Brokeback Mountain: Our Community's Common Bond > Brokeback Mountain Open Forum
A Ninth Viewing Observation
Front-Ranger:
Aww I just love that last paragraph...describes Ennis to a T. Anybody who says he is being sexist in the runny nose scene...I'll kick 'em in the teeth!
serious crayons:
Thanks, F-R! Ask them if they want to lose half their f'in teeth!
--- Quote from: atz75 on August 05, 2006, 03:00:12 pm ---Well, I honestly don't think Ennis was doing his kids any real favors in the way he was living. He hardly saw them anyway and he refused to live with Alma Jr. even when she asked him if she could.
--- End quote ---
In the post-divorce scene, it sounds like he was seeing them once a month (and in fact not even that). But by the time Alma Jr. asked to live with him, sounds like they were seeing each other once a week, which was pretty standard in them days for a non-custodial dad (that's probably about as often -- at best! -- as I saw my dad after my parents divorced in the mid-70s, and he was a pretty good dad).
BUT. I myself always thought about Ennis and his daughters, what's the big deal? It's not like if he went to live with Jack, he couldn't still see his daughters. And then one day, I realized: 1970s rural Wyoming, a man goes off to live with another man, there's actually a very good chance he COULDN'T still see his daughters ...
So although I don't think that was really Ennis' biggest reason for not accepting Jack's offer, it's not a complete non-issue, either.
Brown Eyes:
--- Quote from: Front-Ranger on August 05, 2006, 10:41:42 pm ---Amanda, are U really Ennis...or really Annie Proulx in disguise????
--- End quote ---
LOL! Well, honestly I'm a little bit like a girl-version of Ennis to tell you the truth. This movie tends to bring out the optimistic side of me, which is one thing I love about it.
Katherine, you know I agree that the all those things you listed in your post are way too harsh and judgmental. I'll help you and Front Ranger with the teeth thing over the idea that Ennis was being sexist in the runny nose scene. I've always thought just the opposite. Even though the kids are crying and wiping runny noses is sort of an unpleasant task, he always seems very patient here. Maybe he's enjoying any bit of time he gets with the kids. He doesn't seem to hesitate about going in to take care of them. I think the "three hands" comment was Ennis trying to make a little joke or trying to make light of a sort of stressful moment.
jpwagoneer1964:
--- Quote from: latjoreme on August 05, 2006, 11:21:27 pm --- Ennis himself would no doubt agree, at the end, that he blew it.
--- End quote ---
I don't know that Ennis felt he did blow it given that he felt the tire iron got Jack. He always treasured and was protective of they had, hence the out of the way trips. Sadly truth was and is that they would of had to always be aware of what was going on around them had they ranched up together, Ennis fears unfortunatelly were not unfounded. Matthew Sheppard was murdered in Larmie in 1997 one year after Brokeback was published.
serious crayons:
--- Quote from: atz75 on August 06, 2006, 12:00:20 am ---Katherine, you know I agree that the all those things you listed in your post are way too harsh and judgmental. I'll help you and Front Ranger with the teeth thing over the idea that Ennis was being sexist in the runny nose scene.
--- End quote ---
No, I know you don't think he was sexist, Amanda. I never think you are particularly harsh on Ennis. Iin fact, you are very egalitarian! ;)
But I do see it a lot. There was long discussion going on a few weeks ago about whether Ennis is sexist because 1) he gave Alma a threatening look in the grocery store (more than one person insisted she backed down only because she feared a beating) and 2) he not only wasn't being the least bit progressive by rushing in to comfort his daughters in 1965 rural cowboy Wyoming, you could actually see his fury that Alma wasn't doing it herself.
To both of which I say ... um, hunh?
My feeling is that some people are so sympathetic toward Jack that it makes them resentful of Ennis, and it shows up in all kinds of ways, some of which seem pretty over the top. In the examples above, I think people are reading things into him based on what they assume about uneducated, machoish men of his place and time. Yet the evidence on the screen is that he's pretty UNsexist for his place and time and, except for a couple of hot-headed moments, he is actually quite nice.
--- Quote from: jpwagoneer1964 on August 06, 2006, 12:08:45 am ---I don't know that Enniis felt he did blow it given that he felt the tire iron got Jack.
--- End quote ---
True, JP. I guess that's arguable. I do think in the end Ennis has his regrets, though, whatever they may be.
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