Somewhere in one of these postings, it is mentioned that Lee's attention to detail was impeccable. I don't know anything about Lee so I will go along with that, except, all the errors that occur...
I agree that some editing details are less than impeccable. Maybe that has to do with the change of editors; others have suggested that on a lower-budget film it's too costly to go back and fix mistakes like thsse. There are a few other minor mistakes I wish weren't there (such as Ennis' Aussie accent in the grocery store scene).
However, when people talk about Lee's attention to detail, they're generally referring to his meticulous planning of metaphors and symbolism and echoed scenes and color patterns and etc. etc. (not all of which are Lee's doing -- some go back to the screenplay and story; others might hyave come from costume or set designers). For example, to establish Jack as being symbolized by wind (sometimes in the form of fans) and then to sprinkle examples throughout the movie, culminating in a huge fan propped between Alma and Ennis in the last scene -- that's attention to detail.
Another example of Lee's attention to detail, IMO, is his inclusion of extremely subtle bits of action or dialogue that are so quick or so peripheral that many people don't notice them even after numerous viewings. Such as Jack and Ennis holding hands during TS1 -- a detail that, though very subtle, few people here would dispute.
And, perhaps, the "fuck me" and "I love you."
The subtitled version of the movie shows every verbal exchange
To those of you who are positive he says "I love you" try to obtain the actual script??
Since one of you claims "those 3 words are pivitol to the story", don't you think Ms Proulx would have written it into the story?
I wouldn't rely on subtitles, the screenplay or Annie Proulx's story to prove or disprove the existence of "I love you." The subtitle writers, as Diane points out here and others have noted in other threads, are incredibly fallible. The "I love you" could have been -- in fact, much more likely was -- conceived during filming, post-screenplay. And I don't remember who, if anyone, claimed the three words are pivotal, but they're not (though if they were, they certainly wouldn't be the only pivotal things in the movie that don't exist in the story, such as the entire character of Cassie).
I think a lot of you who believe you hear "I love you" do so because that't what you want to hear,
My verdict: the power of belief and/or suggestion
The "I love you" is definitely not something I believed in or wanted to hear -- until I did. I had seen references to it before but always thought they sounded stupid, couldn't imagine Ennis saying such a thing, and never even looked for it. Then one day, I was watching with the volume turned up especially high because I was listening for something else in a different scene. When I got to the closet scene, I was just going along, not looking for anything new ... and then suddenly I saw it and just about fell off the couch. Now I see it every time.
Is it absolutely clear beyond a shadow of doubt that he is saying "I love you"? No. He moves his lips three times. He makes three sounds. You can't tell exactly what the words are, or even for sure that they are words. So yeah, he could possibly be saying "Here's my shirt!" or "These need washing!" or, as 2robots4u suggests, he could be sobbing with lips quivering. Because it's so obscure, you have to just figure out for yourself what fits the audio and visual and what seems most probable, and when I apply those tests I see him saying "I love you."
The presence of "I love you" does not change anything about the meaning of the movie, so if you don't see it or don't want to see it, that's fine. Personally, I have come to love it, but to me it is, like jpwagoneer says, the icing on the cake. It deepens my sadness and sympathy for Ennis. It is beautiful and tragic and poignant. But there's plenty of beauty and tragedy and poignancy there already, so the movie is just fine without it (obviously).
Now, as for the "fuck me," I've never heard it. But based on my "I love you" experience and the testimonials I've seen on this thread, I'm completely open to the possibility that it's there.
And as for "sorry" "s'alright" I go back and forth (though tend to believe it's all Jack saying "s'alright). I think that unless we hear from Jake or Heath or Ang, there will never be certainty or a full concensus.
