"Jack, I swear..." What do you think Ennis meant by that?

[Rayn]

And I think back on the old man who was Proulx's original inspiration,

Yeah, I agree about how major the step is for Ennis to even come out to himself.   What's this about "the old man/original inspiration".... I would like to know where I could read more about that.  Sounds interesting!

Rayn

[moremojo]

What's this about "the old man/original inspiration".... I would like to know where I could read more about that.  Sounds interesting!

I think it might have been in her "Getting Movied" essay, but definitely somewhere, Annie wrote of how she visited the Mint Bar in Sheridan, Wyoming (in 1995, I believe), on a pretty crowded night, and saw a seasoned ranch hand standing at the bar looking repeatedly and wistfully at a group of young men playing pool. It occurred to her that the man may have been "country gay", and she wondered what it might have been like growing up as such in Wyoming in the not-too-distant past--and then Ennis appeared in her mind, followed immediately by Jack, "for you can't have Ennis without Jack." The rest is history.

There have been a few comments here and there on our forum concerning this story; I'll see if I can find a link to some pertinent discussion.

[Rayn]

That's very interesting how it just popped up in her mind like that.  It's the creative process though, sometimes blueprints or sketches leaped into one's mind and all there is to do is fill in the rest, but it's the filling in that's the test of any writer or artist.  Thanks, moremojo, I look forward to hearing / seeing more.

[Front-Ranger]

Yes, it was definitely in "Getting Movied" in Story to Screenplay.

An interesting random revelation that hit me as I was watching the film at the Castro Theater: Jack swears to Ennis! It happens at the Siesta Motel. He says, "I swear I didn't know we was goin to get into this again...yeah, I did."

So, they swear to each other...but Ennis's oath comes too late. 

[Rayn]

Yeah, but...  "I swear" isn't always "an oath".  It can just be colloquial usage ( and cowboys use it a lot) and mean "I declare!" as in "My God!" ...an exclamation or way to emphasize.   I heard Jack say that in the Motel too, but just took it to mean, "Boy oh boy" or something like that, you know?  I wouldn't say it's an oath of love though, not like Ennis' at the end.  Do you see what I mean?

[KristinDaBomb]

When he says that beautiful line, I always think he means he is so heartbroken that he lost him and he can't believe it happened.

[injest]

When he says that beautiful line, I always think he means he is so heartbroken that he lost him and he can't believe it happened.

It was the perfect line though wasn't it? I can' imagine anything else he could have said.

A perfect but heartbreaking ending...

(welcome to Bettermost!)

[KristinDaBomb]

It was the perfect line though wasn't it? I can' imagine anything else he could have said.

A perfect but heartbreaking ending...

(welcome to Bettermost!)

It was perfect. So sad but it needed to be said. Thanks for the welcome. =]

[Rayn]

When he says that beautiful line, I always think he means he is so heartbroken that he lost him and he can't believe it happened.

I agree 100% with that!   Anyway, this thread has run so long because there are so many ways to take and hear that line.  I love hearing every different insight and idea about it and welcome you too KrisDaBomb!  Nice to have ya.

[SFEnnisSF]

So, who else here has noticed that the audio of the line "I swear" is different on the DVD than it is/was on the film in theatres?

The version on the DVD sounds weak and feeble, and there were a lot of complaints on IMDB when the DVD came out of folks asking "what was the last line?"  On the film versions, it's pronounced more clearly, with more sincerity and drive behind it. 

Now, you know I saw it 45 times in the theatre before the DVD came out.  When I watched the DVD at home, and the line was said in that different audio take, I almost fell out of my chair!  Why the two different audio takes has always been beyond me?  But I'll prefer watching the FILM in theatres over the DVD anytime, especially for this reason alone.