"Sometimes I miss......

[Mikaela]

From Meryl

There's that maddening pause right after "Tell you what" before he says "sometimes I miss you so much I can hardly stand it."  Was he really trying to say "It's the ranch foreman I've been seeing, and not his wife"?

Yes, I definitely think so. He's in the tentative first stages of possible quitting..... He thinks he needs to be more honest to see where that may get them. But ultimately, he can't bring himself to hurt Ennis like that. He can't manage to say those words. So instead of saying that he's seeing the Ranch foreman, he tells Ennis the *reason* why he's seeing the ranch foreman. It hurts the heart to watch it.

And poor Ennis can't manage to find a word to say in response; - his bad conscience over not being able to make August and not having told Jack yet, making him even more mute faced with Jack's bared emotions.

The glint of the firelight in Ennis's eyes in that scene is nearly eerie - tiny bright points of light in the darkness - it's as if Ennis's inner light has lit up now that he's sitting next to Jack. 

From early on in my Brokeback "obsession" I've found that this scene, the one that ends with "sometimes I miss you so much..." is the most painful one of them all for me to watch.  Knowing how each truly feels for the other, knowing all that goes unsaid between them there, knowing what lies ahead...... that scene just kills me. Sometimes I skip past it because it's so painful to watch.

[jpwagoneer1964]

And poor Ennis can't manage to find a word to say in response; - his bad conscience over not being able to make August and not having told Jack yet, making him even more mute faced with Jack's bared emotions.

The glint of the firelight in Ennis's eyes in that scene is nearly eerie - tiny bright points of light in the darkness - it's as if Ennis's inner light has lit up now that he's sitting next to Jack.   

From early on in my Brokeback "obsession" I've found that this scene, the one that ends with "sometimes I miss you so much..." is the most painful one of them all for me to watch.  Knowing how each truly feels for the other, knowing all that goes unsaid between them there, knowing what lies ahead...... that scene just kills me. Sometimes I skip past it because it's so painful to watch.

This is one of my favorites, because it one of the many ways Jacks tells Ennis he loves him.
And you lnow from the next scene, the tent, Ennis tenderly responded.

[Daphne7661]

Yes, I definitely think so. He's in the tentative first stages of possible quitting..... He thinks he needs to be more honest to see where that may get them. But ultimately, he can't bring himself to hurt Ennis like that. He can't manage to say those words. So instead of saying that he's seeing the Ranch foreman, he tells Ennis the *reason* why he's seeing the ranch foreman. It hurts the heart to watch it.

And poor Ennis can't manage to find a word to say in response; - his bad conscience over not being able to make August and not having told Jack yet, making him even more mute faced with Jack's bared emotions.

The glint of the firelight in Ennis's eyes in that scene is nearly eerie - tiny bright points of light in the darkness - it's as if Ennis's inner light has lit up now that he's sitting next to Jack. 

From early on in my Brokeback "obsession" I've found that this scene, the one that ends with "sometimes I miss you so much..." is the most painful one of them all for me to watch.  Knowing how each truly feels for the other, knowing all that goes unsaid between them there, knowing what lies ahead...... that scene just kills me. Sometimes I skip past it because it's so painful to watch.

Ohhh, my heart is just breaking...  I don't think I could love Jack and Ennis anymore and then I read other's posts and just come unglued.  How can this positively magnificent movie hurt so damn much...

 

[Luvlylittlewing]

No way was jack actually having an affair with a Rancher's wife.  Actually, I'm in the camp (a very small minority) who does not believe Jack had an affair with either laShawn or Randall!  Jack mentioned having an affair with a woman only after Ennis mentioned putting the blocks to Cassie.  In fact, I'm sure Jack asked his lover about  finding someone to marry as a means to see who  was in Ennis' life at the time - whether Jack had any competition.  When Ennis admitted an affair with cassie, I don't think Jack liked that very much.  He countered with the fiction about the rancher's wife as a sort of tit-for-tat, IMO, a one-upmanship.  Of course, I could be wrong.

If jack were indeed having an affair with Randall, why mention it to Ennis?  Jack was smart enough to know that Ennis would go ballistic, that Ennis would knock him out if he confessed to being with another man!  Ennis would have also been destroyed to learn of Jack's affair, if it actually happened, and I'm sure jack wouldn't want Ennis hurt.  Just my humble POV.

[jpwagoneer1964]

No way was jack actually having an affair with a Rancher's wife.  Actually, I'm in the camp (a very small minority) who does not believe Jack had an affair with either laShawn or Randall!  Jack mentioned having an affair with a woman only after Ennis mentioned putting the blocks to Cassie.  In fact, I'm sure Jack asked his lover about  finding someone to marry as a means to see who  was in Ennis' life at the time - whether Jack had any competition.  When Ennis admitted an affair with cassie, I don't think Jack liked that very much.  He countered with the fiction about the rancher's wife as a sort of tit-for-tat, IMO, a one-upmanship.  Of course, I could be wrong.

If jack were indeed having an affair with Randall, why mention it to Ennis?  Jack was smart enough to know that Ennis would go ballistic, that Ennis would knock him out if he confessed to being with another man!  Ennis would have also been destroyed to learn of Jack's affair, if it actually happened, and I'm sure jack wouldn't want Ennis hurt.  Just my humble POV.

Of course since were talking fiction we can all be right. But I think I like your senaro best, that Jack was  being faithful to Lureen (in terms of other women) as well as Ennis. I realize there was Mexico, but we only have evidence he was only there once and judging by the hollow look on Jack's face it just made him miss Ennis that much more.

[Luvlylittlewing]

Wow, thanks, JP.  Most people think I'm crazy, argue me down when I say there is not enough evidence to support Jack having an affair with either laShawn or Randall.  The absolute brillance of this movie lies in the ambiguities, IMO.  We can talk about it (and I'm sure we will) until the end of time and still we will be presented a different POV.  Hope I'm making sense.

[Katie77]

I think the fact that Old man Twist mentioned to Ennis, that Jack was gonna bring him, then some rancher up to the farm, indicated that there was something going on with randall...and in the book, when Ennis hears this, it says, that he was sure then that it was the tire iron that killed Jack....."So now he knew it had been the tire iron".....

I agree though, the conversation with Jack and Ennis, was Jack trying to find out who,if anyone, Eniss had in his life....and Jack said the ranchers wife, just to let him know that he was getting his rocks of somewhere, seeing as how, he could "have sex over the phone" with Laureen.....

[coffeecat33]

Of course since we're talking fiction we can all be right.

After reading Annie Proulx's essay in 'Story to Screenplay,' the essence seems to be about being different and in the minority and growing up in a society so homophobic that men can be tortured and killed for being different.  Ennis is pretty clear about "2 men living together? No way!" because of the brutal death his father made him see when he was a child. Jack is more willing to take a risk although he's still not "out." I think the whole story dances around the issue of being gay in a time and geographical location where being gay was not okay. Hence the "I'm not queer." "Me neither." exchange. Ennis' whole life he convinces himself he's "normal and all" because he's with a woman. Jack says it's a rancher's wife because Jack always takes his cues from Ennis. Ennis says he's "puttin the blocks to a waitress" so Jack has to come up with something equal to brag about.

IMO I don't see how anyone can think Jack had an affair with Lashawn. The only reason he asked her to dance was to get a jab in at Lurene because she says "husbands don't ever wanna dance with their wives..." Jack is always trying to "ride the bulls" and never showed any interest in a woman. He met Lurene when they were both high from winning the rodeo, Lurene had money, Lurene aggressively pursued Jack and he went along with it. You can see him make the decision the first night he & Lurene are dancing and he hears the word, "lonely" in the song. You can see how stricken he is - how lonely and how much he misses Ennis. So much so that he can hardly stand it.

[bbm_stitchbuffyfan]

I don't think Jack had anything going on with LaShawn. I think he asked her to dance only to spite Lureen, not because of any genuine attraction.

I am not as sure whether or not he and Randall had something going. I am, currently, thinking he had nothing going on with Randall at that time but might have later.

[jpwagoneer1964]

I don't think Jack had anything going on with LaShawn. I think he asked her to dance only to spite Lureen, not because of any genuine attraction.

I am not as sure whether or not he and Randall had something going. I am, currently, thinking he had nothing going on with Randall at that time but might have later.

Randall may have been just an option to Jack which may be why me mentioned him to his folks out of frustration with Ennis. "it never came to pass".