Author Topic: Timeline in the lives of Jack and Ennis -- by surf501  (Read 16924 times)

Offline TOoP/Bruce

  • BetterMost Supporter!
  • Moderator
  • BetterMost 1000+ Posts Club
  • *****
  • Posts: 1,662
Timeline in the lives of Jack and Ennis -- by surf501
« on: July 16, 2007, 07:58:23 am »
Timeline in the lives of Jack and Ennis
by - surf501 (Mon Dec 19 2005 20:39:12 )


Here goes after seeing the movie four times (EDIT: Have now seen movie 9 times), and reading the published version of the screenplay, certain year milestones are noted:

1963 - The year they meet, summer. After Brokeback, Ennis marries Alma the same year.

1964 - Ennis and Alma are married, and expecting their first child. The movie at the Drive-in is "Surf Party", from 1964.

1966 - Fourth of July when Ennis beats up the foul mouthed Biker. The announcer in the background clearly says Fourth of July, 1966. Same summer, Jack attempts to pick up Jimbo the Rodeo Clown, then meets Lureen.

1967 - Four years after the summer on Brokeback, Jack and Ennis reunite.

Flashback: 1952 - Ennis' father takes him and his brother to see the murdered body of Earl, the rancher. Ennis says he is 9 years old, which means he must have turned 20 later in the fall of 1963, after the summer on Brokeback, which makes sense since the book says he was "not yet twenty", which seems to imply "not yet twenty, but almost/soon will be".

1969 - The "Where's my Blue Parka?" scene. The screenplay is messed up here about dates. In the space of two pages the year changes from 1971 to 1969 to a scene with a wall calendar that says 1973! I think that 1969 is supposed to be the correct year, but then why would little Bobby need a tutor at age of only 2 or 3? In the movie though we are free to place it in any year we choose in a given late sixties, early 70's range.

1972 - The montage where Jack is letting bobby drive the tractor and Ennis is baling hay out the back of a truck

1973 - Ennis and Alma sit in their apartment on a Saturday night and watch an episode of "Kojack". Alma wants to go to the Church social, but Ennis dosesn't feel like hanging out with "..that fire and brimstone crowd."

1975 - Ennis and Alma divorce. The date is read by the judge. I believe it's in July. The 5th? (Correction: The date of their divorce is November 6th) Jack drives up to see Ennis, hoping this means they will now be able to live together.

1977 - Thanksgiving with Ennis at Alma and Monroe's, and at the Twist Household. You hear the year read by the announcer at the football game on television. The screenplay describes Bobby as being 10, which means he would have had to be two when he needed the tutor.

1978 - Jack and Ennis go to the Mountains again, "Aww go to hell Ennis Del Mar, you want to live your miserable *beep* life, go ahead..." Jack and Lureen meet Randall and LaShawn Malone, at a benefit dinner dance. Ennis meets Cassie.

1979 - Scene with Ennis, Cassie, and Alma Jr. at the bar. The screenplay describes Alma Jr. as 15 yrs,

1981/1983 - Jack and Ennis meet for the last time in 1981 (screenplay) or 1983 (book). In the book, Proulx says they go everywhere but back to Brokeback. In the movie it seems like they always return to Brokeback or we assume so. Cassie confronts Ennis in the Diner.

1982 - In the screenplay, this is the year Jack is killed, and Ennis has the phone coversation with Lureen. Ennis meets Jack's parents.

1984 - Final scenes in movie with Ennis and Alma Jr., the reversed shirts.

"You know it could be like this, just like this, always"
Black Hat White Hat
Former IMDb Name: True Oracle of Phoenix / TOoP (I pronounce it "too - op") / " in fire forged,  from ash reborn" / Currently: GeorgeObliqueStrokeXR40

moremojo

  • Guest
Re: Timeline in the lives of Jack and Ennis -- by surf501
« Reply #1 on: July 27, 2007, 12:03:55 pm »
I believe this is one of the earliest posts on the old IMDb board I can remember reading. I think I first encountered it before I even saw the film (which would be consistent with my first viewing occurring on Saturday, 18 February 2006).

A minor addendum: in the published screenplay, Ennis is described as being twenty when we first see him arriving in Signal. Additionally, in the story, the italicized prologue pushes the chronology of Ennis's life indefinitely beyond 1983/1984. Jack is deceased by then (Ennis is recalling his dream of him), at least one of Ennis's daughters is married, and apparently Ennis has the two shirts still hanging on the trailer wall. The inference from cumulated details suggests that years have passed since Jack's death and Ennis's learning of it.

Offline jstephens9

  • BetterMost 1000+ Posts Club
  • ******
  • Posts: 4,327
Re: Timeline in the lives of Jack and Ennis -- by surf501
« Reply #2 on: October 08, 2007, 01:54:08 pm »
Very interesting. Thanks for posting the timeline. I always wondered what movie that may be that they are watching at the drive-in. I would have never thought it would be a movie about surfers "Surf Party." For some reason it is hard for me to associate Ennis with surfers in any way. Actually same for Alma. It's even hard to imagine in a way that Ennis ever even thought about the existence of California or surfers. I say California cause I believe the surf movies portrayed that, but I don't know for sure. It makes you wonder why that movie was chosen. With almost every thing in the movie having some kind of symbolism it makes me wonder what, if anything, that might mean.

As far as how long it was before Ennis knew of Jack's death, that is a good question. How long would it have taken between the time he sent the card and he got it back with "deceased" written on it. I have always thought that it would have had to have been before November of that year, but I could be wrong.

Offline Shakesthecoffecan

  • BetterMost Supporter!
  • BetterMost 5000+ Posts Club
  • *******
  • Posts: 9,566
  • Those were the days, Alberta 2007.
Re: Timeline in the lives of Jack and Ennis -- by surf501
« Reply #3 on: October 08, 2007, 07:25:01 pm »
Yeah Bobby was way too young for a tutor when later he and Jack are riding in that Versatile tractor "No Hands!" That chap might have been in kindergarten.
"It was only you in my life, and it will always be only you, Jack, I swear."

Offline nic

  • BetterMost Supporter!
  • Brokeback Mountain Resident
  • *****
  • Posts: 248
  • No man is an island
Re: Timeline in the lives of Jack and Ennis -- by surf501
« Reply #4 on: October 08, 2007, 10:23:20 pm »
...As far as how long it was before Ennis knew of Jack's death, that is a good question. How long would it have taken between the time he sent the card and he got it back with "deceased" written on it. I have always thought that it would have had to have been before November of that year, but I could be wrong.

This question is one of those that breaks another piece of my heart - for Ennis to realise Jack passed away while he himself was going about his ordinary day to day (half-)existence.  Maybe one day he had an unusual feeling but just put it down to some bad food (!), how awful not to know - not that it makes it any easier to deal with even if one did know.  I think it had to be before November too.
Old Brokeback got us good and it sure ain't over

Offline TOoP/Bruce

  • BetterMost Supporter!
  • Moderator
  • BetterMost 1000+ Posts Club
  • *****
  • Posts: 1,662
Re: Timeline in the lives of Jack and Ennis -- by surf501
« Reply #5 on: October 09, 2007, 11:33:10 am »
Very interesting. Thanks for posting the timeline. I always wondered what movie that may be that they are watching at the drive-in. I would have never thought it would be a movie about surfers "Surf Party." For some reason it is hard for me to associate Ennis with surfers in any way. Actually same for Alma. It's even hard to imagine in a way that Ennis ever even thought about the existence of California or surfers. I say California cause I believe the surf movies portrayed that, but I don't know for sure. It makes you wonder why that movie was chosen. With almost every thing in the movie having some kind of symbolism it makes me wonder what, if anything, that might mean.


Here is a CaseyCornelius thread about "Surf Party" for anyone interested:

http://bettermost.net/forum/index.php/topic,13719.0.html
Former IMDb Name: True Oracle of Phoenix / TOoP (I pronounce it "too - op") / " in fire forged,  from ash reborn" / Currently: GeorgeObliqueStrokeXR40

Offline jstephens9

  • BetterMost 1000+ Posts Club
  • ******
  • Posts: 4,327
Re: Timeline in the lives of Jack and Ennis -- by surf501
« Reply #6 on: October 09, 2007, 12:44:14 pm »
Here is a CaseyCornelius thread about "Surf Party" for anyone interested:

http://bettermost.net/forum/index.php/topic,13719.0.html

Very interesting thoughts are expressed here. Thanks.

Offline jstephens9

  • BetterMost 1000+ Posts Club
  • ******
  • Posts: 4,327
Re: Timeline in the lives of Jack and Ennis -- by surf501
« Reply #7 on: October 09, 2007, 12:56:06 pm »
This question is one of those that breaks another piece of my heart - for Ennis to realise Jack passed away while he himself was going about his ordinary day to day (half-)existence.  Maybe one day he had an unusual feeling but just put it down to some bad food (!), how awful not to know - not that it makes it any easier to deal with even if one did know.  I think it had to be before November too.

If it would not have been before November it seems that there would have been something uncomfortable shown in Ennis. However, now that I think of it, when did the scene of Cassie with her new friend happen in the restaurant? That was right before Ennis went to the post office I believe. Obviously, Ennis was upset so could it have been that he had not heard back from Jack and it was past November. Just a thought.