Brokeback Mountain: Our Community's Common Bond > Brokeback Mountain Open Forum
Why was the Dozy Embrace so sad?
southendmd:
Ang seems always to tend to make things spare.
I have to recall my very first viewing (before reading the story). The lake scene argument was so intense, so much anger and disappointment, ending with Ennis's collapsing.
Then, such contrast with the dozy embrace, seeing them young and in love, and so tender (in a way we hadn't seen since TS2) was overwhelming to me. What particularly struck me, besides Ennis's humming, was the look of utter love on Jack's face as he watches Ennis on horseback depart.
That face is then replaced by older Jack's resigned, hardened face watching Ennis's truck depart. I think then one realizes the DE is Jack's memory; that makes it all the sadder.
I personally think it more effective without an earlier DE.
Of course, later, reading the story, I found it the most beautiful passage. The story DE is certainly sadder than the film, because of Ennis's denial.
Here's what Annie wrote about the DE: The most difficult scene was the paragraph where, on the mountain, Ennis holds Jack and rocks back and forth, humming, the moment mixed with childhood loss and his refusal to admit he was holding a man. This paragraph took forever to get right, and I played Charlie Haden's and Pat Metheny's Spiritual, from their album Beyond the Missouri Sky (short stories) uncountable times, trying to get the words. I was trying to write the inchoate feelings of Jack and Ennis, the sad impossibility of their liaison, which for me was expressed in that music. To this day, I cannot hear that track without Jack and Ennis appearing before me.
(BTW, here's the gorgeous youtube flashback in slow motion with the music she mentions: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yi6i8bfwV-w)
RossInIllinois:
--- Quote from: Cameron on April 03, 2007, 05:06:50 pm ---Ross, I just read your post again. You mean it was to be a whole scene when it actually happened, up on the mountain?
If so when exactly was that? That's something else that I was always wondering about.
--- End quote ---
I'm under the impression that it was to be shortly after the first love making scene right before the "first snow" scene to show how the relationship was going from awkward to loving and tender. We also spent almost a week on a scene with them rescuing a bunch of Hippies that got there flower power van stuck in a creek bed on one of there rendezvous. It was totally cut but was an afterthought written by one of the Producers and Ang hated the scene but shot it anyway and obviously never included it in his final cut.
To add, The reason this scene is so sad is because its the only scene in the movie where you see Ennis loving and tender with Jack Twist. He is only at that time and place exactly what Jack always wanted him to be.
Jeff Wrangler:
--- Quote from: RossInIllinois on April 03, 2007, 05:27:34 pm ---I'm under the impression that it was to be shortly after the first love making scene right before the "first snow" scene to show how the relationship was going from awkward to loving and tender. We also spent almost a week on a scene with them rescuing a bunch of Hippies that got there flower power van stuck in a creek bed on one of there rendezvous. It was totally cut but was an afterthought written by one of the Producers and Ang hated the scene but shot it anyway and obviously never included it in his final cut.
--- End quote ---
That makes chronological sense. Would it have been between "the first time" and the second tent scene? That would have accorded with the part in the story's description of Jack's memory that at the time it took place, Ennis couldn't bring himself to acknowledge that it was a man he was embracing.
On the other hand, placed where it is, as a flashback that we didn't see when it actually took place in 1963, it's very true to Annie Proulx's narrative.
Still, I wish it could have gone on just a bit longer. ... :-\
Cameron:
So do I....... :(
Brokeback_Dev:
The Dozy embrace scene makes me cry every time i see it. I have a tear in my eye just reading this thread. Espesically the look on Jacks face as Ennis hops up and rides off. Jack turns to watch him ride away. We see that longing loving face of Jack....one of earlier times
then we're brought back to the reality that Jack is older and broken i think, as he sees Ennis drive away with the horse trailer. Thats the scene is the last we see them together.
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