first image from the dozy embrace flashback is of the embers of the fire, still glowing.

Rutella:

--- Quote from: goadra on October 14, 2006, 07:26:12 pm ---Ennis borrows Jack’s lighter at the bar. There’s a little spark between them as their fingers touch.

--- End quote ---

And as someone (sorry forget who) pointed out, Ennis is smoking outside Aguirre's trailer earlier so his asking for Jack's lighter at the bar is unnecessary and is his first kinda flirty thing.

I'm now having an imaginary cigarette (smoking....so sexy in Brokeback but makes me feel sick in real life)

I was just writing on another thread when I remembered another great cigarette moment that is written in the screenplay but not seen in the film; the beginning of the motel scene where the script says "the room is blue with cigarette smoke. The two men appear to be sleeping. We hold on them for a beat. Ennis awakens, rolls over, switches on the light, pulls out a cigarette, lights it. Jack awakens. Ennis lights a cigarette for him, hands it to him."

I'm not surprised the room is smoky with those two on fire all night. sigh.
  

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