Why was Jack washing his clothes naked?
by - RingerFanatic (Wed Feb 15 2006 18:33:05 ) At my 15th screening, it just ocurred to me while watching the movie...why was Jack washing his clothes buck naked? Didn't he have any other clothes to wear? I mean if it was so cold he was shivering and all. Plus, if he didn't have any clothes to wear..does that mean he had to walk around naked until his clothes dried? I'm sure that made Ennis happy if he did! Just something that crossed my mind when I saw it again. lol
Re: Why was Jack washing his clothes naked?
by - delalluvia (Wed Feb 15 2006 18:37:31 ) I think that's the idea...or else he wanted to wash himself and didn't want to dirty up his change of clothes until he did so.
Team Jolie
Re: Why was Jack washing his clothes naked?
by - lcalee (Wed Feb 15 2006 18:39:17 ) If I remember correctly, each man only had 2 shirts and 2 pairs of jeans. (In the story they didn't even wear socks or underwear).
Doing wash naked would allow him to have two clean sets of clothes. Obviously, he was also washing Ennis' other set of clothes too, as we can see one of Ennis' shirts.
He could always put on his coat and wrap in a blanket until they were dry.
"The root of all unhappiness is unmet expectation."
Re: Why was Jack washing his clothes naked?
by - SnickerD (Wed Feb 15 2006 18:45:02 ) As the short story goes, yes, he was washing both their clothes, and they did go around naked (and coupling) as they felt they were alone and invisible, thats why Aguirre spyed them even having sex in the sunshine(and waited till they were done and Ennis was back up with the sheep) before he rode into their camp to tell Jack about his uncle.
Re: Why was Jack washing his clothes naked?
by - muscla_1 (Wed Feb 15 2006 18:56:20 ) I thought it was adorable that he was doing Ennis' laundry. Is he washing THE shirt??? I kinda thought so.
"Jack, I swear..."
Re: Why was Jack washing his clothes naked?
by - Flickfan-3 (Thu Feb 16 2006 05:09:26 ) as couple of others pointed out--he only had two changes of clothes--washing in the stream, he would have gotten so wet and cold that his clothes would have been worthless for warmth and protection--could have made himself sick by wearing them---notice that he kept his boots on---and left his hat off--that is the only thing I can fault about that scene, really---a true cowboy would have kept his hat on--Lee needed it off because of the shadows it would have cast on Jack's face...
"...That's the beauty of argument, Joey. If you argue correctly, you're never wrong..."
Re: as a single guy...
by - davidinhartford (Thu Feb 16 2006 05:25:44 ) As a single guy, I can speak from experience. When I'm doing laundry at home, I'll toss all the dirty clothes in the washer, then strip off what I'm wearing and toss those in too. Of course when I get upstairs I can go get some clean clothes to put on in the meantime. But I do see why Jack (or anybody) would just as well wash everything once.
Jack and Ennis didn't exactly go up the mountain with luggage! They just had the clothes on their backs plus an extra set of clothes. Jack was camp tender, so it would have been his job to wash Ennis's clothes anyways. Ennis was supposed to be up on the mountain day and night, only coming down for meals, not to wash his clothes.
Of course, I'm sure Jack didn't mind washing Ennis's clothes at all. He was the care giver type, also depicted when he tries to comfort Ennis after he was thrown from the horse.
So sweet, so sad.
Re: Why was Jack washing his clothes naked?
by - RobertPlant (Thu Feb 16 2006 06:07:27 ) He has to do an extra-wash, so he has no other clothes.
Anyway his nudity is quite symbolic..
the first thought is of a sort of purification ritual (moreover he hasn't his hat on).
And he's shivering not only for the cold...
I'm packing my bags for the Misty Mountains
over the hills where the spirits fly
Re: Why was Jack washing his clothes naked?
by - slcm (Thu Feb 16 2006 14:10:12 )
I wondered how he got his pants off without removing the boots.
Re: Why was Jack washing his clothes naked?
by - RobertPlant (Thu Feb 16 2006 14:34:11 ) He removed the boots (for getting off his pants) and then put them again.
I'm packing my bags for the Misty Mountains
over the hills where the spirits fly
Re: Why was Jack washing his clothes naked?
by - adpaduch (Thu Feb 16 2006 19:43:25 ) A better question would be, why wasn't Jack riding horses naked, and cooking naked and even herding sheep naked? Just a thought, albeit a very sick and twisted one.
Life's too short, babe, time is flying
I'm looking for baggage that goes with mine.
Re: Why was Jack washing his clothes naked?
by - delalluvia (Thu Feb 16 2006 19:54:43 ) I wondered how he got his pants off without removing the boots.
That's why the jeans are called boot-cut.
Team Jolie
Re: Why was Jack washing his clothes naked?
by - kirkmusic (Thu Feb 16 2006 19:59:35 ) UPDATED Thu Feb 16 2006 20:00:28
That would've been hot.
Coming soon to Las Vegas: Brokeback Mountain Live... and Naked!
Re: Why was Jack washing his clothes naked?
by - stitchbuffymoulinfan (Thu Feb 16 2006 20:07:04 ) UPDATED Thu Feb 16 2006 20:07:58
Lee needed it off because of the shadows it would have cast on Jack's face...
Every time I see this movie I always notice the shadows the hat casts on Jack's face. I love those shadows; Jake looks great with them. I don't know why I think this but I do.
His nudity is symbollic, hunh? Well, I am going to read into this my next viewing and try to find out what it means...
www.jlodown.com www.petitionspot.com/petitions/jlodown
Re: Why was Jack washing his clothes naked?
by - marjorie9 (Thu Feb 16 2006 20:11:28 ) Coming soon to Las Vegas: Brokeback Mountain Live... and Naked!
We can only dream...
"I was just sending up a prayer of thanks."
Re: Why was Jack washing his clothes naked?
by - Garfieldlam (Thu Feb 16 2006 20:15:32 ) To LcaLee:
No underwear? this can cause some friction against jeans, and not in the good way!
-These snickers are so tight, I'd better take them off
-Could you not narrate?
Re: Why was Jack washing his clothes naked?
by - battlestar-fanatica (Thu Feb 16 2006 20:19:37 ) Coming soon to Las Vegas: Brokeback Mountain Live... and Naked!
LOL!
Jack Nasty loves me!
Re: Why was Jack washing his clothes naked?
by - RukiaCromwell (Thu Feb 16 2006 21:21:25 )
Anyway his nudity is quite symbolic..
the first thought is of a sort of purification ritual (moreover he hasn't his hat on).
And he's shivering not only for the cold...
I can't blame Jack for feeling the way he does after hot, passionate, sex! <shivers>
Sheep be damned. - "Brokeback Mountain" by E. Annie Proulx
Re: Why was Jack washing his clothes naked?
by - Flickfan-3 (Fri Feb 17 2006 07:34:23 ) Delalluvia--don't know if you were making a joke about the boot-cut jeans--but they are called that because you can pull them down over the boots' high, flared tops---instead of having to stuff them inside the boots's tops if they were straight-legged jeans...still have to take off the boots to take off the pants because they really aren't that flared...
"...That's the beauty of argument, Joey. If you argue correctly, you're never wrong..."
Re: Why was Jack washing his clothes naked?
by - amy7769 (Fri Feb 17 2006 07:37:20 ) I'm just glad he was naked in general. IMO Jack (and Jake) is not naked enough! lol
In situations like that., people do walk around naked
by - thefleetsin (Fri Feb 17 2006 07:42:29 ) Sometimes when you are 'camping' and you have to clean clothes, you may also have to be naked.
It happened with me on a 'fishing' trip in the Rocky Mountains. Of course, me and Curt were seriously drunk on a bottle of Southern Comfort at the time.
Re: Why was Jack washing his clothes naked?
by - bing-57 (Fri Feb 17 2006 10:12:27 ) Ooh. Cooking naked is bad, especially bacon.
Re: In situations like that., people do walk around naked
by - Haight_Male (Tue Mar 14 2006 22:19:28 ) Never mind "Why was Jack washing his clothes naked?", consider why the hell was he pounding the balled up shirt on the rock with a fat stick? That is not exactly how you get a shirt clean on a rock at the side of a creek. All Jack was going to do was fray the shirt and probably put a few holes in it.
Men....sheeesh.......
Re: In situations like that., people do walk around naked
by - Haibara (Tue Mar 14 2006 22:30:04 ) Beating clothes with a stick on the rock is actually quite common back in the day (before washer was around). Ennis and Jack were up on the mountain with no washing equitment (washing board, etc), so it's actually not a surprise that Jack was beating his laundry with a stick. Of course, it's not the best way to keep your shirts looking new.
Re: In situations like that., people do walk around naked
by - mal_300 (Tue Mar 14 2006 22:31:03 ) I think the nude scenes are beautiful. This scene also brings to mind the shot where Ennis is washing himself in the buff in the background, with Jack's beautiful face in the foreground. The scene carried on for a good while, longer than what might be expected, and I gathered from the shot that the audience was supposed to expect Jack to look around and admire Ennis - but, he didn't. Just the suggestion and the anticipation was good enough for the scene. I thought that communicated the overall tone of the film very nicely.
I only realized until reading the last several threads or so that Jack washed Ennis's shirt. How beautiful is that? I wish I could get a hold of the short story. After a few extensive searches, I stumbled upon a site that claims to have the full version, but, it is only 17 pages along. Isn't it supposed to be over 50 pages in its entirety?
Sorry for digressing.
Re: In situations like that., people do walk around naked
by - Haibara (Tue Mar 14 2006 22:38:26 ) I also love the scene with Ennis washing himself, the close-up on Jack's face is just fantastic. I know in the short story Jack looked at Ennis during his wash, but i think it's so much more alluring that Jack in the movie DIDN'T look. I wonder why they changed that.......
why pound clothes with a stick?
by - balrog20-ressurected (Tue Mar 14 2006 23:51:30 ) ... why the hell was he pounding the balled up shirt on the rock with a fat stick? That is not exactly how you get a shirt clean on a rock at the side of a creek. All Jack was going to do was fray the shirt and probably put a few holes in it.
Men....sheeesh.......
I've wondered this too and yet I've read this numerous times in other pieces of literature as well as in National Geographic pictorials of other cultures doing laundry.
In Pearl Bucks "The Good Earth" for example:
Olan continued to beat the cloth upon the rock with a stout stick...
So it looks like this is how people have washed clothes for 1000's of years and still do.
I always wondered how come you never brought any trouts home...
Re: Why was Jack washing his clothes naked?
by - nedrazeall (Tue Mar 14 2006 23:58:10 )
I just figured that either he didn't want to get his second set of clothes wet while he washed his clothes or that he was washed his body while he washed his clothes.
They both seemed very limited on clothes. They even slept in them. It's not like he had pajamas or a robe to change into.
----
I've got something to say. It's better to burn out than to fade away!
Re: Why was Jack washing his clothes naked?
by - krbroussa (Wed Mar 15 2006 00:03:35 ) This scene is not in the short story. I also don't see where that scene has anything to do with the plot. I have only seen the movie twice, but the second time I really payed attention, and it still made no sense to me. It is as if it was Jake Gyllenhaal's token nude scene for audience enjoyment. However, I did get the book Brokeback Mountain: Story to Screenplay, and the screenplay explains, "JACK, wearing only his boots, is doing laundry. Shivers. Squats by the stream, carefully wrings out ENNIS'S only other shirt, a denim button-up western-style shirt." However, in the film, this was not the type of shirt Ennis was wearing the night of their first encounter. It was a light-colored, western shirt. Upon reflection, I realized that the shirt Jack is washing and beating with a stick in the film is Ennis' shirt from the night of their first sexual encounter. Does the scene take place the next day or later? Neither the movie nor screenplay is clear about this.
Re: Why was Jack washing his clothes naked?
by - MaryFanatic (Wed Mar 15 2006 00:17:58 ) maybe he was washing the blood .remenber it happened right after a very ruff sex scene.
Re: Why was Jack washing his clothes naked?
by - iamlaron (Wed Mar 15 2006 00:39:28 ) I thought Jack's nudity while doing laundry was symbolic for his state of mind and emotional condition at the time. .. as in he had just been the aggressor in the tent the night before and Ennis was up on the mountain making up his mind about the whole thing while Jack was revealed and waiting in camp for Ennis to come back and decide what he was going to do.
The cleansing part likely symbolised a cleansing of the soul due to a true outward expression of inward feelings. An epiphany.
Re: Why was Jack washing his clothes naked?
by - delay_drawer (Wed Mar 15 2006 00:40:11 ) UPDATED Wed Mar 15 2006 00:53:43
At first tent night, Ennis was wearing the same shirt as getting down the mountain later.
The shirt Jack washing was one of "the two shirts" that in the closet. This shirt Ennis was wearing at the second tent night; and the very moment while Jack standing sleeping, Ennis holding him from behind; Ennis also wore it when he fought with Jack, then nose bleeding.
Washing Ennis's clothes first...then his own clothes....Jack really loves Ennis! I am deeply touched by the scene everytime I see it.
Beating clothes with a special stick is very common when you have no washing machine, especially in countryside. Nowadays a lot of Chinese country wives still wash family clothes beside rivers, beating them with that special stick, and talk with each other(not naked).
I would like to take Jack's nudity as a symbol: Jack exposes all his feelings and himself to the great mountain, Brokeback Mountain. But cold wind threatens him mercilessly. There is a tragedy ahead waiting for him and his emotion.
Re: Why was Jack washing his clothes naked?
by - kevinmcg (Wed Mar 15 2006 02:32:18 ) In the book, it's noted (from Jack's point of view) that Ennis has no socks or underwear. I think the points there are to show how poor Ennis is and to make certain of the fact they regularly see each other undressed.
Jack n' Ennis forever
Re: Why was Jack washing his clothes naked?
by - reannawrites (Fri Mar 17 2006 17:00:45 )
I agree with the point that it is to show that they had no other clothes and were regularly undressed in front of each other..Also, Jack is feeling vulnerable and emotionally 'naked' in the scene so it makes sense that he would be shown in this state.
Re: In situations like that., people do walk around naked
by - zyna_kat (Fri Mar 17 2006 17:18:14 ) I wish I could get a hold of the short story. After a few extensive searches, I stumbled upon a site that claims to have the full version, but, it is only 17 pages along. Isn't it supposed to be over 50 pages in its entirety?
The story isn't very long. It's about 10,600 words, and takes about 20 pages in Close Range.
If you want to read the short story, I suggest buying Brokeback Mountain: Story to Screenplay. It has the original story, the screenplay, and essays by Annie Proulx, Diana Ossana, and Larry McMurtry.
Re: Why was Jack washing his clothes naked?
by - amandazehnder (Tue Mar 21 2006 20:21:54 ) Do you think there's any connection to the laundry scene we see later... When Alma's washing clothes roughly in the basin and the kids are crying?
That's the real reason Alma wanted to move...
by - VirginiaGal (Tue Mar 21 2006 20:29:06 ) to the place over the laundromat!
