Brokeback Mountain: Our Community's Common Bond > Brokeback Mountain Open Forum
Jack and Alma
Brown Eyes:
I totally agree with everyone that the daylight and the recklessness are important in the film reunion kiss. It's still evening though... Ennis has had to wait ALL DAY (pacing in anticipation!!- he even had to take the day off from work!!) for Jack to arrive.
serious crayons:
It is such a phenomenal moment: so much anticipation, so much at stake. It's my second favorite five seconds -- after the turning piont in TS1 -- in the whole movie. Actually the reunion may go on for longer; maybe even 20 seconds. But never enough time, never enough! Twenty MINUTES would have been welcome.
TJ:
In the way that Annie Proulx described the scene which had the reckless abandon involved with the kissing, it was almost like Ennis Del Mar could claim, "Well, Jack "Little Darlin'" started it. He ran up the steps, two and two, to where I was standing. I just could not help myself when we hugged and kissed each other simultaneously. We couldn't help it if we 'sucked face'. Besides, Jack bit my lip when he kissed me with his buckteeth."
It was dark in the book; but, since there was a thunderstorm going on, there were probably lightining flashes, too. And, since the book's apartment was over a laundry, it would also be possible that people on the street could have seen them kissing. The parking space where Jack parked his old green pickup could have been on the street on in a parking lot in front of the laundry.
With my understanding of the original story and the fact that both of them were so excited about seeing each other, if Ennis had not been married or if Alma had gone to "her sister's" with the girls - she had one in the movie), he would have not closed the apartment door and gotten Jack inside as quickly as possible and they would have been on the bed making out immediately.
opinionista:
--- Quote from: atz75 on April 11, 2006, 12:23:19 am ---So, I just rewatched my DVD tonight and got to thinking about a subject that's been discussed once in a while on the big board. I'm increasingly noticing Jack's competitiveness with Alma. In the "prayer of thanks" campfire scene when Jack says "you and Alma, that's a life?" and Ennis defends Alma, there's this incredible exchange of intense gazes between Jack and Ennis. And, just tonight I noticed that when Jack and Ennis are about to leave the apartment after Ennis has introduced Jack to Alma, as Jack is backing out the door he looks up and seems to lock eyes with Alma for a second. I feel like once Jack is back on the scene in Ennis's life he's determined from this new beginning to "stake his claim" with Ennis.
Not only was Jack first to make love to Ennis (based on the "opportunity" conversation, we glean that Alma and Ennis were *innocently* engaged), on Brokeback they had already set up their version of domestic happiness. The fact that we see Jack washing Ennis's clothes (then mirrored later by Alma washing clothes in the sink) and Jack and Ennis cooking for each other, and taking care of each other must make it seem from Jack's point of view that Alma is the usurper. It's interesting that he's so eager to propose to Ennis that they live together again. And, it's amazing how self-aware Jack is throughout the film. He recognizes through to the end ("all we've got now is Brokeback mountain, everything's built on that") that they were only ever truly content when they were living together.
Alma clearly feels the rivalry right away too. And, much of the rest of her story seems to show Alma gradually acquiescing to the rival. It's interesting because Ennis doesn't seem to feel jealousy or competitiveness when it comes to women and Jack, only when he imagines Jack with other men.
--- End quote ---
I just found this thread. I see is pretty old, so I apologize in advance if my response was already discussed. I think Ennis does not feel threatened by the women in Jack's life because he is sure about Jack's feelings for him. Jack, however, is not so sure about Ennis's feelings, because he keeps rejecting him and refuses to even consider having a life with him. Besides, Alma is living the life Jack wishes to have with Ennis, to a certain extent, of course.
Jane:
--- Quote from: atz75 on April 11, 2006, 12:23:19 am ---So, I just rewatched my DVD tonight and got to thinking about a subject that's been discussed once in a while on the big board. I'm increasingly noticing Jack's competitiveness with Alma. In the "prayer of thanks" campfire scene when Jack says "you and Alma, that's a life?" and Ennis defends Alma, there's this incredible exchange of intense gazes between Jack and Ennis. And, just tonight I noticed that when Jack and Ennis are about to leave the apartment after Ennis has introduced Jack to Alma, as Jack is backing out the door he looks up and seems to lock eyes with Alma for a second. I feel like once Jack is back on the scene in Ennis's life he's determined from this new beginning to "stake his claim" with Ennis.
Not only was Jack first to make love to Ennis (based on the "opportunity" conversation, we glean that Alma and Ennis were *innocently* engaged), on Brokeback they had already set up their version of domestic happiness. The fact that we see Jack washing Ennis's clothes (then mirrored later by Alma washing clothes in the sink) and Jack and Ennis cooking for each other, and taking care of each other must make it seem from Jack's point of view that Alma is the usurper. It's interesting that he's so eager to propose to Ennis that they live together again. And, it's amazing how self-aware Jack is throughout the film. He recognizes through to the end ("all we've got now is Brokeback mountain, everything's built on that") that they were only ever truly content when they were living together.
Alma clearly feels the rivalry right away too. And, much of the rest of her story seems to show Alma gradually acquiescing to the rival. It's interesting because Ennis doesn't seem to feel jealousy or competitiveness when it comes to women and Jack, only when he imagines Jack with other men.
--- End quote ---
I,ve only just found this thread so please forgive me jumping in at this late stage. I completly agree with you about Jack competing with Alma. The look you mentioned as he backed out of the door of that apartment was as if he was saying, "back off he,s mine, dont you DARE touch him" . And your right about Ennis not being in the slightest bit jealous of the thought of Jack with other women, only men. Oh WHY couldnt they have found SOME way to work it out fgs. I know what time era it was and how difficult things were back then etc, but I get so SICK of unhappy endings all the time. I do think that after 20 years, if anyone deserved to be happy after everything they,d been through it was Jack and Ennis. :'( :'( :'( :'(
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