Yin and Yang: Ennis and Jack

[opinionista]

Hi guys

I'm not sure if this has already been discussed. But I've seen some of you have used the yin and yang philosophy to explain the nature of Ennis and Jack's relationship and personalities. Well, I don't know much about it, just that it represents the interaction of two energies. And that the yin do not exist without the yang, and viceversa.

Well, I was watching BBM today for the first time on DVD (I live in Spain and it wasn't released until this week), and something grabbed my attention. The color of their hats. At the first and last scenes, when they first meet and fall in love in Brokeback, and when they argue and part ways, Ennis wears a white hat, and Jack a black one. Do you think this was on purpose?

According to wikipedia, "yin" is black and represent a passive, dark, femenine dowright seeking personality. The "yang" (white), is active, light, masculine, upward-seeking and corresponds to the day. Yin is often symbolized by water, while yang is symbolized by fire. So I guess, Jack, who wears the black hat is yin, and Ennis is yang. However, Jack isn't exactly passive in the relationship, but quite the contrary. He isn't downright either but quite upright; always dreaming; Ennis is the exact opposite.

I don't know. Perhaps I'm over analyzing the meaning of the movie, but what do you think?

[Brown Eyes]

Great thread and clearly intersects with other threads here like the black and white hat thread.

Yes, absolutely, I'm sure it's deliberate.  I think the design of the poster for the movie suggests this too. And, I think that the reason that Jack is passive and active and likewise Ennis is passive and active at different moments is because (as far as I understand) the idea of "opposites" in yin and yang is a little more complex.  They're opposites that contain a little bit of the other as part of their essence.  So, this is why in the symbol for yin and yang you see a circle with one black half and one white half- but the black half has a dot of white in it and the white half has a dot of black.  They're opposite but not only dependent on each other but they contain a little bit of the other.  I worry a little bit about the traditional connotations assigned to the idea of feminine and masculine (I fear there's a bit of old-fashioned misogyny in the associations given to the feminine.  And I guess, it might also be slightly unsettling to always see the masculine as aggessive, etc.).  But, the metapor of dependent opposites is quite nice I think because it implies equality on a certain level. 

My question has always been - why does Jack's hat color change on occasion?  Ennis's hat is always light.  But, it's clear we're meant to think of Jack as the black hatted cowboy... and Ennis seems to keep this mental image of him too.

[Aussie Chris]

According to wikipedia, "yin" is black and represent a passive, dark, femenine dowright seeking personality. The "yang" (white), is active, light, masculine, upward-seeking and corresponds to the day. Yin is often symbolized by water, while yang is symbolized by fire. So I reckon, Jack, who wears the black hat is yin and Ennis is yang. However, Jack isn't exactly passive in the relationship, but quite the contrary.He isn't downright either but quite upright; always dreaming; Ennis is the exact opposite.

Yeah what Amanda (atz75) said.  Yin & Yang is actually quite a complex notion that westerners (like me) mistake for weak/strong when they apply it to female/male or passive/agressive.  This is not quite accurate, particularly with regard to passive/agressive, instead it would be more acurate to say Jack is receptive (Yin) while Ennis is giving (Yang) - and I mean this in an emotional sense not sexual.  There really isn't anything "passive" about Yin, at least not in a wussy sense.

[YaadPyar]

Yin & Yang is actually quite a complex notion that westerners (like me) mistake for weak/strong when they apply it to female/male or passive/agressive.  This is not quite accurate, particularly with regard to passive/agressive, instead it would be more acurate to say Jack is receptive (Yin) while Ennis is giving (Yang) - and I mean this in an emotional sense not sexual.  There really isn't anything "passive" about Yin, at least not in a wussy sense.

Chris - this is such a thoughtful approach to the subject.  The words we have to wrap around yin and yang lack the subtlety of their meaning.  Even to talk about receptive energy is to talk about the incredible power of attraction, and how forceful attraction can actually be even while remaining receptive.  So the nuances of these terms is profound. 

The dance between Jack and Ennis is full also of nuanced emotion and shades of what is expressed and repressed by both.  Jack and Ennis are not complete opposites - they are more alike in many ways than they are different. 

I've no answers, but find that I like the questions about Jack and Ennis to remain open.  This isn't an easy story with easy answers, and that's part of what I love about it.  And why it feels so true, because real people and real life is as full of ambiguity and unexpected outcomes as anyone could ever imagine.  And while the symbolism of the hats is important, I also like the hats just for what they are, and not only as symbols.

I like Jack and Ennis for who/what they are, and not just symbols of a larger picture too.  I think that's part of the genius of this move...that one can ascribe meaning to every aspect of the movie, dicing it into every smaller bits of symbolic meaning, but even without any of that, the story stands completely on its own as a brilliant film.

[pinku]

It could be since Ang Lee is Chinese or Taiwanese! Not that there is any difference, many from the mainland fled to Taiwan after the Nationalists lost the Civil war! Eastern notions/beliefs have strong demarcations between masculine and feminine lines, though I don't know much about Yin/Yang.

[Brown Eyes]

Oh, oh, more on whether or not the yin and yang idea was deliberate!  I made myself re-watch all the bonus features on the DVD last night (which I hadn't done for a long, long time) and discovered that in one of the on camera interviews Jake actually refers to the tension between Jack and Ennis as yin and yang.  So, I would guess that there were at least discussions about this metaphor on the set. 

I like to think of yin and yang in more abstract terms... without loading a lot of gender baggage onto it.  Although, I guess the gendered connotations become really complex when talking about two men.

[Meryl]

I like to think that the yin/yang philosophy did play a part in the film, especially since Ang Lee was raised in the Asian culture.  When this was being discussed at IMDb, on Casey's pentacles thread, I noticed something that made me wonder if Ang Lee had put a literal yin/yang symbol right into the film.

Look at the scene where Ennis is in Jack's room at the Twist ranch.  Directly across from the window is a barn with the door open.  The barn door is light grey, and the interior of the barn is black, creating a rectangle that is half light, half dark.  A white piece of machinery is inside the dark half, much like there is a white dot in the black half of the yin/yang symbol.  No black dot adorns the light half of the rectangle (maybe because Jack is no longer alive?).

Ennis props open the window and sits down.  As he lowers himself to sit, the camera follows him downward, bringing the yin/yang rectangle into position exactly between two horizontal bars of the window.  For a brief moment we see it framed there.   Just an accident?  It seems like that shot would have had to be carefully planned.

[Mikaela]

**Rushes to watch the scene at once**


I've now and then thought it would have been really neat if someone with skills in animation made an icon or the like with the two naturalistic cowboy hats ( for instance as they appear in the dozy embrace scene) slowly moving and merging into a stylizied yin/yang symbol. I'd have loved that!!

[Penthesilea]

Hi Meryl,

do you mean this?





On stripedwall.com it can be seen bigger and in better quality. But somehow I can't insert the pic from stripedwall and I can't link it. It's always 404ing 

[Meryl]

Yep, that's it!  Cool, isn't it? 

[Penthesilea]

Cool, isn't it?

To be honest, I never recognised it in the movie. No chance. I'm always in tears at those Lightning Flat scenes. Ennis at the kitchen table... o god, I nearly start crying just thinking about it 
I also never saw any cherry-cake, let alone the one cherry in it.

But yes, it's cool. Another of those little details which can be there by chance or for a symbolic reason. I don't know which way round this one is. I don't know whether this is an intentional yin-yang reference, but I'm quite sure that the framing of the building in the background by the window bars is intentional. It's too good to be by chance.

Anyway, you're beady-eyed, Meryl 

[Brown Eyes]

Wow! That's a fantastic detail.  I love that scene (yes of course for the emotional aspect of it, but also for the way it seems to be so carefully crafted).  Someone, somewhere (maybe Katherine, I don't quite remeber) once noticed how Jack's room contains all sorts of reminders of the Brokeback summer.  The sloped white wall of the room is like the sloped canvas of the tent, the little cowboy toy is like the toy Ennis was carving in the tent (but obviously also like Ennis and Jack themselves), the little gun on the wall, the rock collection, etc. all serve as nostagic reminders for Ennis. 

Inserting the detail of the yin and yang through the open window seems really important in subtly hinting at all these super subtle details that add up to a room that now serves as a memorial.  It's interesting that the yin and yang barn door becomes evident when Ennis opens the window... to let Jack's symbol (air) into the room. 

 

The whole Lightning Flat sequence just shines as one of the best parts of the film I think.

[Meryl]

Anyway, you're beady-eyed, Meryl
Thanks, Pen, and thanks for the screen cap.  

Yes, that Lightning Flat scene is just rife with symbols everywhere you look.  I love it, and I love picking it apart and putting it back together again.  That's a great way to look at Jack's room, Amanda,  like Brokeback in microcosm.

I started thinking that if Ang Lee bothered to put that yin/yang symbol in the Lightning Flat scene, maybe there were other instances of it.  How about this (also from stripedwall.com) for yin/yanginess:



Maybe this, too:




I love Ang Lee!  

[Brown Eyes]

These are all fantastic examples, Meryl!    I think the poster for the movie with the intersecting black and white hats is meant to suggest the yin and yang idea too. It's such a deliberate and sort of unusual composition, there must be a meaning to it.
The reflection of the mountains in the water also suggests the concept of yin and yang to me (even if the image itself isn't the conventional image of yin and yang).

I love this poster, by the way.  One of my favorite things about the movie being in the theatres was seeing this image hung all over the place even in really mainstream theatres.

[Meryl]

You're right, Amanda!  That poster is very yin/yangy. 

[starboardlight]

It could be since Ang Lee is Chinese or Taiwanese! Not that there is any difference.

uh oh! don't let a Taiwanese hear you say that.  They'll give you an earful of differences.

According to wikipedia, "yin" is black and represent a passive, dark, femenine dowright seeking personality. The "yang" (white), is active, light, masculine, upward-seeking and corresponds to the day. Yin is often symbolized by water, while yang is symbolized by fire. So I guess, Jack, who wears the black hat is yin, and Ennis is yang. However, Jack isn't exactly passive in the relationship, but quite the contrary. He isn't downright either but quite upright; always dreaming; Ennis is the exact opposite.

Interesting, downright/upright. There was a thread sometimes back talking aobut how Jack is often in the reclining versus Ennis' upright. For example, the "Tent don't look right" scene, Jack is reclined playing his harmonica, while Ennis is upright. Or Jack is reclined while trying to open the can of beans, while Ennis sits upright tending to hygiene. Even in the opening scene, Jack's tendency to drape himself on the truck, instead of standing on his feet.

but like Amanda and others have said, the men don't stay in passive/aggressive mode all the time. They have a push/pull dynamic, so they both are yin and both are yang at different times. But yes, I definitely thing that the choice of black and white hats are deliberate. Not only on Ennis and Jack, but on other men in the scenes. You think of all the colors of cowboy hats the costume designer could have chosen for the cast and extras, you'd think that there'd be more variety. The use of black and white is overwhelmingly noticeable.

[Brown Eyes]

Just tonight while watching the movie I noticed another visual detail that suggests the yin and yang symbol... much along the lines of the images that Meryl has posted here.

It's right after Ennis drives past the Elks building and pulls into his driveway behind the laundromat, right before he heads upstairs to be told of the arrival of the first postcard.  When Ennis parks his black truck in that driveway it's positioned along the light-colored exterior wall with a dark window in it.  The black truck in profile with it's window showing the light siding through it, intersects with the wall with the light siding and dark window...  So the two windows appear like the dots in a traditional yin and yang symbol and the truck and the sided wall are like the black and white opposite halves of the symbol.  I hope I'm being somewhat clear in this description.  I don't know where to get those great screen-saves/ still-shots that people post here sometimes.  But, it would be awesome if someone could post that shot.  Again, it's right before Ennis heads upstairs to discover the arrival of the first postcard.

 

[Meryl]

I think we have a winner! 

I checked the DVD, and it does look very yin/yangy.  Who knows, that sneaky Ang Lee might have intended that shot to be foreshadowing of the reunion.  Good catch, Amanda! 

I checked stripedwall.com, but they don't have a cap of that shot, so hopefully someone with screencapping ability will post one here.

[serious crayons]

I also never saw any cherry-cake, let alone the one cherry in it.

Thank you, Penth, for saying this!!! Me neither! And, blurry with tears as my eyes may have been, I have looked for it.

Someone, somewhere (maybe Katherine, I don't quite remeber) once noticed how Jack's room contains all sorts of reminders of the Brokeback summer.

I would so love to take credit for this one, because I was blown away by it the first time I read it (I can't remember who said it, either). This problem comes up so often. Maybe we should start a thread where people can post their brilliant concepts, so when others refer to them later they can credit the right person.

Interesting, downright/upright. There was a thread sometimes back talking aobut how Jack is often in the reclining versus Ennis' upright. For example, the "Tent don't look right" scene, Jack is reclined playing his harmonica, while Ennis is upright. Or Jack is reclined while trying to open the can of beans, while Ennis sits upright tending to hygiene.

One notable exception is the "prayer of thanks" scene. And it's the classic exception that proves the rule: it's one of the few times Ennis utters a (fairly) unambiguous spoken endearment, one of the few times Ennis seems to be fully submitting himself to their relationship. But sure enough, as soon as Jack proposes the cow-and-calf operation, Ennis sits upright and puts on his hat.

[Penthesilea]

Quote from: Penthesilea on May 28, 2006, 01:57:37 pm

I also never saw any cherry-cake, let alone the one cherry in it.

Thank you, Penth, for saying this!!! Me neither! And, blurry with tears as my eyes may have been, I have looked for it.

Now I got curious and really wanted to see the famous cake. Therefore I looked for screencaps. And here it is. Click to enlarge

[serious crayons]

Yay! Thank you again, Penth!

What is with just the one cherry? Maybe the cake is like a chocolate-chip cookie, with cherries scattered throughout, and there just happens to be only one showing at the point where it is sliced? For that matter, who makes cherry cake? Or if they did, wouldn't they just have an overall cherry-flavored one, maybe with some whole cherries on top as decoration, rather than a cherry-studded one?

Oh well, this is a topic for another thread. It doesn't have anything to do with yin and yang. ... Unless ... that one cherry, on the white half of the cake, with the other half dark, is supposed to be ...

No. Can't be.

It probably just represents the one tiny bit of love in the otherwise bleak white household.

[Meryl]

Oh well, this is a topic for another thread. It doesn't have anything to do with yin and yang. ... Unless ... that one cherry, on the white half of the cake, with the other half dark, is supposed to be ...

No. Can't be.

It probably just represents the one tiny bit of love in the otherwise bleak white household.

*Looks at picture again*

Good Lord, it IS a tiny ying/yang, rectangular like the barn door image, and lacking a corresponding dot on one side!  Are we insane to be noticing these things?   

I like your interpretation, though, Katherine...a little bit of heart's warmth in a cold, bare place. 

[starboardlight]

*Looks at picture again*

Good Lord, it IS a tiny ying/yang, rectangular like the barn door image, and lacking a corresponding dot on one side!  Are we insane to be noticing these things?   

I like your interpretation, though, Katherine...a little bit of heart's warmth in a cold, bare place. 

at this point in the film, the yin is without his other half. There is no yang. The circle is incomplete now.

I can't help thinking that the cake was purposefully done that way. In a film, there'd be a prop master that saw to that detail. Would any person cutting the cake thought it'd look weird with only one cherry showing?

[Meryl]

I can't help thinking that the cake was purposefully done that way. In a film, there'd be a prop master that saw to that detail. Would any person cutting the cake thought it'd look weird with only one cherry showing?

I think you're probably right, starboard.  It's a detail that had to be thought out.  Nothing, nothing is too small a detail to leave unnoticed in this amazing film. 

[Penthesilea]

at this point in the film, the yin is without his other half. There is no yang. The circle is incomplete now.

This is a good point. The cake reminded me of the yin-yang symbol, too. But I thought it can't be, because it's only one half of it. But you're completely right: the other half is gone. Sad again.

Sometimes I ask myself, whether we are beginning to see ghosts, respectively symbols where there aren't any. On the other side, this cake is unorthodox. And is does look like one half of yin/yang.

[nakymaton]

at this point in the film, the yin is without his other half. There is no yang. The circle is incomplete now.

 

Sometimes I ask myself, whether we are beginning to see ghosts, respectively symbols where there aren't any.

Well, I know I'm seeing ghosts. Or at least one ghost. And I know whose ghost it is. 

[Brown Eyes]

Oh, oh, oh!  I've just paused my DVD so that I could run to my computer to post a new yin and yang moment.  During that beautiful sequence of shots of Jack up on the mountain top for his first night up with the sheep (the shots that almost look black and white... or purple and white, due to the darkness and the moonlight) there's a really clear yin and yang.  I'm talking about the shot where he's sitting amongst the sheep and he and his pup tent are towards the bottom left corner of the screen.  The white sheep with Jack as the black dot form the bottom half of the symbol.  The black sky with the white moon (the moon is towards the upper right corner) form the upper half of the yin and yang symbol.  This is really clear visually. 

It's amazing because it works for another big BBM symbol, which is the idea of Jack as a "black sheep" or outcast/ nonconformist type figure.  The moon here is interesting in relation to all our discussions of how important moonlight is as a symbol for lovers or "true" love.  Awww, in this case the yin and yang are being formed by the two key symbols of love for Ennis (Jack and the moon)!
 

OK, I'm going back to watch the movie.
cheers!

[Meryl]

Here's the shot you described, Amanda:



I think you're right about the yin/yang quality of the image.  Another great catch! 

I love that we are able to know how long Ennis and Jack were together before the first tent scene simply by noticing the full moon.  One month exactly. 

[nakymaton]

You know, I've been thinking about that "one month" thing. And, ummmm... I think it's possible that it was actually two months.

See, it all comes down to moving the sheep. I figure that they moved the sheep from one area to another because sheep tend to graze everything down to bare rock if they've got the chance. And, well, it seems like they would move the sheep about halfway through the summer, rather than spend one month in one area, and then three months in the other.

I guess it's possible that their real allotment was up so high that the snow wouldn't melt until mid-June, or was on a north-facing slope, or something. I've never herded sheep, so I don't know.

But it's possible that the August snow meant that Jack and Ennis only had one month together.

[Meryl]

Well, from what others have postulated, I'm going on the theory that they started up the mountain in May, and Jack in that picture is looking at the full moon of May.  That would make June's full moon the moon of the tent scenes.  So if it was fairly early in June, like it is this month on the 11th, that would give them roughly two months as lovers before they had to bring the sheep down in "the middle of August" as Ennis says, and three months being with each other altogether.

At least I hope so. 

[nakymaton]

But how do you know that there wasn't another full moon between Jack's first night with the sheep and the first tent scene? All we know is that it's at least a month before the first tent scene. Could be longer.

(It's got to be at least two weeks before the bear encounter, because Ennis only brings a grocery order down once a week, and he sent at least one order with powdered milk and potatoes. So if the 1st tent scene is in June's full moon, they've got to shoot the elk and dry the jerky and switch jobs and move the sheep in those two weeks. Which is possible, but still... there's a lot of stuff in those two weeks.)

(No, wait, if Jack was being literal about "That's more words than you've spoke in the past two weeks," meaning they've been up on the mountain only two weeks... then Jack is sick of beans before the first week is out and their first grocery supply is already short? Maybe that's possible. Jack sure doesn't like those beans, then, huh?)

(And I also wonder, sometimes, if May isn't a bit early to head up to treeline. I'm trying to think about the work I've done in Wyoming... I know we worried about going up too high even in June, though I never had a problem with snow when I was up there. I know that here, quite a ways further south, there's still snow up near treeline where I've seen sheep herds, even right now.)

[Meryl]

But how do you know that there wasn't another full moon between Jack's first night with the sheep and the first tent scene? All we know is that it's at least a month before the first tent scene. Could be longer.

(It's got to be at least two weeks before the bear encounter, because Ennis only brings a grocery order down once a week, and he sent at least one order with powdered milk and potatoes. So if the 1st tent scene is in June's full moon, they've got to shoot the elk and dry the jerky and switch jobs and move the sheep in those two weeks. Which is possible, but still... there's a lot of stuff in those two weeks.)

(No, wait, if Jack was being literal about "That's more words than you've spoke in the past two weeks," meaning they've been up on the mountain only two weeks... then Jack is sick of beans before the first week is out and their first grocery supply is already short? Maybe that's possible. Jack sure doesn't like those beans, then, huh?)

(And I also wonder, sometimes, if May isn't a bit early to head up to treeline. I'm trying to think about the work I've done in Wyoming... I know we worried about going up too high even in June, though I never had a problem with snow when I was up there. I know that here, quite a ways further south, there's still snow up near treeline where I've seen sheep herds, even right now.)

Well, you have a point that a lot has to happen in a short time if all of that happens in a month.  I might take Jack's "two weeks" reference as just an expression, and that would give them more leeway.  But if it does take them two months before they get together, then they must go up in May.

Here is an excerpt I saved from IMDb by posted by surf.  What he says about the reference to the Thresher incident might help out the argument for a May startup.

Assuming they go up on the mountain in the spring, I found out the full moon for May, 1963, which happened to be May 8 (if you remember, the first night on the mountain, there was a full moon). So assume they had their "job interview" with Aguirre on May 7 (he says they'll truck them up the next day)--May 7, 1963 was a Monday, which makes sense for starting the workweek.

So they meet on May 7, head up the mountain on May 8. The first night in the tent there was also a full moon which would mean a month had passed since they met. The full moon in June was June 7, 1963. Again, that makes sense since Ennis got so cold when the fire died out. It wasn't the heat of the summer yet.

Why is any of this important? It's not, really, but I find some comfort in knowing they had more than two months of loving each other before they had to leave the mountain.”

“These dates also make sense because in the story (this isn't in the movie) it mentions that they talked about the Thresher sinking. That happened on April 10, 1963 so it was just a month prior to their start up on the mountain. Clearly it would still be on their minds as a topic of conversation.”

[nakymaton]

There ought to still be snow up high on May 7. (And near treeline, there really isn't any heat of the summer. Certainly not in the middle of the night... it gets cold at night, even down at my elevation. In the mountains, I still sleep in a warm sleeping bag plus long underwear at mid-summer.)

Sorry. I know IMDb established this timeline quite a while back, and everybody's been going by it, but it just doesn't make sense to me, and it's been niggling at me for a long time. It just conflicts with what I know about mountain weather. And I know that a later start plus a two-month lag before the first tent scene makes the relationship painfully short... but that would make it make Ennis's reaction when they have to come down make even more sense.

[alec716]

I'm glad this thread is still active -- even though I am feeling unable to add anything to it at the moment other than my terrific appreciation of the details and theories discussed here.  Thanks to everyone for the great ideas -- I am glad to learn more about the endless layers of symbolism that whip by the eyes and ears in nearly every scene in this movie.  You've given me so much more to look for next time I watch it.  I just KNEW there was something about that odd-looking cherry cake!

[Brown Eyes]

Yee haw Meryl!  Thanks, that's exactly the shot I was talking about!

Also, thanks for re-posting the great old imdb observation by surf (who is surf, by the way... is he/ she here?).  I absolutely remember that old imdb thread and was amazed by the level of detail people were able to research.  I have to say, it seems very smart to look into the actual dates of the full moons for 1963.  And I agree with that old post too...  I want the first tent scene to happen early, at least in June, so that I can go on believing that they had a good amount of time together as lovers that summer.  The "never enough time, never enough" problem with this story/ movie is just too brutal.
 

Anyway, more on timelines... was the imdb thread about the dates of the full moons also the one where people figured out (or tried to figure out) the exact timeline of our boys' entire relationship (based on as many background clues as possible)?  That was really a smart topic.  I also remember another thread about whether or not Lureen was pregnant already when she hooked up with Jack (I recall that there were some solid arguments about that one).

Timelines may deserve their own thread around these parts. 

ps.  Welcome alec716!  You want a cup of coffee don't you... a piece of odd-looking cherry cake?
  

[starboardlight]

But how do you know that there wasn't another full moon between Jack's first night with the sheep and the first tent scene? All we know is that it's at least a month before the first tent scene. Could be longer.

(It's got to be at least two weeks before the bear encounter, because Ennis only brings a grocery order down once a week, and he sent at least one order with powdered milk and potatoes. So if the 1st tent scene is in June's full moon, they've got to shoot the elk and dry the jerky and switch jobs and move the sheep in those two weeks. Which is possible, but still... there's a lot of stuff in those two weeks.)

(No, wait, if Jack was being literal about "That's more words than you've spoke in the past two weeks," meaning they've been up on the mountain only two weeks... then Jack is sick of beans before the first week is out and their first grocery supply is already short? Maybe that's possible. Jack sure doesn't like those beans, then, huh?)

(And I also wonder, sometimes, if May isn't a bit early to head up to treeline. I'm trying to think about the work I've done in Wyoming... I know we worried about going up too high even in June, though I never had a problem with snow when I was up there. I know that here, quite a ways further south, there's still snow up near treeline where I've seen sheep herds, even right now.)

it is entirely possible. I don't think we were able to determine whether it was June or July. Even in the moon dates thread, we clearly said that we're going on assumption that it was June, because July made their time together too painfully short. But you make very good case for why it might actually be July, in which case, my heart just breaks all over again.

[Meryl]

From nakymaton
And I know that a later start plus a two-month lag before the first tent scene makes the relationship painfully short... but that would make it make Ennis's reaction when they have to come down make even more sense.

It would also make the tussle and their parting scene in Signal less jarring.  Two months of making love would seem to merit a warmer parting than the one we get.

Yee haw Meryl!  Thanks, that's exactly the shot I was talking about!

Also, thanks for re-posting the great old imdb observation by surf (who is surf, by the way... is he/ she here?).  I absolutely remember that old imdb thread and was amazed by the level of detail people were able to research.  I have to say, it seems very smart to look into the actual dates of the full moons for 1963.  And I agree with that old post too...  I want the first tent scene to happen early, at least in June, so that I can go on believing that they had a good amount of time together as lovers that summer.  The "never enough time, never enough" problem with this story/ movie is just too brutal.
 

Anyway, more on timelines... was the imdb thread about the dates of the full moons also the one where people figured out (or tried to figure out) the exact timeline of our boys' entire relationship (based on as many background clues as possible)?  That was really a smart topic.  I also remember another thread about whether or not Lureen was pregnant already when she hooked up with Jack (I recall that there were some solid arguments about that one).

Timelines may deserve their own thread around these parts.

Leslie had a moon thread going at some point.  I used it to make up the Brokeback Cult Calendar, which I hope to repost one of these days.  It has all our 'religious' holidays and special events on it. 

Surf105 was a frequent poster at IMDb, and he was at BetterMost for a few weeks before losing interest and dropping by the wayside.  He could be cantankerous, but was funny and very devoted for awhile.  He was one of the Brokies who went to see the cast at the Aero screening in L.A. and made a big impression with his comments to them at the end of the Q & A.

I remember that Lureen pregnancy thread.  One poster even thought she was pregnant by someone other than Jack and used him to cover it up!   

[Brown Eyes]

Wow, I had a really interesting conversation today with a professor of Japanese art and three other people I know during which, I couldn't wait   to get to my computer and post here.  It was a long convoluted discussion and at a certain point the professor ended up talking about one of the key ways that yin and yang is understood in Chinese philosophy. He actually drew a yin and yang symbol and explained that it's often understood as symbol for a way in which Confucianism and Taoism intersect and are linked, but are also opposites in lots of ways.  And at another point he started explaining a major feature of Taoism, which is that the idea of "nothing" is really important.  An understanding of a state of "nothingness" is considered an exulted, almost triumphant thing... reaching "nothing" is part of the idea of striving for something like nirvana or can be considered a state beyond the stress and turmoil of average existence, etc.  I truly don't understand this very well myself, but I thought this was worth reporting.  If anyone knows anything more about this topic, I'd love to hear more.  We were talking about Japanese woodblock prints with the professor and all I could think about was this thread and Ennis and the number of times Ennis uses the word "nothing" in BBM... (if this isn't an obsession... I don't know what is)...
 

Of course the key moments when Ennis talks about "nothing" are "It's because of you Jack that I'm like this.  I'm nothing, I'm nowhere."  and then with Alma Jr. "If you don't got nothing you don't need nothing."

So, if we think about Ennis truly in terms of yin and yang and for the sake of argument think of "nothing" as a positive thing (since in Taoism it seems possible to think of nothing as a good thing), then his statement to Jack is really interesting.  I don't quite know how to understand his statement to Alma other than to note he seems to be saying he's content with his nothingness or simple, spare existence.  I certainly think there's another, and probably more obvious, way to interpret all the "nothings" that come out of Ennis's mouth... I think of them as signs of low self-esteem or manifestations of his internalized homophobia, etc.   But, I think it's really interesting that even the word "nothing" can be taken in two opposite ways.

[nakymaton]

Hmmmm... nothingness in Taoism. My understanding of Taoism is that, if I try to talk about it, I am grasping at Something, trying to tie meaning into words. The concept is tied to "emptiness," and it's tied to the Zen Buddhist concepts, as far as I understand them (which is not very far).

I associate the concepts with letting go of baggage, with peace of mind, with a willingness to let the unknown be unknown. ("There was some open space...") With a lack of attachment -- especially attachment to ideas.

There's a lot of great nature imagery in the Tao Te Ching. I don't like my translation very much, but this quote reminds me of BBM, and especially of Ennis.

Nature speaks little.
Squalls do not last the morning
Nor downpours the day.
What stirs them up?
Heaven-and-earth!

Another one that sort of gets at the idea of nothingness:

Whoever acts spoils;
Whoever grasps loses.
The sage does nothing.
He grasps nothing;
Therefore he loses nothing.

[alec716]

This line of thought about nothingness and somethingness is also very closely related to Buddhist theory about nirvana, nonattachment, and other related concepts.  I am Jewish but do a lot of Buddhist reading.  I can recommend some very approachable authors, such as Thich Nhat Hahn, if anyone is interested in learning more.  I will spin these thoughts around and see if I can come up with anything that seems useful.

[Brown Eyes]

Heya Alec716 and Nakymaton!  Thanks for the insights.  I have very, very little background in this topic, so I'm a little unsure about all the proper aspects of the actual understanding of yin and yang in Chinese philosophy and/ or religion.  I'm generally not religious at all, so I'm not great on these topics, but I think it's really important to think about in terms of BBM just as all the Christian symbols in the movie seem really interesting and moving eventhough I'm not really Christian either.  I'm increasingly curious about Ang Lee's thoughts and the screenwriters' thoughts on these topics.

[nakymaton]

My only background is having taken college courses in Chinese Religious Thought and Japanese Religion and Culture (so I only know about Buddhism within those cultural contexts; I don't know much about Tibetan or Southeast Asian Buddhism). Intro courses, so not a lot of depth, but really wonderful profound courses -- I felt like I learned more in them than in any other courses I took.

But what I really wanted to say has to do with another symbol from Taoism.

The "Tao" can be translated in a lot of different ways -- the first line, "If the Tao can be Taoed, it's not Tao" is also translated as "The way that can be spoken of is not the constant way." Tao is... well, the book is partly a suggestion for how a wise king should behave, so it's partly practical, a way to behave. But it's also kind of an underlying nature of things, I guess. I don't fully understand it.

Anyway, it's mostly explained through symbols and metaphors, and I think I probably miss the point of most of them given that I'm not part of Chinese culture. But one of the metaphors for Tao is, get this...

Water.

Nothing beneath heaven
Is softer and weaker than water.
Nothing is better
To attack the hard and strong,
And nothing can take its place.

Reminds me of how water is a symbol for love in the movie.

Love is a force of nature.

[Front-Ranger]

Going back to Ang Lee, if you look at his entire body of work, it's always about dualism. Even the titles, Sense and Sensibility; Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (in which there are two pairs); Eat Drink Man Woman; etc. Reading the Tao te Ching has helped me understand his films much better.

[Front-Ranger]

Here is some explanation from one of my books on the Tao de Ching:
The Tao Te Ching can be seen as advocating mostly "feminine" (or Yin) values, emphasising the qualities of water — fluidity and softness (instead of the solid and stable mountain), choosing the obscure and mysterious aspect of things, and controlling things without ruling them, in other words to 'have without possessing'. In this respect, this book can be understood as challenging "male" (or Yang) values such as clarity, stability, positive action, and domination of nature; such values are often referred to as Confucian values. Yet a perfect balance between the Yin and Yang is still encouraged in Taoism.

[serious crayons]

I briefly embraced Taoism in high school and college -- though on a pretty superficial, uninformed basis (a couple of classes and a book or two). My impression is that this

Whoever acts spoils;
Whoever grasps loses.
The sage does nothing.
He grasps nothing;
Therefore he loses nothing.

is more or less the equivalent of "if you don't got nothin, you don't need nothin" and "if you can't fix it, you gotta stand it." In other words, worldly attachments and desires cause unhappiness. The path to contentment is being satisfied with beans.

[Brown Eyes]

Whoever acts spoils;
Whoever grasps loses.
The sage does nothing.
He grasps nothing;
Therefore he loses nothing.

I think we're definitely on to something here.   I like the use of the word "sage" here as well as the "nothing" connections.

Thinking of a question that came up earlier, I asked the professor I know about the relationship between Buddhism and Taoism (on a really broad level...) and he said that they're interconnected in lots of ways (since certain veins of both developed along side one another and as off shoots of one another, etc.).  I still don't really know enough about either to speak very intelligently about this.  But, I think it's definitely an interesting avenue to explore given this quotation that seems so related to BBM dialogue.  It's truly interesting to me if the yin and yang idea is not only visual but extends into the dialogue... because this would mean that both Lee and the screenwriters would be deeply involved in implementing this metaphor.

Of course, when I asked all these questions, I didn't let on that the whole reason I was inquiring was so that I could try to figure out the relationship of yin and yang to BBM and Ennis in particular.    .

[serious crayons]

Of course, when I asked all these questions, I didn't let on that the whole reason I was inquiring was so that I could try to figure out the relationship of yin and yang to BBM and Ennis in particular.    .

 

Yeah, I guess saying "I need to study up on Eastern religions so I can better understand Brokeback Mountain" might be a little startling to the uninitiated. 

[YaadPyar]

In many translations of the Tao Te Ching, the word "Master" is used instead of sage (my very favorite is the Stephen Mitchell translation - transcendent!!).  Not just a wise person, but someone in whom lives the yin and yang, and has thus mastered the essential underlying creative force.  The Tao that can be named is not the Tao, because whatever it is that the human mind can wrap words and philosophies around is already something less than the Tao.  It has already been reduced to ordinary human definitions, and so it cannot be the Tao.  The Tao cannot be constrained by anything as mundane as words or philosophies.

I think understanding Taoism, or yin and yang here, goes back to "Love is a Force of Nature."  You can't simply piece together the details of this movie and come up with a whole.  You can't assign yin to one character and yang to another and feel the love between Jack and Ennis.  The 'Force" here, love or tao, is an amazing synthesis of many elements culminating in an experience, NOT just a story or idea.  It's not just black hat/white hat.  It's the two hats on top of the two heads of the two specific individuals in this story with their two hearts and the underlying energy that connects them in love.  That to me is the force - the tao - the thing that we felt when we watched this movie.  And you can't disect every element and find where that lies.

The invitation to me of the Tao Te Ching is to consider how to return to the essence of life at every turn.  To strip away too much thinking and too much feeling and too much doing, and just let the original, eternal quality of a thing emerge.  And I think that's what so much of BBM is, and why it's such a simply crafted movie.  Instead of adding layers of complexity to the story for depth, Ang Lee and Annie Proulx both, continually strip away everything that isn't the essential story.  And the more you strip away, the more the force of love emerges because it's not clouded over by everything else. 

Y'know...it's like the end of the movie.  Ennis has nothing, is nothing, and all that's really left of him, for him, is his love for Jack.  Strip away everything else, and the underlying generative force is all that's left...

[Meryl]

Gadzooks, Celeste, that's a brilliant post! 

The invitation to me of the Tao Te Ching is to consider how to return to the essence of life at every turn.  To strip away too much thinking and too much feeling and too much doing, and just let the original, eternal quality of a thing emerge.  And I think that's what so much of BBM is, and why it's such a simply crafted movie.  Instead of adding layers of complexity to the story for depth, Ang Lee and Annie Proulx both, continually strip away everything that isn't the essential story.  And the more you strip away, the more the force of love emerges because it's not clouded over by everything else.

Thank you.  That's the best explanation I've seen yet of how Ang Lee brought this miracle about. 

Talk about the pull of opposites!  Co-existing in this film are thousands of details of character, place and event along with a vast simplicity of approach.   It reminds me of how the yogis describe the nature of Consciousness as "The Many in One."  No wonder it is so powerful.

[Front-Ranger]

I knew you would have the definitive answer for us, Celeste, even if the answer is "It depends." !!

[YaadPyar]

Aw shucks.  Be careful what you encourage here - I could talk about this more than you'll ever want to read...

[Brown Eyes]

Y'know...it's like the end of the movie.  Ennis has nothing, is nothing, and all that's really left of him, for him, is his love for Jack.  Strip away everything else, and the underlying generative force is all that's left...

I quite like the way you put this!  I'll add my voice to the chorus of congrats here... that was a very helpful post! 

[Front-Ranger]

Go for it Celeste, I can't get enough!

[YaadPyar]

Well - I'll tell you.  The thing about the Tao, and the thing about love, is that it's always inviting you away from thoughts and words into experience.  The Tao that can be named is not the Tao....

The more you talk about it, the less of "it" you're actually experiencing.  Jack and Ennis would have benefited from an actual spoken "I love you" not for the sake of sentiment, but to acknowledge the reality of their experience...to say it aloud and make it real.  That's perhaps why Ennis says "I swear" at the end - his way of acknowldeging what he could not admit otherwise.  He so completely resiisted the most powerful force at work in his life, and really at work in the world. 

That of love.  The Tao doesn't ever talk about love, which I think is right.  Our notions of love are too degraded and mixed with desire and need to be reflective of the real thing.  But fear of it keeps a man (anyone) from the natural flow of every type of energy through his life.

It is not possible to say no to love but yes to much else.  The dam that is created in that refusal is insurmountable.  That "no" reverberates in every aspect of life, well and truly crippling the soul who utters it.  You cannot say no to love without saying no to life, without saying no to Tao.  That's why Ennis's potential salvation lies in attending his daughter's wedding (in the movie) and in his dreams of Jack (in the story) - here at least is one place where's he's still able to say yes.

The reason individuals and society become so degraded when the step away from Tao is that they are running on their own limited energy, not on what's universally available.  And like any closed system, that energy starts to get polluted and stagnant.  Imagine a pool without a source of fresh clear water ever.  And Tao - love - the generative force...is the infusion of pure cool newness that transforms. 

Jack & Ennis's relationship deteriorates into so much pain because Ennis refuses to admit anything new into the relationship.  He refuses to let love move through the relationship, and he refuses to be new himself.  So the dam he's blocked everything with is fear.  And it's the biggest killer for most of us.  The Tao isn't about love or not love, accepting or refusing, embracing or rejecting.  It's about living in the Center of what is.  And at the center of the human soul is ther perfect vessel for love. 

And the spiritual practice is staying at that Center.  Not weighing or judging or wondering or analyzing.  Simply acknowledging and staying there.  And that's what Ennis does for just a second.  He runs to the Center and says yes.  And when we see that (second tent scene, reunion scene), it's glorious.  But then he runs away again and again and again.  And Jack gives up running after him eventually, too tired to be pulled so far away from the center, so far away from love.

And even when Ennis does run to the Center, it is not with his whole heart.  He does it piecemeal.  So he's not able to act with complete love which means honesty, clarity, integrity remain elusive for him.  For Ennis, love is a threat because he's made his Center one of material safety and not reality.  He has substituted a limited idea of "getting by" with the true Center of himself...of the universe.

And that's why we keep rooting for him - that's what we keep wanting - for him to step fully into the river of life and let it wash him clean and enliven all that's dead in him.  Because we've done, to one degree or another, the same thing he has.  His journey is ours...back to the Center.

[Front-Ranger]

I love everything you said, Celeste, especially this part:

And at the center of the human soul is the perfect vessel for love.

I'll have to reread this whenever I feel like I'm drifting away from my center.

Thank you very much.

[Front-Ranger]

I was just rereading the Tao Te Ching this a.m. and the passage that describes the universe as being like a bellows, empty, yet quite full, caught my eye. I thought that describes the movie quite well! I'd love to point that out to people who think the movie is boring or slow or not a big deal. For whomever wants to read this, it's from the fifth sutra.

[Brown Eyes]

Wow, that was a really interesting post Celeste! 

Do you really think Ennis wasn't giving his whole heart in the second tent scene and the reunion?  You're absolutely right that he runs or retreats from those bursts of really intense affection/ love and things get complicated by the time of the reunion.  But, I feel like at least in those two instances (that we're allowed to see.... we hope there are more that we're supposed to assume happen) he's giving himself to the relationship completely.  In both cases he seems like there'd be little he could do to resist giving himself to Jack/ the relationship...  I mean his urge to go to Jack in both of those cases seems to overwhelm everything else (his fears, his sense of caution, his nervousness...).

[YaadPyar]

Do you really think Ennis wasn't giving his whole heart in the second tent scene and the reunion? 

I think Ennis gave absolutely everything he could, and maybe most in the second tent scene, where he and Jack were alone and there was no obvious consequence to what he did.  But following the reunion kiss, his interaction with Jack is tempered with his certainty that they can never be together.

I'm not offering a definitive answer at all.  Just my own feelings about Ennis, 'cause I can see myself being much less than wholehearted as well in certain ways, so I associate my own experience with what looks like his fear and hesitation.

[Front-Ranger]

I was just reading an interview with Ang Lee and he mentions Taoism:

You're very chameleon-like in your choices. What would you say is your essence as a filmmaker?

Ang Lee: I would have to say repression. (Laughs) I always use, but I try not to. I try to be a partygoer. But at some point I don't know why I'm doing it and fall back. I've been using repression, the struggle between behaving as a social animal. You're seeking to be honest with your free will, less conflict. I think that's an important subject with me. That's who I am, how I was brought up. I think I use that a lot. I mistrust everything I think. Things you think you can trust, believe in, or hang on to, changes. That's the essence of life. That's kind of Taoist. At a certain age, many Chinese think that way. When things change, we must adapt to it. That's our faith and belief.

[Brown Eyes]

Wow Lee!  That's great.  I think he's certainly right about the "repression" aspect of his filmmaking.  BBM is soooo restrained it's painful, as we all know!  It's amazing that he's so self-aware.

[Brown Eyes]

I'm in the mood to bump a few, wonderful, classic Open Forum threads!
 

[Rutella]

I've been lurkin' and readin' but had to write a quick comment having seen this thread. I'm working on a PhD about masculinity in Chinese literature and yin/yang stuff comes up all the time to do with men and their relationships with other men and women.... I've been trying to fit BBM in somewhere and now I see a possible mention.  You lot rule

[Brown Eyes]

Welcome Rutella, congrats on the first post!  Want a cup of coffee don't you?  And a piece of cherry cake?  Tell us more about what you know about yin and yang.  It seems that this idea can be seen as a thread through a lot of the film.  It's especially interesting, I think, once we consider all the visual clues to the idea of yin and yang (many examples posted earlier in this thread).  I think this idea must be pretty closely related to the whole black hat/ white hat topic that you'll find in another thread in this forum too.  Cheers and welcome again.

[Rutella]

I'll take a cup of coffee, but I can't eat no cake just now. (wouldn't it be great if that exchange become the equvialent to 'how are you')

just after I logged off yesterday I remembered one of the cool things about yin/yang and BBM; the original meaning of the words yin and yang are to do with mountains and rivers. Yin means the north side of a mountain (or the south side of a river) and yang means the south side of a river (or the north side of a river). And thats one of the crucial things about yin and yang, that they are two halves of the same thing and cannot be separated.

I can't remember if anyone said earlier but yin and yang are also really closely linked to water and fire respectively and that's also related to the difference between male and female sexuality (ie men are supposed to get turned on quite quickly, burn bright but then fade away quickly too, while women take longer to get to the boil but then last for longer once they're there). I'm sure I had a more BBM link to that but my brain isn't really where its at right now...

I think there is too much yin yang stuff in the film for it to be coincedental espcially with Ang Lee as the director
   

[Brown Eyes]

I'll take a cup of coffee, but I can't eat no cake just now. (wouldn't it be great if that exchange become the equvialent to 'how are you')   

Hey there Bud.
Well it has sort of become that around BetterMost.  Really it's become the "secret password" greeting... and you responded correctly.
 


I like what you pointed out about the river and the mountain.  That feeds nicely right back into the movie's tag line "Love is a force of nature."  It also feeds into all the discussions about the nature symbols relating to different characters and to different aspects of the relationship.  I dont' think the yin and yang in the movie is a coincidence either... You're right, there is way too much to suggest that it was deliberate.

[Brown Eyes]

I've been thinking a bit about the "fixer vs. stander" issue lately and have come to realize more and more how much Jack behaves like a "stander" in the movie.  Yes, Jack has the urge and keeps asking Ennis about possible ways to "fix" their situation (i.e. live together or at least live closer... "maybe Texas").  But, really he lives all those years after the reunion mostly "standing" an unsatisfactory situation.  I'm posting this here because it seems to fit with the idea of opposites that rely on each other or that contain a little bit of the other within themselves.  It seems that Jack's personality is oriented towards being a "fixer" and he'd probably say that he was a "fixer" if asked.  But, he really does act like a "stander" for much of the relationship... putting up with his "short leash."  This is much the same with Ennis.  He overtly describes himself as a stander.  In fact, he thinks he has to be a stander.  But, we've all seen that on Brokeback, Ennis spends a lot of time acting like a "fixer"... ordering soup, hunting elk, etc.  This was on my mind while reading the fixer vs. stander poll over in Polling Place.  But, it occurred to me that this a complicated enough issue that it might be worth bringing up here.

[serious crayons]

So they each have a touch of fixing and standing are like the dot in the middle of the two sides of the yin and yang? Interesting idea, Amanda!

 

[Meryl]

That's a great way to think of it, Amanda and Katherine.  You're real thinkers there.   

[Rutella]

Oooh I love these posts, they've made me think of all kinds of stuff. Unfortunately my brain is a bit fuzzled and I'm not sure that this stuff will come out right, so apologies in advance   

The idea of who is the fixer/stander got me thinking about how much of a pragmatist Jack is sometimes, as well as being a dreamer. He stays married because what is the point of hurting Lureen and Bobby, and losing what he's got unless he gets the sweet life. Whereas Ennis wants to stay married for what it shows to everyone outside and what it signifies to himself. Similarly Jack lies to Ennis about being queer because he knows he has to in order to be with Ennis (and I love the way he looks at him as he says it, I always think he's half wondering whether Ennis believes him and half wondering whether Ennis really thinks that he (E) isn't) and about Randell because he is scared of losing him. Jack is aware of his lies and the fact he has to tell them but Ennis's worst lies are to himself.

Also about the way that Ennis 'fixes' stuff on Brokeback made me think that that's another reason for Jack to be so excited about the divorce, I mean up on Brokeback Jack moans about stuff (beans, sleeping in the cat-piss pup tent) and asks for things (elk, no beans, sex with ennis...). At first he gets a refusal from Ennis but then Ennis sorts it for him. When Ennis lets him know about the divorce it's like he's 'fixed' things again for Jack.... 

The link between how they both fix and stand stuff and with yin and yang is, I think, an important one. No-one is ever all yin or all yang; sometimes people take different positions with different people and within a single relationship there is also this interplay, so despite the way they may see themselves as a fixer or a stander, they actually move between the two poles, often in response to the demand of the other.


Ok, I have no idea if any of the stuff above makes sense, and I'm pretty sure a lot of it is just repeating what y'all have said already. I really should post stuff at times other when I'm about to go to bed!

[Front-Ranger]

My latest yin/yang sighting:

I have a new favorite scene, and it may surprise you... Recall the scene late in the movie where Ennis and Jack are walking their horses down the middle of a stream? I always thought that they had kind of glum looks on their faces because of dissatisfaction with the relationship...but as I look at it again, I'm thinking they are at peace and in harmony with each other. The reason for this change in thinking...I got to looking at the horses. Ennis is riding a beautiful black horse with a lovely diamond-shaped white star on its...forehead? (Is that what it's called). And Jack is riding an equally beautiful light-colored horse (a bay mare?) with a black shock of mane between its ears. The yin/yang sign was there all along, and I didn't even see it!! I started to see that scene differently...they are in equilibrium. Makes me think they did find some sort of peace and happiness together at last.

[moremojo]

What an interesting observation, Lee! I shall definitely look for those details next time I revisit the film.

I admire this scene a lot, too, and, though I note the seriousness of the men's demeanor, do not feel the scene to be the sad, forlorn one that so many see it as. The overriding emotional quality I sense here is mutual respect--these two feel consummately at ease with each other, and have a deep, abiding admiration and understanding of the one beside them.

In the story-to-screenplay publication, incidentally, the two are described in this scene as riding like Randolph Scott and Joel McCrea in the film Ride the High Country (an early and highly regarded Sam Peckinpah Western which I have not seen).

[Mikaela]

This isn't a film observation, so maybe I should find another thread for it, but... it somehow seems fitting anyhow.



When going back to my hotel from the last meet-up on the EURO Brokie meeting in London back in mid-September, I happened to notice the yin/yang symbol clearly visible in a small shop's window just as that shop was closing for the day.

It turned out to be no less than a black and white enamel belt buckle, the buckle consisting solely of the yin/yang symbol.

Of course I had to buy it! I feel that the symbol, especially as a belt buckle, is a perfect homage to and reminder of both Jack and Ennis and the group of lovely Brokies I'd just got to know in person.

[Meryl]

My latest yin/yang sighting:

I have a new favorite scene, and it may surprise you... Recall the scene late in the movie where Ennis and Jack are walking their horses down the middle of a stream? I always thought that they had kind of glum looks on their faces because of dissatisfaction with the relationship...but as I look at it again, I'm thinking they are at peace and in harmony with each other. The reason for this change in thinking...I got to looking at the horses. Ennis is riding a beautiful black horse with a lovely diamond-shaped white star on its...forehead? (Is that what it's called). And Jack is riding an equally beautiful light-colored horse (a bay mare?) with a black shock of mane between its ears. The yin/yang sign was there all along, and I didn't even see it!! I started to see that scene differently...they are in equilibrium. Makes me think they did find some sort of peace and happiness together at last.

I like that idea very much, Lee.  Here's a pic from stripedwall.com:




Mikaela, that belt buckle sounds really cool. 

[Front-Ranger]

Great photo, Meryl! Thank you!

[Meryl]

You're welcome, Lee 

Since I was over at the screencap site, I was looking for cloud formations for your other thread (neat topic) and realized that the two mountains in this shot look very yinyang-like:



This is just before the shot of a very distant Jack moving almost imperceptibly up the mountainside on his horse.

[Brown Eyes]

Hey there Lee!

I'm glad to see you posted the horse observation here!  It's a great yin and yang detail!
 

[Rutella]

My latest yin/yang sighting:

I have a new favorite scene, and it may surprise you... Recall the scene late in the movie where Ennis and Jack are walking their horses down the middle of a stream? I always thought that they had kind of glum looks on their faces because of dissatisfaction with the relationship...but as I look at it again, I'm thinking they are at peace and in harmony with each other. The reason for this change in thinking...I got to looking at the horses. Ennis is riding a beautiful black horse with a lovely diamond-shaped white star on its...forehead? (Is that what it's called). And Jack is riding an equally beautiful light-colored horse (a bay mare?) with a black shock of mane between its ears. The yin/yang sign was there all along, and I didn't even see it!! I started to see that scene differently...they are in equilibrium. Makes me think they did find some sort of peace and happiness together at last.

OMG thats brilliant! I am in so much awe of brokies for making me reassess everything I see in the film (and obviously giving me yet another excuse to watch it again and again...). Mu husband has abandoned me this weekend to go climbing (hmm..frequent trips up mountains with a tent...maybe I should start attaching notes onto his climbing harness!) and so I shall utilise my time goodly with extra film watching. Yeay!

[Front-Ranger]

Great, rutella! Nice to see you back here! Loved the shot of Yin/Yang mountain too. I see the lighter mountain on the left and the dark one on the right, same as the horse configuration. I love the shot that comes right after this one, because it is such a good portrayal of Annie Proulx's line, "During the day Ennis looked across a great gulf and sometimes saw Jack, a small dot moving across a high meadow, as an insect moves across a tablecloth...."

[Front-Ranger]

I may have gone off the deep end, but I see a yin/yang symbol in this photo:

[Meryl]

Lee, I can't see your photo 

[Brown Eyes]

Yeah Lee, I can't see the photo either.  It'd be cool if you could try to re-post it!

 

[Front-Ranger]

Now can you see it? I tried posting it a different way...sheesh you'd think I could do this by now!!

[Penthesilea]

Now can you see it? I tried posting it a different way...sheesh you'd think I could do this by now!!

Nope. I'm sorry, but still no pic 

[Front-Ranger]

While you're waiting for me to get my act together, just go over and look at Roux's avatar:

http://bettermost.net/forum/index.php?action=profile;u=137

[Front-Ranger]

Okay, here's the yin/yang horse scene:

[Front-Ranger]

I'm not sure this observation belongs here, but just after Ennis gets Jack's truck goin' and right before they part, there is a shot of Jack where two pieces of black trash and two pieces of white trash (sorry!) fly out behind him on his left. Then, later, when Ennis sees Jack again after four years apart, Jack is departing from his truck and one piece of black trash and one of white fly out behind him on his left.

[adrian]

 
When I read that Ang Lee does a ceremony before the start of a new movie, it made sense to me.  I have been studying Feng Shui, based on birthdates, and realized something interesting about him.  You see Ang was born in 1954, a year of 1Water, the year of the Horse, a strong Fire animal.  Therein lies the yin and yang in his birth date.

      1WATER - The Moon, intuition, deep thinking, intellectual pursuits, midnight, the abyss, spirituality, planning, undercurrent, loneliness.

      9FIRE - The Sun, high noon, enlightenment, light, communication, fame, passion, the phoenix, love, understanding, heat, red, celebrations, summer.

So Ang's Water/spiritual nature comes through in his respect for customs, like the ceremony, bowing to all four directions.  The chi of Water is quiet, that other energies present tend to overcome their communicative abilities.  Some of the world’s greatest philosophers, scientists, writers and explorers were born 1Water.  They usually prefer working alone.  This would also explain Ang’s directing style.  Very few words, more intuitive thinking. You have to be a mind reader to understand Ang, but know this, 1Water’s know exactly what they want, they are always one step ahead of you!

Based on the above definitions, I see Jack as 9Fire and Ennis as 1Water.   Water’s are introverts and private, Fire’s are extroverts and wear their hearts on their sleeves.  1Water’s are deep thinkers and intuitive and avoid confrontation, 9Fire’s are expressive with a desire to communicate and bring things ‘to light’.  Love is important to 9Fire types, they cling.  Ennis is the stereotype 1Water, as is Ang Lee.  Jack is undeniably 9Fire.

HERE ARE THEIR REAL ELEMENTS BASED ON THEIR BIRTHDAYS:

  Ang Lee -                1954 - 1Water (see above)
  Larry McMurtry -      1936 - 1Water
  Diana Ossana -        1949 - 9Fire (see above)

  Heath Ledger -        1979 - 3Wood/Yang  (The Tree, springtime, youth, independent, adventurers, icons, thunder, trend setters)
  Jake Gyllenhaal -      1980 - 2Earth/Yang  (The Diplomat, caregiver, relationships, the home and hearth, warmth, Indian summer)
  Michelle Williams -   1980 - 4Wood/Yin  (The Romantic, idealist, star reacher, indecisive, literary pursuits, ethical, late spring)
  Anne Hathaway -     1982 - 6Metal/Yang (The Sky, the patriarch, perfectionist, psychic, morality, cool, inflexible, the harvest, fall)

So the two screenwriters (Larry and Diana) were Water and Fire, just like their two main characters Ennis and Jack, respectively.  How perfect.  Ang Lee is a Water, and incorporated numerous scenes with water in them, rushing streams to calm lakes, to snow.  Also, leave it to a Water to remember the effects of the full moon on emotions.  And Water (Ang) nourishes Wood (Heath and Michelle).  Water receives strength from Metal (Anne) but is blocked by Earth (Jake).  Water needs to flow uninterrupted, but Earth, like a dam, stops it's flow.  There must've been some communication snag between Jake and Ang whereas harmony existed between the rest of the crew.  By the way, Gustavo and Annie Proulx are both 4Wood energies, perfect for a 1Water director.  So much harmony.  Such a great result.

 

[Front-Ranger]

That's very interesting, Adrian!!

[Lumière]

Lee ~  I brought this beautiful story over here!  Enjoy! 

The Wolves Within!
(courtesy of naute.com)





An old Grandfather, whose grandson came to him with anger at a schoolmate who had done him an injustice, said, "Let me tell you a story. I too, at times, have felt a great hate for those that have taken so much, with no sorrow for what they do. But hate wears you down, and does not hurt your enemy. It is like taking poison and wishing your enemy would die. I have struggled with these feelings many times."

He continued, "It is as if there are two wolves inside me; one is good and does no harm. He lives in harmony with all around him and does not take offense when no offense was intended. He will only fight when it is right to do so, and in the right way."

"But the other wolf, ah! He is full of anger. The littlest thing will set him into a fit of temper. He fights everyone, all the time, for no reason. He cannot think because his anger and hate are so great. It is hard to live with these two wolves inside me, for both of them try to dominate my spirit."

The boy looked intently into his Grandfather's eyes and asked, "Which one wins, Grandfather?"

The Grandfather solemnly said, "The one I feed."

A Native American tale told many times around the Sacred Fire.
 ~ Author Unknown

[Lynne]

Adrian - that is a beautiful analysis.  Thank you very much for posting it.  I want to learn more about this, so I was wondering if there are books you would recommend?  I confess, I was one of the ignorant sort who thought feng shui was just concerned with arranging your furniture until you enlightened me.

Miilli - I love the wolves and the Native American story you posted.  Thank you.  If you don't mind, I'm going to share it with my new friends from Ecuador who I met at a pow-wow last weekend.

-Lynne

[Brown Eyes]

Heya,

Well, if we're bumping essential BBM discussions... this one is vital.  It goes along nicely with the black hat/ white hat thread.  That one is a must-read too.

 

[Lynne]

I can't decide between black hats/white hats and this one as my fave threads...oooh and the buckets and eagles!

[Brown Eyes]

Well, the black hats/ white hats thread dovetails nicely with this one in many ways.

[Brown Eyes]

Bump again.

[Meryl]

I caught the last part of the movie on HBO tonight, and I think I noticed one more yin-yang thing.  Check out the door of the trailer in the last scene:



The dark half should have a white spot, but instead there's a white spot on the light half, as if Jack's essence is now residing in Ennis. 

Next to the dark half, a shovel rests against the wall, symbolic of Jack's death.  It also reminds me of the idea that Ennis is "buried" in the trailer, too, along with his sacred relics, the shirts.

[Brown Eyes]

Hunh.  These are some interesting points Meryl! I've never thought too much about the yin and yang symbols (and especially how they might change) following Jack's death.  I wonder if there are more examples of a "lopsided" yin and yang symbol.  I'm usually too pre-occupied with looking for fans and wind by this part of the movie.

Something else strikes me about this particular still frame that you posted.  The coiled green garden hose just to the left of Alma Jr. reminds me of the coiled up rope behind Ennis's head in the very first bar scene when Jack and Ennis first meet.  It's even on the same side of the picture frame.  I think we've talked about the coiled rope in the bar with the animal skull as being interesting, early clues into some of Ennis's issues.  I wonder if the continued presence of a coiled rope-like prop (the hose here) might indicate that Ennis is just as "tangled up" emotionally at this point as he was at the beginning.

[Front-Ranger]

That's very interesting! I remember seeing that rope in the bar too!

Along these lines there is a topic called "Snakes Alive!" on Anything Goes. You can find it here:

http://bettermost.net/forum/index.php/topic,6741.0.html

[Brown Eyes]

I love all the props in that early bar scene!  There are so many!  My favorite of course are the darts.

[Meryl]

Interesting observation about the garden hose and the coiled rope in the bar, Amanda.  There's an animal skull by the trailer door, too!  Or maybe a piece of wood that's shaped like one.



Just to go a little more crazy with the symbols, how about the steps symbolizing the Mountain, and the light over the door the Full Moon?   

I've never thought too much about the yin and yang symbols (and especially how they might change) following Jack's death.  I wonder if there are more examples of a "lopsided" yin and yang symbol.  I'm usually too pre-occupied with looking for fans and wind by this part of the movie.

Two other symbols, the barn door at the Twist ranch (Page 1 of this thread) and the cherry cake (Page 2), are "lopsided."  Both appear after Jack is dead.

[Brown Eyes]

Two other symbols, the barn door at the Twist ranch (Page 1 of this thread) and the cherry cake (Page 2), are "lopsided."  Both appear after Jack is dead.

Oh, yes.  Right, of course.  Don't know why those examples temporarily slipped my mind.
 
Thanks Bud!



I like the idea that the piece of wood (my guess is that it's a piece of wood) sort of reminds us of the shape of the animal skull.  I also like the idea of the light on the door being like the moon (it reminds me of the fan inside the trailer being an artificial stand-in for the wind... so now there's this light that could be seen as an artificial stand-in for the moon or the sun of those summer days).  Same goes for the stairs/ moutain idea.  I guess Ennis's world is getting smaller and smaller.  So what's up with all the man-made stand-ins for the natural forms at this late stage?  You know me... I'm all for going a little crazy with the symbol discussions.

[Front-Ranger]

I was reading a book with an introduction by Ang Lee last nite, and I found further proof that many of these symbolism ideas, at least those in connection with the Tao and yin-yang, are premeditated. Ang Lee wrote:

"What is the Tao, the 'way?' Of course if you can say it, it's not the real Tao, It's enigmatic, in that it can only manifest itself through contradictions, through the conflicts of the heart rather than through the harmony it seeks."

[Lynne]

So what's up with all the man-made stand-ins for the natural forms at this late stage?  You know me... I'm all for going a little crazy with the symbol discussions.

I love how you like to crazy with the symbol discussions, Amanda!    We all appreciate it!!!

Those are terrific observations about the trailer, Meryl - good work!!!

I had never noticed the coiled garden hose and wood and its symmetry with the bar scene.  Very nice observations, indeed.  It's a bit ironic to me that Ennis has a garden hose, which is used to provide water, to nourish, to grow, now that Jack is lost to him forever.  It is no longer possible for Ennis to nourish and grow his relationship with Jack.  He shows us he's ready to take some risks to nourish a relationship, I think, by his willingness to miss the roundup for Junior's wedding.

The man-made impostors for the natural symbols seem to me a perfect reflection of how the story unfolds.  The societal norms that imprison Ennis are expectations devised by man.  By never fully accepting his true nature, his innate sexuality, by never striving for that sweet life with Jack, Ennis is left with poor imitations of the real thing.

[Brown Eyes]

Very excellent post Lynne!  I think your interpretation of the significance of man-made stand-ins for natural forces is very good.  And, I'm glad you appreciate my interest in the symbols.   

[Brown Eyes]

[Front-Ranger]

Here's another picture of Jack and Ennis riding on their yin-yang horses!

[serious crayons]

They ARE yin/yang! At first I thought, well, Jack's horse doesn't have a dark spot to match the star on Ennis' horse's head. But then I noticed ... Jack's moustache!!! 

[Front-Ranger]

I suppose that could be considered, but I always thot it was the shock of dark hair in the horse's mane that shows between his ears.

[Brown Eyes]

That's an awesome picture.  I think that either the moustache or the hair between the white horse's ears works as the second half of the symbol.  Maybe the horse's hair is a closer correspondence if we're really focusing on the colors of the horses here (rather than the men). 

This is interesting that Jack's on the white horse. 

Why, why, why is he wearing a light colored hat?  I never understand Jack when he's wearing a light colored hat...  I know we've discussed this a lot, but it's still a very unsettled question to me.  Yin and yang colors are very difficult to sort out here when it comes to the guys (leaving the horses aside).  It's interesting here that Jack is wearing really dark pants and Ennis is wearing very light jeans.  It's also interesting that Jack's coat is open and Ennis is buttoned up.  But, it looks like Jack might be wearing one extra layer of shirts than Ennis.  I do still find it very convincing that the state of their clothing (numbers of layers, etc.) is an interesting barometer for their moods and emotional states.

[Front-Ranger]

Their clothing choices ARE different later in life. In the one little scene that flashes by where they are asleep in the tent, Ennis with his arm thrown over Jack, Ennis is wearing a shirt that is as close to a solid color as he ever gets. It looks solid but when you look closer there is a pattern in it.

In a book about Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon was a passage about the clothing and the colors and patterns were changed over the course of the movie to reveal the characters' changing moods.

[Front-Ranger]

'Nother yin-yang siting in the movie!! Watch carefully behind Jack as he and Ennis are parting after coming down from the mountain. You'll see two pieces of paper--one black, the other white--blowing across the background. I may be reading too much into it, but to me these resemble the slips of paper that Asians write prayers on, then they burn them or affix them to tree branches or statues.

The really wonderful thing is that we see these bits of trash AGAIN. Again, they are behind Jack as he bounds forward in his red jacket to embrace Ennis after four long years apart!! It made my heart leap to see them again!!

[Brown Eyes]

'Nother yin-yang siting in the movie!! Watch carefully behind Jack as he and Ennis are parting after coming down from the mountain. You'll see two pieces of paper--one black, the other white--blowing across the background. I may be reading too much into it, but to me these resemble the slips of paper that Asians write prayers on, then they burn them or affix them to tree branches or statues.

The really wonderful thing is that we see these bits of trash AGAIN. Again, they are behind Jack as he bounds forward in his red jacket to embrace Ennis after four long years apart!! It made my heart leap to see them again!!

Hi Lee!  Great observation!  I've never noticed the white bits of trash before.  I'll have to watch those scenes really carefully next time.  But, I've definitely noticed the darker/ black bits of trash (maybe the darker colors just stand out more).  I've always noticed them as devices that make the wind noticeable and even visible (thinking about the Jack-and-the-wind topic).  It's really neat to be able to relate those details to the yin and yang topic too.  And, I think you're definitely right that they're significant since they do appear (very clearly) at two crucial moments.

[Front-Ranger]

Hi Lee!  Great observation!  I've never noticed the white bits of trash before.  I'll have to watch those scenes really carefully next time.  But, I've definitely noticed the darker/ black bits of trash (maybe the darker colors just stand out more).  I've always noticed them as devices that make the wind noticeable and even visible (thinking about the Jack-and-the-wind topic).  It's really neat to be able to relate those details to the yin and yang topic too.  And, I think you're definitely right that they're significant since they do appear (very clearly) at two crucial moments.

It took me quite a long time to notice the trash behind Jack, because for the first dozen or so screenings, my eyes were affixed on Jack like glue!!

[Front-Ranger]

...we see these bits of trash AGAIN. Again, they are behind Jack as he bounds forward in his red jacket to embrace Ennis after four long years apart!! It made my heart leap to see them again!!

I'm not quite sure about this, but I think that we see the trash in reverse order in the Reunion Scene. First we see the white trash:

[Front-Ranger]

And then the black trash!!

[Front-Ranger]

Final yin/yang symbol in the movie! Do you see it?

[Brown Eyes]

Final yin/yang symbol in the movie! Do you see it?

Heya Sister Mod,

Thanks for reviving this cool old thread!

Well, are you referring to the bright patch of light on the wall contrasted to the dark/shadowy space between the patch of light and the curtain?  (I recall folks in the past discussing that patch of light in depth... but I don't quite recall what the observations about it were).

Or, are you referring to the "dark" of the green grass on top of the "light" of the pale pavement outside the window?

Or is there something else?

[Brown Eyes]

Yay!  Now that I (finally!) know about Striped Wall I can illustrate the point I've always wanted to talk about regarding this shot, but which is really hard to describe with just text in the absence of pictures.

It seems to me that this final shot:



Is interesting to consider in comparison to two of the "introductory" images we get of Jack:

<img src="http://www.divshare.com/img/midsize/4065107-487.jpg" border="0" />

<img src="http://www.divshare.com/img/midsize/4065108-ef8.jpg" border="0" />

The patch of grass/ straight line of pale pavement visible to the upper right in these shots seems so similar to the appearance of the view out of Ennis's trailer window.  In the early shots of Jack... it's so interesting to see how that grass (and distant landscape) are so carefully contained and framed within the geometry of the road, the building and and right edge of the picture frame itself.  It's as if the natural view here is framed via alternative means... but is still framed in much the same way that a window frame contains a view.  The analogies between the two landscapes are not precise and exact... but they've always seemed to be referencing each other (even during the fleeting real-time viewings of the film in progress).


And, clearly, Jack is looming large in both this early scene and the last scene.  In these early shots he's overwhelmingly *physically* present (maybe even suggesting the early sparks of Ennis's physical attraction to Jack almost immediately... whether or not that attraction was sublimated at this point).  In the end, Jack is overwhelmingly present for Ennis in a completely different way. 




On a different, yet also yin and yang related note... While I was looking at Striped Wall to find these Jack images, it occurred to me that when you look at the full page of thumbnails for screencaps 25-50 and then also the full page of thumbnails for caps 50-75... both of these pages in general look like big yin and yang symbols.  The black and white hats just play off of each other so, so strongly when you see all of these shots juxtaposed at one glance.  It's certainly a powerful way of introducing Ennis to Jack and vice versa.  Here are the links to the two thumbnail pages:

http://www.stripedwall.com/gallery.php?page=movies/Brokeback&start=25&p_f=0

http://www.stripedwall.com/gallery.php?page=movies/Brokeback&start=50&p_f=0

 

[Front-Ranger]

Heya Sister Mod,

Thanks for reviving this cool old thread!

Well, are you referring to the bright patch of light on the wall contrasted to the dark/shadowy space between the patch of light and the curtain?  (I recall folks in the past discussing that patch of light in depth... but I don't quite recall what the observations about it were).

Yes, you are right as you always are, friend Amanda! The sunlight bouncing off the blue curtain makes a blue reflection on the side of the closet, while the wall next to it is in deep shadow. I find the "blue light" extremely eerie and ethereal...you should see it on a high-definition DVD of the movie, as was shown at the BBQ. Oh, yes, you did see it there!! The colors were so saturated! Another interesting anecdote about that shot is that in the script, McMurtry and Ossana refer to a "milky cold white light" outside the trailer. I wonder why they described it that way?

Your observations about the view through the trailer window as compared to the early shot of Jack are simply uncanny. I may be wrong, but I believe both shots may have occurred in the same general location, near Beisecker, Alberta. Meryl gave us a fantastic close-up of the grain growing there...it is barley, the grain used in making beer!! The plot thickens!! Stay tuned for more details.

And yes, I see what you mean about the two pages of thumbnails. Yin/yang symbols are everywhere!!

Thanks again for your insights!!

[Front-Ranger]

The picture of the field of barley, actually taken by Phillip, is shown here:

http://bettermost.net/forum/index.php/topic,12091.msg346958.html#msg346958

and Beiseker is the location of Ennis' trailer scene, the Motel Siesta, and the Twist house (further east) but apparently not the opening scene with Jack. I'll track that down next.

[Front-Ranger]

It turns out that the Aguirre's trailer scene at the beginning was shot way down south in Cowley. Here's a link to a photo of the area:

http://bettermost.net/forum/index.php/topic,12064.msg237016.html#msg237016

Looks like common bunchgrass in the photo, sparse in July but may have been taller and more lush during the month when the movie was filmed.

[Front-Ranger]

Just as a refresher, here is Julie's husband's yin/yang ring:

[Brown Eyes]

That blue reflection really is a little spooky.  It reminds me of all the talk about subtle forms of haunting that seem to occur following Jack's death... and seem particularly strong in the Lightning Flat scene.  This kind of image also reminds me of the Classical Allusions concept of haunting.

[Brown Eyes]

I just scanned through the entirety of this great old thread and I didn't notice this being discussed before (but forgive me if this has come up at some point in the past)...

But, is the yin and yang symbol the key to understanding Ennis's wacky pajamas here?   

I've never understood why Ennis would wear such "loud" and almost deliberately "funny" pajamas (it just seems to be out of character).

<img src="http://www.divshare.com/img/4180971-454.jpg" border="0" />

[Front-Ranger]

Could be, Amanda!! I would not be surprised one bit! We know that Ang Lee did use costume to advance the story in his film Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, and so we could expect him to do the same here!!

Did you also notice that that spooky blue light is in the scene, just like in the last post you made way back when?? Cool!!

[Brown Eyes]

Did you also notice that that spooky blue light is in the scene, just like in the last post you made way back when?? Cool!!

Yes!  I did notice that as I was posting this pajama image!
 

[Gabreya]

Um, if you guys don't mind me adding this. This is not in the movie but did you know in the interview with Oprah, Jake(and Oprah) were wearing black and white clothes(yin/yang symbolism maybe)? See Jake was wearing a black suit with a white shirt, but it was in a mostly dressy way. And Oprah was wearing a white long skirt, some semi-black and white shoe heels, and a black dressy vest, blouse shirt with white rims.
Black and white will be forever in style and go great together. In fact, they're my school's colors.

[Brown Eyes]

Um, if you guys don't mind me adding this. This is not in the movie but did you know in the interview with Oprah, Jake(and Oprah) were wearing black and white clothes(yin/yang symbolism maybe)? See Jake was wearing a black suit with a white shirt, but it was in a mostly dressy way. And Oprah was wearing a white long skirt, some semi-black and white shoe heels, and a black dressy vest, blouse shirt with white rims.
Black and white will be forever in style and go great together. In fact, they're my school's colors.

That's a great observation Gabreya!  I don't know how deliberate Jake might have been about the yin and yang colored clothing for the Oprah interview.  But, he definitely was aware of the concept as applied to BBM.. he mentions it in one of the interviews in the bonus features on the DVD.  I love that.  I love this topic!


 

[Gabreya]

Cool! Yeah, I ought check that interview out!

[Front-Ranger]

I found another yin/yang symbol in the movie...and it's clothing-based again! At Ennis' wedding, his best man is wearing dark pants and a light shirt, while Ennis is wearing a dark suit jacket with jeans. In his lapel, Ennis is wearing a white flower!!

[Front-Ranger]

A somber yin/yang on the top of Heath's memorial. Photo courtesy of Bay City John.

[Lynne]

A somber yin/yang on the top of Heath's memorial. Photo courtesy of Bay City John.

Thanks for posting this, Lee.  This is the first time I have seen Heath's memorial.

 

Not enough time, noway, nohow.

[Front-Ranger]

'Nother yin-yang siting in the movie!! Watch carefully behind Jack as he and Ennis are parting after coming down from the mountain. You'll see two pieces of paper--one black, the other white--blowing across the background. I may be reading too much into it, but to me these resemble the slips of paper that Asians write prayers on, then they burn them or affix them to tree branches or statues.

The really wonderful thing is that we see these bits of trash AGAIN. Again, they are behind Jack as he bounds forward in his red jacket to embrace Ennis after four long years apart!! It made my heart leap to see them again!!

Helga posted this picture of Jack and the trash!