Author Topic: Scene Discussion: Nursery Window  (Read 9398 times)

Offline Front-Ranger

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Scene Discussion: Nursery Window
« on: July 08, 2007, 12:56:09 pm »
This has always been one of my favorite scenes even though there's no Jack in it:



I'd love to hear your thoughts on this scene.
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Offline shortfiction

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Re: Scene Discussion: Nursery Window
« Reply #1 on: July 08, 2007, 01:01:50 pm »
This scene shows us that Ennis will never forsake his daughters no matter how much he wants to be with Jack.
Of course, there are other reasons for that as well. 
      The daughters figure much more prominently in the film than in the short story, I've also noticed--particularly Alma Jr.    She's a great daughter who tries to look after her dad.
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Offline Lumière

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Re: Scene Discussion: Nursery Window
« Reply #2 on: July 08, 2007, 01:08:44 pm »
I just like the way he cradles his baby and the way his brow is furrowed in concern.
Very tender and caring.  I love that scene too.
It showed us this other side of Ennis' life that we never got to see very much with Jack and his family.


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Re: Scene Discussion: Nursery Window
« Reply #3 on: July 08, 2007, 01:20:46 pm »
Yes, I also love the way Ennis's brow is furrowed because it contrasts so well with the other dozy embrace where he doesn't have a troubled look. And in the other dozy embrace, his other hand, the one without the wedding ring, is prominent.

We see Ennis in this scene embracing his daughter Jen, and also in other scenes embracing Alma, and Jack, and even Cassie when he dances with her. But where do we ever see Ennis being embraced? The abandoned boy surely needs to be embraced, to feel the safety of arms around him. The closest thing I can think of is when Mrs. Twist's hand touches his shoulder. And the hand of his father, when he was nine years old, forcing him along to witness a horrific deed...
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Offline shortfiction

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Re: Scene Discussion: Nursery Window
« Reply #4 on: July 08, 2007, 10:04:41 pm »
    About that last dance with Cassie, Ennis sort of has his arms around her, but he's trying to get a puff from his cigarette at the same time.    He looks a bit lost at that point.
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Re: Scene Discussion: Nursery Window
« Reply #5 on: July 13, 2007, 11:31:03 am »
I said in the first post that this is a favorite scene of mine even though Jack's not in it. But is that really true? In the movie, McMurtry and Ossana made Alma Jr. the heir of Ennis and Jen the embodiment of Jack. The name of the second child of Alma and Ennis was even changed to Jen from Francine. My theory is that this was done because the heroine of Lee's masterpiece Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon was named Jen (anglicized). Her demeanor was similar to Jack's. So, we can see that the crying child who was soothed by the embrace of Ennis WAS Jack in a way.

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Offline Shakesthecoffecan

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Re: Scene Discussion: Nursery Window
« Reply #6 on: July 14, 2007, 04:34:23 pm »
I like the scene too because it shows a seperation, a barrier if you will between Ennis and Alma that already exists. He has run to the aid of his daughters after their exhausted mother has given up. He will do anything for them he can, include shield them from the dangers of the world, like having a father who has a boyfriend.
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Offline Brown Eyes

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Re: Scene Discussion: Nursery Window
« Reply #7 on: July 15, 2007, 02:02:54 pm »
We see Ennis in this scene embracing his daughter Jen, and also in other scenes embracing Alma, and Jack, and even Cassie when he dances with her. But where do we ever see Ennis being embraced? The abandoned boy surely needs to be embraced, to feel the safety of arms around him. The closest thing I can think of is when Mrs. Twist's hand touches his shoulder. And the hand of his father, when he was nine years old, forcing him along to witness a horrific deed...

Well, the most significant time that I can recall Ennis being embraced is TS2 when Jack pulls Ennis on top of him and sort of cradles and rocks him.  Actually, I think almost that whole tent scene from the moment that Jack caresses Ennis's forearm to the kissing at the end is Jack "embracing" Ennis since he's the one in the lead here or guiding Ennis along.

I think that Jack's Mom at the end is a great example of another kind of "embrace" directed towards Ennis.  To me it's one of the most poignant moments reminding us of the fact that Ennis is an orphan (the other scene that always reminds me that Ennis is an orphan is the dozy embrace when he mentions his Mother).    Mrs. Twist definitely seems like she could have served as a surrogate mother figure (or doting mother-in-law figure) if Ennis had pursued a more committed relationship with Jack. 

And, as you suggest about the topic of the nursery scene, I think this also may be about Ennis as a father in light of the fact that he's an orphan and had a horrible role model for a father.  His tenderness towards his daughters and his willingness to help Alma with the children, I think go a long way to show how different Ennis is from his own father (or at least what we know of his father).

The image you include in the first post is really, really interesting to analyze.  In that shot we see Alma separated from Ennis through multiple layers of glass and presumably she'd be able to see him through those multiple windows (even if it would be a fuzzy image).  In this image she'd be seeing Ennis as she would want to see him, as a devoted husband and father.  Later, she again sees Ennis through glass (the glass of the screen door during the reunion kiss).  When she sees him kissing Jack her view is much clearer with only on layer of intervening glass and maybe she's getting her first clear view of Ennis as he really is.  The great issue of Film Quarterly devoted to BBM has a long article in it titled "On the Universality of Brokeback Mountain" by D.A. Miller that's divided into many sections.  One section of the article is called "The Homosexual Observed: Erotic Play Under Glass" and it's about heterosexual characters (Aguirre through his binoculars and Alma through the glass door) observing intimate moments between the two gay characters through the mediation of a glass device.  This nursery scene seems to be another interesting, and very complicated, moment of Alma perhaps observing Ennis (a gay character in this case not with his partner) through multiple layers of mediation.
« Last Edit: July 15, 2007, 02:13:15 pm by atz75 »
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Offline shortfiction

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Re: Scene Discussion: Nursery Window
« Reply #8 on: July 15, 2007, 03:04:46 pm »
Thinking about domesticity and kids:
  • On Brokeback, both men play the roles of camp tender and sheep tender. Housekeeping, fixing and serving meals, taking care of the “children”—it’s all the same to them.
  • The nursery scene: Ennis unloads his horses, greets his wife—who’s cooking and washing—then rushes to take care of his children.
  • The grocery store: Ennis leaves his children in his wife’s care—at her job—to go to work.
  • Refusing the sweet life: “You got your wife and baby...and I got my life in Riverton.”
  • The swingset scene: “No one’s eating unless you’re serving it.” Why? This seems the biggest departure from what he did on the mountain.
  • The post-divorce scene: “I got the girls this weekend.”
  • The lake scene: “You ever hear of child support?”

Regarding Jack’s mom: In an interview, Mr. Ledger said, “It was rather sweet.” From the moment Roberta Maxwell turned up on set, he explained, she embraced him, patted his face, and was “naturally trying to find some warmth between us.” She found it.

I took "No one's eating it unless you're serving it" to mean that Ennis did not want Alma to take the extra shift, possibly because he suspects that she and Monroe are involved; or because he thought he might get called in to work; or he knows that Alma is pulling away from him.   

To expand on the domesticity issues. ....There's not much shown of Jack and Bobby, except for the scene where Jack is letting Bobby steer the giant tractor around and the infamous Thanksgiving scene where Jack regains control of his domain--"This is my house, this is my child, and you are my guest"---and there is also food involved, the food that "his mama took three hours to cook."      And one more sarcastic bit from Ennis:  "Sure, and maybe you [Jack] can convince Alma to let Lureen adopt the girls."

RE:  Roberta Maxwell---you can really see the love and tenderness in her face directed towards Ennis and when she speaks of her deceased son.   She did a great job.       

Good post you made.

   








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moremojo

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Re: Scene Discussion: Nursery Window
« Reply #9 on: July 15, 2007, 04:22:19 pm »
Five other examples of Ennis getting hugged: (a) not exactly an embrace, but the moment when Jack tends to Ennis's bleeding after the aborted tussle on the last day on the mountain is a kind of quasi-embrace--and one which Ennis, in his anger and desperation, violently rejects. (b) Alma bringing her arm around her husband when coaxing him away from the lonely ranch. (c) The reunion is an emphatic moment of Ennis getting one great bear-hug, from the love of his life, Jack. (d) The post-divorce arrival of Jack at Ennis's place is another clear occurrence of someone giving Ennis an unambiguous hug. (e) Alma, Jr. hugging her dad back at the film's end. Ennis actually gets touched rather a bit in the film; it's remarkable how lonely and alone he still seems despite this.

As for that nursery-window still, the love and concern of Ennis for his daughter is unmistakable here. Both Ennis and Jack come across as much more engaged fathers in the film than they do in the story. One final thought: looking at this image, I can't help but wish that I could, but for a moment, be that disconsolate babe held by those strong hands and arms!

Offline shortfiction

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Re: Scene Discussion: Nursery Window
« Reply #10 on: July 15, 2007, 09:30:12 pm »
This also shows how Jack doesn't get much in the way of embracing, except by Ennis when they reunite.  No hugs or cuddling with Bobby, just one dance, then a quickie in the car, then a perfunctory kiss with Lureen when he's looking for his blue parka.

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Re: Scene Discussion: Nursery Window
« Reply #11 on: July 18, 2007, 05:35:54 pm »
This scene is so eerie, the way Alma's ghostly face is facing toward Ennis and Jen. She's looking at them, unbeknownst to them, the way she looked at Ennis and Jack as they were embracing on the stairs. As well as the way Aguirre looked at Ennis and Jack too, through glass as well.

I also just noticed that Jen is embracing Ennis with her little arm!!

Small details: Ennis's cuff is unbuttoned. I wonder in what other scenes are his buttons buttoned or unbuttoned??

Everything in this scene, as in the entire movie, is tinged in blue. The film was shot with a blue-tinged film stock. Shades of Jack.

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moremojo

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Re: Scene Discussion: Nursery Window
« Reply #12 on: July 18, 2007, 05:53:50 pm »
Everything in this scene, as in the entire movie, is tinged in blue. The film was shot with a blue-tinged film stock. Shades of Jack.
That's interesting, and notice also how Ennis is wearing a blue denim jacket...further suggesting a link to Jack (as if he has learned to be nurturing through Jack's influence).

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Re: Scene Discussion: Nursery Window
« Reply #13 on: August 31, 2007, 02:12:43 pm »
This also shows how Jack doesn't get much in the way of embracing, except by Ennis when they reunite.  No hugs or cuddling with Bobby, just one dance, then a quickie in the car, then a perfunctory kiss with Lureen when he's looking for his blue parka.



Not that he's looking for it! 'Member? "Husbands...don't never like to dance with their wives."
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Offline Brown Eyes

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Re: Scene Discussion: Nursery Window
« Reply #14 on: August 31, 2007, 03:53:28 pm »
I think the closest thing we see to Jack 'cuddling' with Bobby is when Jack is helping Bobby drive the tractor around in the parking lot.  I think that's a really sweet little detail to have added.

It is a good observation that poor Jack has a pretty cold family situation as an adult. With L.D. always picking at him and Lureen really being more of a friend than a spouse or mate, Jack's home life seems a little abrasive.  And, of course, he'd already endured growing up with his Dad.
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Marge_Innavera

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Re: Scene Discussion: Nursery Window
« Reply #15 on: September 06, 2007, 01:26:53 pm »
One of the things that's really striking about this scene, every time I've watched it, is that Ennis looks tired but not particularly unhappy, and that he doesn't even need Alma to ask him to look in on the babies, he just does it. And in the later scene, he's obviously the one who puts them to bed at night (or at least some nights).  Very unusual for any young American father in the mid-1960s. It gives you a glimpse of the kind of man Ennis could have been.

Ironically, when the film first came out I read some angry essays mentioning this scene as trying to show heterosexual marriage and family life as being "squalid." (Part of the Gay Agenda, donchaknow)

mvansand76

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Re: Scene Discussion: Nursery Window
« Reply #16 on: September 06, 2007, 04:24:05 pm »
This has always been one of my favorite scenes even though there's no Jack in it:



I'd love to hear your thoughts on this scene.


Oh, you can see Alma in the kitchen in the background!  :D

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Re: Scene Discussion: Nursery Window
« Reply #17 on: September 22, 2007, 12:14:52 pm »
Oh, you can see Alma in the kitchen in the background!  :D
Yes, and they are separated by panes of glass. The grid of the windows seems to echo the plaid in Ennis's shirt.
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Re: Scene Discussion: Nursery Window
« Reply #18 on: September 22, 2007, 12:18:20 pm »
Ironically, when the film first came out I read some angry essays mentioning this scene as trying to show heterosexual marriage and family life as being "squalid."

It doesn't come across squalid to me at all. It is the realization of Annie's words, "the sounds were of squalling and sucking and Alma's sleepy groans, all reassurring of fecundity and life's continuance to one who worked with livestock."
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Re: Scene Discussion: Nursery Window
« Reply #19 on: December 03, 2008, 06:08:11 pm »
Since we are talking about windows in the church, I'll resurrect this discussion about the window in the little nursery where Ennis comforts his crying daughters.
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Re: Scene Discussion: Nursery Window
« Reply #20 on: December 04, 2008, 05:38:31 pm »
Here is the scene we are discussing:



Click for an enlargement.
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