Author Topic: 19 or 20?  (Read 14881 times)

Offline Front-Ranger

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Re: 19 or 20?
« Reply #30 on: August 28, 2010, 09:42:32 am »
   Not too much different from the animal kingdom!  lol   :)

You've hit the nail on the head there, friend!!
"chewing gum and duct tape"

Offline Front-Ranger

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Re: 19 or 20?
« Reply #31 on: August 30, 2010, 09:51:33 am »
I thought for a moment that maybe McMurtry/Ossana named Lureen, since it's so close to Lorena, the heroine of Lonesome Dove. But it's in Proulx's story. Maybe they were thinking along the same lines...the alluring young woman who waylays men on their manly pursuits. Both characters are seemingly unaware of their allure and more intent on their own goals. Lorena wanted to go to San Francisco and Lureen wanted to settle down away from her daddy's restrictions. It's "be careful what you wish for" time, though. Each woman escaped what she thought was an intolerable situation but entered a new situation that wasn't exactly what she expected. At least Lureen didn't get kidnapped by wild Indians though!
"chewing gum and duct tape"

Offline brokeplex

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Re: 19 or 20?
« Reply #32 on: August 30, 2010, 12:09:58 pm »

From what Jack tells Ennis on their first reunion, it looks as though his attempts to get rid of Jack, once Jack has provided the necessary cover by marrying Lureen, have been going on for some while:

"Hell, Lureen's old man, you bet he'd give me a downpayment if I'd get lost. Already more or less said it..."

Also, if Jack is not Bobby's biological father, it makes more understandable Jack's willingness  to leave his wife and newborn son to start a new life with Ennis.

This is not the only possible explanation for Old Man Newsome's attitude towards Jack but, in my opinion, it is certainly a plausible one.

what you stated above has been my theory about Lureen's (the heiress to one of the largest businesses in the county) reasons for the marriage to a poorly educated itinerant rodeo bull rider with no assets or social connections. and Jack's reasons would be simple as well, he needed some economic security, Lureen provided that. But after Jack made his "pact with the devil" - he regretted it, but couldn't find an easy way out.

Offline brokeplex

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Re: 19 or 20?
« Reply #33 on: August 30, 2010, 12:14:33 pm »
I think that would be very untypcial AP because it would give Jack a somewhat valid reason to leave.
That´d be too easy, I think.
Buffy, separate the short story from the film. I agree, that the "bastard" theory regarding Bobby is not particularly congruent with AP's storyline. It was Ang Lee who added the image of the signage at the Childress rodeo indicating that it took place in mid Aug (1966?) I believe that Ang Lee was looking for a more plausible explanation as to the marriage for Jack and Lureen than was provided by AP.

Offline Monika

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Re: 19 or 20?
« Reply #34 on: August 30, 2010, 04:22:15 pm »
Buffy, separate the short story from the film. I agree, that the "bastard" theory regarding Bobby is not particularly congruent with AP's storyline. It was Ang Lee who added the image of the signage at the Childress rodeo indicating that it took place in mid Aug (1966?) I believe that Ang Lee was looking for a more plausible explanation as to the marriage for Jack and Lureen than was provided by AP.


 Lureen might have wanted to rebell against her father - and why not then pick a dirt poor rodeo cowboy to marry?

I think they slipped up regarding the year. But then who knows?


Offline brokeplex

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Re: 19 or 20?
« Reply #35 on: August 30, 2010, 05:03:52 pm »


 Lureen might have wanted to rebell against her father - and why not then pick a dirt poor rodeo cowboy to marry?

I think they slipped up regarding the year. But then who knows?


you may be right, it could just be something that went past the continuity people in editiing. until we get more information from Ang Lee and others who worked on the film, we really can't say for sure. I hope that soon Focus Features will release a new version of the DVD that has a commentary track and deleted scenes. it is odd that one has not been released to date.

 does anyone have any inside info as to why a commentary track has never been released? certainly Ang Lee has participated in commentary tracks before - I esp enjoy his commentaries in "Sense and Sensibility". If a Brokeback Mtn DVD is released and Ang is as forthcoming in his commentary about the filmaking process as he was in S&S, then we shall be in a for a real treat!  :)

Offline Penthesilea

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Re: 19 or 20?
« Reply #36 on: August 31, 2010, 11:35:32 am »
does anyone have any inside info as to why a commentary track has never been released?


I reread a number of interviews recently. In one of them I read a statement that he simply doesn't want to make a commentary track. "All I have to say is IN the movie" - paraphrasing Ang Lee. I don't remember the exact quote or where exactly I read it. If I find it, I'll post it here.


But then - maybe he'll change his mind one day. I'm not even sure if I want to have a commentary. One one had, it would be great, and I love to see/read all material I can find about BBM. On the other hand, I really understand what he means. It's good not to have have everything spelled out letter by letter. Some things will never be resolved. It's part of the deal, and it's part of the fascination.

There is some open space between what we know and what we try to believe, and all that .....

Offline brokeplex

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Re: 19 or 20?
« Reply #37 on: August 31, 2010, 01:09:21 pm »

I reread a number of interviews recently. In one of them I read a statement that he simply doesn't want to make a commentary track. "All I have to say is IN the movie" - paraphrasing Ang Lee. I don't remember the exact quote or where exactly I read it. If I find it, I'll post it here.


But then - maybe he'll change his mind one day. I'm not even sure if I want to have a commentary. One one had, it would be great, and I love to see/read all material I can find about BBM. On the other hand, I really understand what he means. It's good not to have have everything spelled out letter by letter. Some things will never be resolved. It's part of the deal, and it's part of the fascination.

There is some open space between what we know and what we try to believe, and all that .....

I understand your feelings about the value in NOT having all the technical directorial details spelled out. yes, not having a commentary track does leave some "open space" for our imaginings. I would appreciate a track from Ang Lee, and possible interviews with the DP, the screenwriters, and a actor or two. After all, to preserve the "mystery" we don't have to listen to the commentary track.

maybe over time, Focus and Universal will see a market for a re-release of the DVD and Ang Lee can be "prevailed" upon to offer his commentary.

Offline chowhound

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Re: 19 or 20?
« Reply #38 on: August 31, 2010, 01:42:46 pm »
I understand your feelings about the value in NOT having all the technical directorial details spelled out. yes, not having a commentary track does leave some "open space" for our imaginings. I would appreciate a track from Ang Lee, and possible interviews with the DP, the screenwriters, and a actor or two. After all, to preserve the "mystery" we don't have to listen to the commentary track.

maybe over time, Focus and Universal will see a market for a re-release of the DVD and Ang Lee can be "prevailed" upon to offer his commentary.

I may have mentioned here before that I once wrote to Criterion to ask them if they had any plans to release an edition on Brokeback Mountain but iI never got a reply. I think their edition of Ang Lee's The Ice Storm is splendid.  However, that didn't appear until some years after the cinema release of the movie, so maybe the same will be true of Brokeback. However, it would be reassuring to know if or not they are considering the idea.

I understand the feeling amongst some here that Brokeback should be taken as it is without the extras of deleted scenes or commentary tracks. However, shots from deleted scenes like the hiippy scene, the gun scene, the mechanics, Ennis  the vet etc. are readily available on the internet and elsewhere, so it's not as though we don't already know something about these deleted scenes even if we don't now all. So, in some ways, it wouldn't be supplying us with new knowledge but completing our knowledge.

As far as Lureen's pregnancy goes,, I once wrote to Larry McMurtry  about this but again got no reply. In retrospect, I think I should have written to Diana Ossana who was on the set during most of the filmimg. If there's anybody here who knows how to get in touch with her, maybe he or she might like to try

Offline brokeplex

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Re: 19 or 20?
« Reply #39 on: August 31, 2010, 02:14:59 pm »
I may have mentioned here before that I once wrote to Criterion to ask them if they had any plans to release an edition on Brokeback Mountain but iI never got a reply. I think their edition of Ang Lee's The Ice Storm is splendid.  However, that didn't appear until some years after the cinema release of the movie, so maybe the same will be true of Brokeback. However, it would be reassuring to know if or not they are considering the idea.

I understand the feeling amongst some here that Brokeback should be taken as it is without the extras of deleted scenes or commentary tracks. However, shots from deleted scenes like the hiippy scene, the gun scene, the mechanics, Ennis  the vet etc. are readily available on the internet and elsewhere, so it's not as though we don't already know something about these deleted scenes even if we don't now all. So, in some ways, it wouldn't be supplying us with new knowledge but completing our knowledge.

As far as Lureen's pregnancy goes,, I once wrote to Larry McMurtry  about this but again got no reply. In retrospect, I think I should have written to Diana Ossana who was on the set during most of the filmimg. If there's anybody here who knows how to get in touch with her, maybe he or she might like to try
oh, yes a Criterion Collection version of Brokeback Mtn with all those Xtas would be wonderful. But I would be happy with just a commentary track of the quality that we hear in the latest DVD re-release of Ang Lee's "Sense and Sensibility".