Looking Through the Window

[Front-Ranger]

It's really amazing how many critical scenes take place with the actors standing by a window or in between two windows or a window and a door. What does this mean? Well, for starters, if there is a window in the scene, it means you should pay attention because something important is going to happen. For instance, in a pivotal scene, Alma looks out a window and sees....this!!

[Front-Ranger]

Here it is from the reverse POV:

[Front-Ranger]

Yes, it's incredible how many scenes feature a window! For instance, here's a late scene of Ennis at the bus station, eating pie, when he is confronted by Cassie:

[Front-Ranger]

And here is Lureen as she answers that fateful one phone call from Ennis. She is sitting in front of a window, with the white light pouring through, making a nimbus of her platinumed hair:

[Front-Ranger]

Lureen is not often seen in conjunction with a window. In fact, she is most often seen with her back against a wall...when baby Bobbie is born, as two rednecks diss her husband, as she works the adding machine.

Alma, on the other hand, is often seen with a window nearby. She is not in the dark about her husband. Alma may be poor, but she always has a window in her kitchen! Here's one of my favourite pictures of her, as her silhouette seems to form the shape of the mountain, with the little yin/yang salt and pepper shakers visible through the gap between her arm and her body:

[southendmd]

Lureen is not often seen in conjunction with a window. In fact, she is most often seen with her back against a wall...when baby Bobbie is born, as two rednecks diss her husband, as she works the adding machine.

Alma, on the other hand, is often seen with a window nearby. She is not in the dark about her husband. Alma may be poor, but she always has a window in her kitchen! Here's one of my favourite pictures of her, as her silhouette seems to form the shape of the mountain, with the little yin/yang salt and pepper shakers visible through the gap between her arm and her body:

I had a funny association:



Vermeer often painted his subjects in domestic situations, near a window.

[Penthesilea]

Good one Paul. There's Vermeer again.

[Penthesilea]

My assorted windows collection (so to speak ), chronologically.






Alma with two windows




Ennis comes home, looks through the window. More pics of Ennis looking through the window to come




We see Ennis through the window after he sent his "You bet" postcard to Jack

[Penthesilea]

More of Ennis looking through the window. (Gawd, I LOVE this pic *melts*)





Other view from same scene. Ennis is waiting for Jack.




Jack is coming, Ennis looking out of the window once more





When Jack is finally there, no window pane is seperating them




Instead, it is now Alma who is seperated from the going ons by a window pane





Ennis and Jack coming up into the flat; a window is seen next to Alma, the shades almost completely closed. You can only get a glimpse of what's going on outside. Just like the glimpse Alma saw of Ennis's and Jack's relationship.
Guess the glimpse was more than Alma ever wanted to see, she doesn't get and doesn't want to get the whole picture at this moment, thus the blinds are shut for the greatest part.

[Penthesilea]

The next morning, again Alma is the one looking through the window. Twice even. Here's the first look...




...and what she sees




After Ennis has left the appartment, she looks out of the window the second time...




...and that's what she sees this time. Again, Ennis and Jack are together and Alma is seperated by a window pane.



Symbolically, the windows can mean being seperated from the world outside and from the possibilities it holds. But I think in these and some other scenes the act of looking through the window (as opposed to a character shown next to a window) symbolizes being seperated from your loved one and longing for him.

[Penthesilea]

The piss-ant scene.
Two other guys looking through the window. No longing involved this time( ).





Similar scene, after the next trip we see. Again it's Jack on a tractor and we see him through the front window. Don't know what to make of it, just thought to add it for completeness. Maybe someone else has an idea?

[Penthesilea]

The Thanksgiving scenes. Jack and Lureen in front of huge window panes so typical for the time and economic status of the Twists/Newsomes.




The shot of Lureen is similar to the later one, when Ennis calls her "to see what happened".




Thanksgiving at Monroe's and Alma's house. (*sigh* poor Ennis). Again, Alma at the kitchen sink; Ennis comes in and looks through the window. There are three similar scenes: at the lonesome ranch, in the apartment above the laundromat and this one. Only in the middle scene Ennis doesn't look out of the window (he has something better to look at: Jack's card ).

[Penthesilea]

Another example of Ennis looking out of the window (well, car window in this case):

[Penthesilea]

A particularly poignant window scene.
The window looked down on the gravel road strectching south and it occurred to him that for his growing-up years that was the only road Jack knew.




I think there are more intersting windows in the Twist house.

[Penthesilea]

Last not least Ennis's trailer. It holds surprisingly many windows. Eight at least, but I think it's nine windows. But despite the many windows, the trailor interior is dark and bright-less (that's not a word, is it?) just like the life of its owner.

Counting windows: three in the back wall, three or four in the front (two regular windows and one or two in the doors - I'm not positive whether the second door also has a window, but I think so), plus two windows on the short sides of the trailer.



...followed by "This Kurt fella - he loves you?"



And of course, the last frame:

[Artiste]

Merci beaucoup Penthesilea !

Your pics are making me think!

That's good !

A star is born... Ennis, Jack... their love , their star ! All windows lead to that one window of their love, private and yet ours too !!

Much more can be said. May we all do!

Au revoir,
hugs!

[Front-Ranger]

The piss-ant scene.
Two other guys looking through the window. No longing involved this time( ).

I'm not so sure about that, friend. Might it be that those two-bit farmers were jealous of Jack, who had such a desirable wife and the big-ass farm equipment dealership, etc? Or maybe even that they desired Jack?

Similar scene, after the next trip we see. Again it's Jack on a tractor and we see him through the front window. Don't know what to make of it, just thought to add it for completeness. Maybe someone else has an idea?

I'm glad you included this, because it shows that even out of doors, there were many windows in this movie! Even on Brokeback Mountain there were some...I will prove it!!

[Artiste]

In this piss-ant scene, are they two of the murderers of Jack ?

[Front-Ranger]

no not literally. But in a way yes. They represent the uncaring, apathetic, judgmental mass of society that just fears anyone who doesn't move in lockstep with themselves.

The real killers, as represented in a deleted scene, were two mechanics.

[southendmd]

Wow, Chrissi, (and Lee) a very comprehensive survey of the windows of BBM.  The airy, gossamer, sometimes solid boundary between what we know and what we believe.  Lovely, thank you.  

[Front-Ranger]

The airy, gossamer, sometimes solid boundary between what we know and what we believe.  

What a beautiful way to express it! Now it seems that Ang Lee is continuing the tradition of Alice Through the Looking Glass.

I mentioned yesterday that there are windows even in the outdoor scenes. Here is one. Ennis and Jack in the pivotal Lake scene, where Ennis must tell Jack what he's put off all week: that he can't meet with him in August as planned but must put off their meeting until November. Not only is Ennis standing by a window (the window to Jack's truck) but he is fingering a handle. This just before he says he's spent his life going round the coffeepot looking for the handle.

[Brokeback_Dev]

Lots of window scenes.  Very deep analogies given here.  Thanks for posting the pics too.   Really makes a person think

[Front-Ranger]

Thanks for checking it out, Dev!

As Chrissi mentioned, one of the outdoor window scenes was Jack and/or Bobby driving the Versatile combine:



There are even window scenes up on Brokeback Mountain! Can you recall them?

[Penthesilea]

There are even window scenes up on Brokeback Mountain! Can you recall them?

You bet!

[Penthesilea]

And another one looking out of the window/tent flap, when the hail storm starts.

[Front-Ranger]

Great, friend! I'm looking forward to seeing these when I get home from work!

[Front-Ranger]

Chrissi, I love your window collection!

More of Ennis looking through the window. (Gawd, I LOVE this pic *melts*)





Other view from same scene. Ennis is waiting for Jack.




Jack is coming, Ennis looking out of the window once more





When Jack is finally there, no window pane is seperating them




Instead, it is now Alma who is seperated from the going ons by a window pane





Ennis and Jack coming up into the flat; a window is seen next to Alma, the shades almost completely closed. You can only get a glimpse of what's going on outside. Just like the glimpse Alma saw of Ennis's and Jack's relationship.
Guess the glimpse was more than Alma ever wanted to see, she doesn't get and doesn't want to get the whole picture at this moment, thus the blinds are shut for the greatest part.

[BayCityJohn]

This is for Joseph

By Doug Spearman

There’s a scene in Brokeback Mountain that is almost too personal for me to watch.  Heath Ledger is standing in Jake Gyllenhaal’s childhood bedroom.  There is only one window, open half-way, looking out over a barren and seemingly endless landscape. A plastic pony sits on the window ledge, the only toy in the room. Under the window there’s a small, four-legged stool.  It’s easy for me to imagine a little boy sitting at the one window that belongs to him, pretending to ride his horse over the horizon to something new, something different, something better.  It’s easy for me, because I was that kind of little boy.

I just read portions of a suicide note. It was written by a 26 year old black man named Joseph Jefferson. He lived in New York. His windows looked out on the busiest most important city in the world, millions of people and the wealth of an empire all spread out before him, and he saw no hope.  He hung himself because he couldn’t take not belonging. He couldn’t continue the fight for not just equality, but a place where he, as a black gay man fit in.  I bet Joseph was that kind of boy, too.

Except my room was much nicer than the one in the movie and filled with toys.  And instead of a depression-era landscape, I looked over a forest of maple and oak trees in Maryland.  The feelings, however, were the same.  How would I make it out of here?  Who was going to love me?


more...


http://sovo.com/?p=1476

[Penthesilea]

Happy *bump* week.

[Front-Ranger]

A very good choice for bumping!

[Meryl]

Very good thread!  I've always loved this layered shot of Alma through both the nursery and kitchen windows:

[Penthesilea]

Very good thread!  I've always loved this layered shot of Alma through both the nursery and kitchen windows:

Great minds and all that!
Earlier today I noticed this one is missing. Well, there are more, I'm sure, but this came to my mind most prominently. I went to Stripedwall and found it, but then photobucket didn't load for me, so I couldn't share.


Another thought I had:
Windows both seperate and connect one world (outside) with the other (inside).
When Ennis and Jack have their reunion, Alma sees them, but is seperated through a screen door (just as semi-permeable as a window).
Ennis watches Junior walk walk back to and enter the house in which she lives, while Ennis is both, locked out of the house, and inside the car.


Ennis is very often seen inside, glancing (sometimes longingly) outside. We've noted that before. But then there's this shot:




Ennis leaving the post-office after returning Jack's first card, saying "You bet."
Ennis is outside, and this is stressed (in opposite to the mountain scenes, where "outside" is regular) by the fact that we, the viewers suddenly are on the inside and watch Ennis being out. Of course not "out" in the sense of sexualitiy, but rather "outgoing", daring something, getting over himself. I think all this is reflected by the way Ang Lee shot this view.

[Sason]

Ennis is very often seen inside, glancing (sometimes longingly) outside. We've noted that before. But then there's this shot:




Ennis leaving the post-office after returning Jack's first card, saying "You bet."
Ennis is outside, and this is stressed (in opposite to the mountain scenes, where "outside" is regular) by the fact that we, the viewers suddenly are on the inside and watch Ennis being out. Of course not "out" in the sense of sexualitiy, but rather "outgoing", daring something, getting over himself. I think all this is reflected by the way Ang Lee shot this view.

Wow, these are excellent observations, Chrissi!

[Front-Ranger]

Ennis leaving the post-office after returning Jack's first card, saying "You bet."
Ennis is outside, and this is stressed (in opposite to the mountain scenes, where "outside" is regular) by the fact that we, the viewers suddenly are on the inside and watch Ennis being out. Of course not "out" in the sense of sexualitiy, but rather "outgoing", daring something, getting over himself. I think all this is reflected by the way Ang Lee shot this view.

I agree with you Chrissi, and also, is Ang perhaps challenging the viewer very subtly, saying, "How about you? Is this your point of view?"

[Front-Ranger]

Is it Throw-back Thursday yet? Close enough!

[Front-Ranger]

Indiewire does an overview of reflections in 120 movies and features the shot of Ennis walking away, reflected in Jack's rear-view:

http://blogs.indiewire.com/pressplay/watch-the-power-of-reflection-in-120-films-in-five-minutes-20150327

[morrobay]

That was interesting to watch, thanks for posting the link.  I also saw Heath from Monster's Ball (I think) and Jake from Idon'tknowwhat movie...maybe Jarhead?

[morrobay]

I thought of 2 scenes in my tied-for-all-time-favorite movie, Free Fall.  The first is of Marc as he leaves a room where his pregnant girlfriend is sleeping.  He sees himself in the mirror, I read it as the moment he breaks into two separate people.  He can't stop thinking of the man who has infiltrated his life, and this is when he makes the decision that will change his life.

It's very dark; all the scenes inside his house are dark and close in, confining, suffocating.  Like Brokeback, when he's with Kay, the two of them are (usually) outside, rain or shine.

[morrobay]

after his gf has the baby, i'm sure he thought he would be over his infatuation with Kay, and that things would return to "normal".  

As he holds his son, he looks at himself in the mirror and says in a whisper, "What are you looking at?  What are you looking at?  Look at that."

I'm so sorry more people haven't seen this movie, although I'm sure not all viewers would be as taken with it as I am.  I think it's truly worth the time to see.

[Front-Ranger]

I hope to see Free Fall soon. Been wanting to watch it but my Netflicks doesn't work so well.

I think I saw two clips from Jake Gyllenhaal's Nitecrawler.

[CellarDweller]

Indiewire does an overview of reflections in 120 movies and features the shot of Ennis walking away, reflected in Jack's rear-view:

http://blogs.indiewire.com/pressplay/watch-the-power-of-reflection-in-120-films-in-five-minutes-20150327

Interesting link!