Author Topic: "On Your Feet Cowboy"  (Read 8927 times)

Offline Mikaela

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Re: "On Your Feet Cowboy"
« Reply #10 on: May 22, 2006, 01:44:45 pm »
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From Meryl
There's Lureen looking adoringly at Jack smiling at her, and then he looks over her shoulder with the saddest expression, as if he knew that he was looking ahead to a life of settling for something that was only a shadow of what he really wanted.

Oh yes! And the fact that he's been smiling and seeming to somewhat enjoy himself up to the point where the lyrics reach "I know sometimes you've been so lonely...", and *then* gets that very sad and forlorn expression.  :'(  Yes, he's been lonely, and blue. Surely that plays a big part in why he's settling for the shadow of what he wanted. *sigh*


On to another matter: Does anyone else get distracted by the other couple on the little dance floor when Ennis and Cassie dance to "Melissa?"  Everything that can be seen of the woman is tattooed. I can't help looking at that every time, wondering why they chose such a conspicuous extra. Perhaps she just gives a realistic flair to the scene and the locale....

Offline serious crayons

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Re: "On Your Feet Cowboy"
« Reply #11 on: May 22, 2006, 01:55:55 pm »
On to another matter: Does anyone else get distracted by the other couple on the little dance floor when Ennis and Cassie dance to "Melissa?"  Everything that can be seen of the woman is tattooed. I can't help looking at that every time, wondering why they chose such a conspicuous extra. Perhaps she just gives a realistic flair to the scene and the locale....

YES. Especially because back in them days tattoos of any kind were relatively rare. I'm no expert on small-town Wyoming circa 1983, but I would venture to guess she'd have been pretty unusual.

"Such a conspicuous extra" is a good way to put it. Maybe she won a walk-on part in one of those contests.

Offline SFEnnisSF

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Re: "On Your Feet Cowboy"
« Reply #12 on: May 22, 2006, 02:09:07 pm »
I love the scene when Jack dances with Lureen as "No One's Gonna Love You Like Me" is being sung.  It's the most obvious, but it works beautifully.  There's Lureen looking adoringly at Jack smiling at her, and then he looks over her shoulder with the saddest expression, as if he knew that he was looking ahead to a life of settling for something that was only a shadow of what he really wanted.  :(

Hi Meryl,

I love this scene too. 

Offline Mikaela

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Re: "On Your Feet Cowboy"
« Reply #13 on: May 22, 2006, 06:00:07 pm »
Maybe she won a walk-on part in one of those contests.


But even so, they could have made her put on a jacket or something. So they must have thought all that decorated skin had a purpose or at least wasn't out of context in the scene. Perhaps she can be seen as a contrast to Cassie; - a reminder that Cassie *is* a very attractive woman compared to many others around Rivertion who might have been interested in having a go at a relationship with Ennis.

Offline serious crayons

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Re: "On Your Feet Cowboy"
« Reply #14 on: May 22, 2006, 06:14:14 pm »
But even so, they could have made her put on a jacket or something. So they must have thought all that decorated skin had a purpose or at least wasn't out of context in the scene. Perhaps she can be seen as a contrast to Cassie; - a reminder that Cassie *is* a very attractive woman compared to many others around Rivertion who might have been interested in having a go at a relationship with Ennis.

Hmmm. Good point about the jacket. But if they just wanted to show that Cassie is attractive by Riverton standards (which is pretty obvious anyway -- hell, she's attractive by Hollywood standards), would they have needed someone so bizarre to represent the rest of the female population of Riverton? Surely they could have found a less distracting way to send that message.

Others have noted that the guy she's dancing with is wearing a black hat. That is, he is a reminder to Ennis of Jack. So what could tattoos mean in that context? Let's brainstorm. Um ... tattoos are a way of artificially altering your appearance or your image or your natural self, and that's what Ennis is doing by dating Cassie ...?

Offline starboardlight

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Re: "On Your Feet Cowboy"
« Reply #15 on: May 22, 2006, 07:02:52 pm »
it's been suggested (by whom? I can't recall) that the tattooed woman is meant to show that time was changing and that things were getting more liberal. That such an unusual woman was out in daylight perhaps meant that the people in town were more accepting tof differences than Ennis feared. The fact that her partner is a black hat wearing man might even draw us to believe that Ennis and Jack could actually be out and about together without too much trouble. Thus making his fear all the more tragic, because it may have been possible to have that "sweet life" and be accepted. Just like the Black Hat and White Hat men in the bus station, suggest a possible alternate existence for the Ennis and Jack. I'm not sure I believe that entirely, but it's worth playing with, symbolically.
"To do is to be." Socrates. - "To be is to do." Plato. - "Do be do be do" Sinatra.

Offline Brown Eyes

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Re: "On Your Feet Cowboy"
« Reply #16 on: May 22, 2006, 07:10:54 pm »
Heya starboardlight,
I was just about to mention the guy in the black hat.  I've never really pondered the tattooed woman too much because I'm always focused on the guy with the black hat.  I mostly see that particular guy as a sign that Ennis is dreaming of Jack at this moment.  I think both of Ennis's dancing scenes with Cassie are meant to show his true lack of interest - having to be dragged out to the floor and (in the first dance) trying to keep her at arms length.  Jack is at least usually more willing to dance and seems to be pretty good at it, at least in comparison.  I guess this is no surprise since Jack is generally more social.
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Offline serious crayons

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Re: "On Your Feet Cowboy"
« Reply #17 on: May 23, 2006, 12:24:37 am »
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Jack is at least usually more willing to dance and seems to be pretty good at it, at least in comparison.

Yeah, what's that line about this scene from the cowboy etiquette thread? Something like, "If by chance you are required to dance with a woman, hold her at arm's length and smoke furiously until the situation subsides."

OK, I guess I like the idea Nipith mentions for the tattooed woman. I was thinking earlier, the chances of there being a woman living in Riverton with so many tattooes are probably a million to one today -- let alone in 1983. So the idea that she could be calmly dancing in the local tavern without drawing any particular attention is a signal that Ennis is being too paranoid.

Offline Brown Eyes

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Re: "On Your Feet Cowboy"
« Reply #18 on: May 23, 2006, 12:35:26 am »
Yeah, what's that line about this scene from the cowboy etiquette thread? Something like, "If by chance you are required to dance with a woman, hold her at arm's length and smoke furiously until the situation subsides."

OK, I guess I like the idea Nipith mentions for the tattooed woman. I was thinking earlier, the chances of there being a woman living in Riverton with so many tattooes are probably a million to one today -- let alone in 1983. So the idea that she could be calmly dancing in the local tavern without drawing any particular attention is a signal that Ennis is being too paranoid.

LOL!!! :laugh: :laugh:
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Offline Mikaela

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Re: "On Your Feet Cowboy"
« Reply #19 on: May 23, 2006, 05:29:56 am »
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From latjoreme
 tattoos are a way of artificially altering your appearance or your image or your natural self, and that's what Ennis is doing by dating Cassie ...?

I like that interpretation. Makes sense to me.

it's been suggested (by whom? I can't recall) that the tattooed woman is meant to show that time was changing and that things were getting more liberal. That such an unusual woman was out in daylight perhaps meant that the people in town were more accepting tof differences than Ennis feared. The fact that her partner is a black hat wearing man might even draw us to believe that Ennis and Jack could actually be out and about together without too much trouble. [snip]  I'm not sure I believe that entirely, but it's worth playing with, symbolically.

I like this interpretation, too - but it somehow seems to be too optimistic compared to the entire tone of BBM.  :(

Somehow, takinng in the whole scene, I think it speaks to me about how many more superficial things may change, but some deeply personal and important things tragically remain unchanged: While women (and men) might have more style choices in how they dressed and presented themselves, and it's accepted that they choose the kind of extreme personal expression that being tattooed from top to toe represents, men like Ennis still make efforts to put up a smoke screen to hide who they really are. And they still very well may be right in thinking that their true self would not easily be accepted.