BetterMost, Wyoming & Brokeback Mountain Forum
Brokeback Mountain: Our Community's Common Bond => Brokeback Mountain Open Forum => Topic started by: Front-Ranger on April 14, 2008, 10:29:50 pm
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Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal were perfect as Ennis and Jack. Now that they have turned in their immortal performances, they have indelibly marked themselves in our brains, and, as Annie Proulx noted, they knew the characters better than she did. But if you read the descriptions of Ennis and Jack in the story, they are quite different than Heath and Jake. If you were casting the movie, who would you have picked?
Reading the story, here's who I would have selected to play Ennis. He's a songwriter turned actor, with the required high-arched nose, caliper legs, and body made for fighting:
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0005164/ (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0005164/)
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Interesting Front-Ranger!
And your choice would sing?
Did Ennis sang in Annie's story?
Au revoir,
hugs!
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The guy you picked reminded me of this guy from Richard Avedon's In the American West:
(http://bettermost.net/forum/index.php?action=dlattach;attach=4285;type=avatar)
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Lyle Lovett!!
Hmmm, not sure about him as Ennis...But I love his music. :)
[youtube=425,350]http://nl.youtube.com/watch?v=dCOEne9eocU&feature=related[/youtube]
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Interesting Front-Ranger!
And your choice would sing?
Did Ennis sang in Annie's story?
Au revoir,
hugs!
You bet, Artiste. He had a good raspy voice, and knew the salty words to The Strawberry Roan!! But, then Heath was a good singer too and so is Lyle.
Now that brings me to Jack. In the story, Jack had curly hair and played the harmonica. Remind you of anybody??
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Now that brings me to Jack. In the story, Jack had curly hair and played the harmonica. Remind you of anybody??
Hmm, that's a tough one..... Bob Dylan? [ ;) ]
Lyle Lovette is a brilliant piece of casting. He's perfect physically, and he can act really well, and he 'gets' the western man thing. I'm in awe!
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Well, when they do "Brokeback Mountain: The Musical" ... they've got their cast!
:D
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Well, when they do "Brokeback Mountain: The Musical" ... they've got their cast!
:D
Thinking of musical versions... have we ever heard any more rumblings about the idea of a Brokeback opera? I remember there was some semi-serious discussion about that happening in NYC at some point.
???
Anyway, sorry to stray slightly off topic.
This question is really very interesting! And very hard! It's so difficult to imagine Ennis and Jack looking or sounding any different than Heath and Jake's versions of the characters. I'll keeping thinking about this one and get back to you...
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On the basis of Annie Proulx's description, I see someone who looks a lot like Owen Wilson as Ennis, and someone who looks a lot like Vince Vaughan as Jack.
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On the basis of Annie Proulx's description, I see someone who looks a lot like Owen Wilson as Ennis, and someone who looks a lot like Vince Vaughan as Jack.
Though I think even Owen and Vince are a bit higher on the hotness scale than Annie's Ennis and Jack. ;)
I was thinking more in the realm of John C. Riley and Tim Blake Nelson.
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Hmm, that's a tough one..... Bob Dylan? [ ;) ]
Lyle Lovette is a brilliant piece of casting. He's perfect physically, and he can act really well, and he 'gets' the western man thing. I'm in awe!
Excellent deduction, Dal! Here's the curly-haired guy. What do you think? Can you see him as Jack??
(http://www.divshare.com/img/midsize/4269746-35e.jpg) (http://www.divshare.com/download/4269746-35e)
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Can you see him as Jack??
Hmmm.... Well, I don't know.... would the young Dylan have looked good in a cowboy hat? Also of course, we'd have to hear him sing "Water Walking Jesus" with that er, ah.... well, what would you call that voice?! :D
(http://i46.photobucket.com/albums/f104/vcdrtPH/dylan-cowboyhat.jpg)
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Yeah, I can see a young Bob Dylan in a cowboy hat. :D
It's difficult to imagine anyone but Heath and Jake as Ennis and Jack though, and for me it doesn't really matter that the physical descriptions weren't spot on. I think it was their performance of the characters that was the important thing, and in that respect I think Heath and Jake were true to the Ennis and Jack in the story, and I don't think you can improve on perfection. ;)
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I don't think you can improve on perfection. ;)
Amen to that. :)
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Remember when there were rumors of these two being cast?
(http://www.theage.com.au/ffxImage/urlpicture_id_1076175098854_2004/02/09/joaquim_phoneix,0.jpg)
(http://images.art.com/images/products/large/10038000/10038728.jpg)
(http://img5.allocine.fr/acmedia/medias/nmedia/18/64/05/22/18748637.jpg)
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Hmmmm.... is the guy on the right in the first photo this guy??
(http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2006-8/1210035/JoaquinPhoenix.jpg)
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Hmmm.... Well, I don't know.... would the young Dylan have looked good in a cowboy hat? Also of course, we'd have to hear him sing "Water Walking Jesus" with that er, ah.... well, what would you call that voice?! :D
There are many photos of Dylan in a cowboy hat. Here's one from the Pekinpah film Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid, where he played a small role:
(http://www.divshare.com/img/thumb/4279432-ff5.jpg) (http://www.divshare.com/download/4279432-ff5)
Speaking of that voice, he also did the score for the movie, and have you heard the song, "Knocking on Heaven's Door"? Now that is a lush voice!
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Hmmmm.... is the guy on the right in the first photo this guy??
(http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2006-8/1210035/JoaquinPhoenix.jpg)
Yes, indeed. Look like an Ennis to you?
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Yes, he does have the required edge but there is something missing. I don't see in him anything of the hurt little boy underneath the tough exterior. That is one of the many things that Heath in his genius brought to the role.
I did think of Joaquin Phoenix immediately for the role of Loyal Blood if Annie Proulx's novel Postcards is ever brought to the screen. He'd be amazing, like a comet across the sky in that challenging role!!
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Remember when there were rumors of these two being cast?
(http://www.theage.com.au/ffxImage/urlpicture_id_1076175098854_2004/02/09/joaquim_phoneix,0.jpg)
(http://images.art.com/images/products/large/10038000/10038728.jpg)
(http://img5.allocine.fr/acmedia/medias/nmedia/18/64/05/22/18748637.jpg)
Can't see that! :-\