Carving up the Two Old Birds

[Meryl]

LOVE IT!  Thanks for this addition!

Thanks, glad it makes sense to you.  And thanks for making it more clear to me that the birds really do symbolize Jack and Ennis. 

I can certainly go along with this.  I am also pessimistic -- ruthlessly unsentimental -- about Ennis' future.  I see him as working hard every day, maybe going to a bar, alone, for several beers, or to the bus depot, alone, for pie... but then sitting in his trailer all evening long, again, alone, drinking beers, smoking cigarettes and watching TV or gazing at the shirts hanging in the opened closet.  To be brutally frank, I see Ennis starting to talk to the shirts after a while.  I think those shirts are going to become his best and only friend.  Still, we did see a teeny weenie bit of movement on his part at the end, didn’t we?

That is a grim picture, but one I can envision, too.  Annie Proulx gave us even less hope than the screenplay, with her "wind strikes the trailer like a load of dirt coming off a dump truck" line, as if Ennis is literally being buried.  I'm glad Ang Lee at least let in a crack of light under  the door. 

[ruthlesslyunsentimental]

I'm glad Ang Lee at least let in a crack of light under  the door. 

Me too.  Lee has said that he added the final scene to give some wisp of hope or promise to the story.  Still, going to the wedding just gets him out of his trailer for a couple of hours on a very important day.  This doesn't mean he'll ever do another Thanksgiving with Alma and Monroe, though.  The amazing thing about this is that he will have to go to a public event where Alma Sr. is present.  Maybe she'll take this opportunity to finally tell Ennis that she witnessed the passionate reunion kiss.  Wouldn' that just make Jr.'s day all the more special?

Side question -- when Ennis goes to Jr.'s wedding, what do you think he wears?  His wedding suit -- I'll bet he still has it -- or his slicked-back hair and bolo tie from the Thanksgiving scene?  I go with the slicked-back hair and bolo tie.  Any thoughts?  Does he drink a little bit too much and get in a fight with one of the groomsmen? 

[Meryl]

Me too.  Lee has said that he added the final scene to give some wisp of hope or promise to the story.  Still, going to the wedding just gets him out of his trailer for a couple of hours on a very important day.  This doesn't mean he'll ever do another Thanksgiving with Alma and Monroe, though.  The amazing thing about this is that he will have to go to a public event where Alma Sr. is present.  Maybe she'll take this opportunity to finally tell Ennis that she witnessed the passionate reunion kiss.  Wouldn' that just make Jr.'s day all the more special?

Side question -- when Ennis goes to Jr.'s wedding, what do you think he wears?  His wedding suit -- I'll bet he still has it -- or his slicked-back hair and bolo tie from the Thanksgiving scene?  I go with the slicked-back hair and bolo tie.  Any thoughts?  Does he drink a little bit too much and get in a fight with one of the groomsmen?

I think Jr. is savvy enough to take Ennis in hand when it comes to looking good at the wedding.  She'll probably arrrange for him to meet up with Kurt for a guys' day out shopping trip and haircut.  It's nice to imagine, anyway.   

As for Alma, I wonder if she'd even know about Jack's death.  It'd make an interesting fanfic:  Alma making some remark to Ennis, only to find out his fishing buddy had passed away.   She'd look like a hypocrite if she expressed sympathy, but she'd have to have some feelings about it.  Maybe it would lead to a heart-to-heart talk with Ennis at last.  It's nice to imagine, anyway. 

[ruthlesslyunsentimental]

She'll probably arrrange for him to meet up with Kurt for a guys' day out shopping trip and haircut.

Or maybe a new episode of "Queer Eye for the Hopelessly-Believing-Himself-to-be-Straight Guy?"

As for Alma, I wonder if she'd even know about Jack's death.  It'd make an interesting fanfic:  Alma making some remark to Ennis, only to find out his fishing buddy had passed away.   She'd look like a hypocrite if she expressed sympathy, but she'd have to have some feelings about it.  Maybe it would lead to a heart-to-heart talk with Ennis at last.  It's nice to imagine, anyway. 

Oh, gosh.  Now you turned my joking mood into a sad one.

So sad, because while Ennis did introduce Jack to Alma and the girls (he sort of had to since they were all there), he could never, ever talk to anyone about Jack except to say "We was good friends."  Oh, poor, sad, grammatically incorrect Ennis...  (At least he was a good speller.)

As far as Alma, if she ever found out, I could see her biting her tongue to keep herself from saying something patently offensive like "Well good!"  But, I can't see a heart-to-heart.  Well, maybe in 2006, when they're both in their sixties... and Alma has watched a lot of Oprah... but then, she'd still carry the bitterness that the lie he lived (for which she may express some sympathy) was a lie to her and to their relationship and to their children... 

Thanks again!   


(Kidding -- it's nice talkin' to ya.       )

[serious crayons]

So sad, because while Ennis did introduce Jack to Alma and the girls (he sort of had to since they were all there), he could never, ever talk to anyone about Jack except to say "We was good friends."

I know, that is really sad. The only sympathy he got was from Mrs. Twist. So maybe he will go see her, on a day when Mr. Twist goes into Casper for supplies.

Or maybe someday, after Alma Jr. watches a lot of Oprah ...

As far as Alma, if she ever found out, I could see her biting her tongue to keep herself from saying something patently offensive like "Well good!"  But, I can't see a heart-to-heart.  Well, maybe in 2006, when they're both in their sixties... and Alma has watched a lot of Oprah... but then, she'd still carry the bitterness that the lie he lived (for which she may express some sympathy) was a lie to her and to their relationship and to their children..

 

No, that kind of transformation would be beyond the powers of even Oprah. A wife would have to be pretty saintly to console her ex on the death of the person (man or woman) with whom he was having an affair throughout their marriage, let alone someone she considers "nasty." And Alma is far from saintly.

[mlewisusc]

WOW!  Haven't been on the boards for a long time, and look what analysis I've been missing!  I'll have to take time to digest this, but I wanted to point out the fact that the name of the restaurant (Knife & Fork) was from the original Proulx story (not that this fact stops the filmmakers from working it into the visual symbolism). 

[Front-Ranger]

I'm terribly behind on this thread but wanted to add that knives are hugely symbolic in Asian culture. In business, we are warned to never give a present of knives to businessmen of Asian background. I'm sure your take on the knives is true, and was meant to be in the film. It's also meaningful, I think, that the boys never wear knives on their persons when they are on the mountain. What's missing is just as meaningful as what's shown. We never see an eagle or other bird in the sky on the mountain, but we do hear the cry of an eagle at least twice: at the beginning when Ennis approaches the trailer, and when the boys change camp.

[ruthlesslyunsentimental]

And Alma is far from saintly.

You think so?  Gee, when she confronted Ennis in the kitchen after her Thanksgiving Spectacular, I thought she was just trying to help Ennis come to terms with who he really is, trying to guide him into a new spiritual awakening.  She was hoping that he'd come out of the closet so that they could hug, and she could say "s'alright," and then they'd go and tell Monroe and the girls the good news, and then they'd go to town, you know, out on the pavement, and they'd go to that bar and tell everyone and they'd all toast Ennis and his new-found self-awarness, and then they'd call Jack and tell him to come on up and drop by and... well, I can almost see Alma knittin' a brand new wedding suit for Ennis...

OK, I went too far, didn't I?

[ruthlesslyunsentimental]

What's missing is just as meaningful as what's shown.

Absolutely!

[Front-Ranger]

"Don't mess with Alma!!!" One of the great unwritten rules. I got in major trouble for calling her a "harridan" at Thanksgiving. People are sensitive about Lureen and LaShawn too, and you'll have to tread lightly on Cassie.