Author Topic: The yin to Lureen's yang  (Read 3100 times)

Offline ednbarby

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The yin to Lureen's yang
« on: January 20, 2007, 11:57:29 pm »
So tonight, I made it a point to watch the colors.  I watched red and blue and tan specifically.  And lo and behold, I saw something new.  After 22 viewings.  When Jack first meets Lureen - when she rides by and sheds her red hat, who is in the background but a cowboy wearing a black hat and a red shirt, to her black scarf and red hat.  He is the black-hatted cowboy she should have picked that night - her diametric opposite.  And yet the same.  I saw it and thought, "Oh, there's nothing to that - I'm probably imagining things."  And then, when Jack hands her the hat back, there he is again in the background.

And by the way, Phillip, I love your use of blue and tan - and red - in this forum.

Such artists in our midst.  And yet we can look at it all the time and never think anything (consciously) of it.

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Offline Brown Eyes

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Re: The yin to Lureen's yang
« Reply #1 on: January 21, 2007, 12:10:01 am »
Hey Bud!

What an interesting observation!  It's something I hadn't noticed before either.  I'll look for it the next time I watch.  My hunch is that you're really on to something here.  I feel like there's a lot going on deliberately in the background of this particular scene and in the "matin' call" bar scene.  It's interesting to focus on what the symbols mean when it comes to characters other than Jack and Ennis too.  But, back to this rodeo/ bar scene.  I love that when Lureen watches Jack ride she's surrounded by men with white hats (and that we're made very aware here that she's the only significant character that does "come to see him ride"... all those white hats seem to underscore the fact that Ennis is not there to see Jack ride).  And then at the bar, Lureen is sitting there and she seems to be shown rejecting a few offers to dance by a couple of men... and I think they're wearing white hats (if memory serves) and furthermore Jack is talking to the bar tender with the white hat too.  Again, all of this seems very deliberate.  So, the guy in black and red more than likely is an important visual clue.
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Offline Front-Ranger

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Re: colors
« Reply #2 on: January 11, 2009, 02:03:07 am »
One thing I noticed while watching the movie with 11 other Brokies tonite was the bright, almost lurid colors of Texas when Jack went back after the reunion. The red farm equipment against the blue sky, and the red and blue Newsome sign. The red and blue seemed to continue throughout the movie at certain times, and culminated in the red of Mrs. Twist's hair, her blue clothing, and the red and blue blouse of Alma Jr. in the final scene.

I don't know what it "means" but the red and blue colors were very evocative for me.
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Offline Brown Eyes

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Re: The yin to Lureen's yang
« Reply #3 on: January 11, 2009, 02:30:31 am »
Well, the super bright colors of the interior decoration of his house with Lureen are also really striking and seem to be part of a completely different world from Wyoming.

Actually, if you think about Jack's completely white childhood home in contrast with his overly colorful house in Texas... it's interesting.  I don't know exactly what it means.

But, it does indicate that he was a world away from his roots by that point I think.

the world was asleep to our latent fuss - bowie

Offline Monika

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Re: The yin to Lureen's yang
« Reply #4 on: January 11, 2009, 08:26:58 am »

But, it does indicate that he was a world away from his roots by that point I think.


I think that's the point. To show how different his life is now than when he lived in Wyoming (and Wyoming of course is represented by Ennis). Like someone else stated, the movie (more than in the ss) really accentuates the differences between Ennis and Jack as they grow older.

Offline LauraGigs

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Re: The yin to Lureen's yang
« Reply #5 on: January 11, 2009, 03:24:23 pm »
When Jack first meets Lureen - when she rides by and sheds her red hat, who is in the background but a cowboy wearing a black hat and a red shirt, to her black scarf and red hat.  He is the black-hatted cowboy she should have picked that night - her diametric opposite.

By choosing Jack, she seems to be rebelling against what would be a more natural choice for her. Jack is not college-educated, no steady career track, driving his horrible old truck around the rodeo circuit, etc.

But then again, Lureen is not a typical girl of the time. She wants the Newsome birthright, not a husband who will take it over for himself (as a typical Texas macho man might).  Was she consciously thinking of this when she approached Jack? No. I think during their dance, it's obvious that she's falling hard!  But one's subconscious is hard at work during moments like this.  Jack picked her hat up for her, but would not approach her at the bar; in other words, he's helpful, but not a take-over type — just what Lureen needs.

So even though her father disapproved of her choice (and others in her sphere probably scratched their heads too), she knew what she was doing in terms of her long-term plans.  (Although emotionally, it was ultimately a disaster for her.)
 :-\


On the symbolic/color level, it struck me for the first time last night how Lureen's introduction immediately follows the fireworks scene. You have Ennis kicking ass, fireworks exploding in the sky... cut to red-clad Lureen exploding out of the gate.
« Last Edit: January 12, 2009, 02:14:36 am by LauraGigs »

Offline Front-Ranger

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Re: The yin to Lureen's yang
« Reply #6 on: February 02, 2009, 05:46:42 pm »
By choosing Jack, she seems to be rebelling against what would be a more natural choice for her. Jack is not college-educated, no steady career track, driving his horrible old truck around the rodeo circuit, etc.

But then again, Lureen is not a typical girl of the time. She wants the Newsome birthright, not a husband who will take it over for himself (as a typical Texas macho man might).  Was she consciously thinking of this when she approached Jack? No. I think during their dance, it's obvious that she's falling hard!  But one's subconscious is hard at work during moments like this.  Jack picked her hat up for her, but would not approach her at the bar; in other words, he's helpful, but not a take-over type — just what Lureen needs.
Hmmm, and maybe that accounts for the long look she gave Jack just before she pounced, when he said, "Fast or slow, I just like the direction you're going."

On the symbolic/color level, it struck me for the first time last night how Lureen's introduction immediately follows the fireworks scene. You have Ennis kicking ass, fireworks exploding in the sky... cut to red-clad Lureen exploding out of the gate.
Excellent observation, friend. Spoken like a true artist and lover of red!
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