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Cowboy's Lament - Ennis Happily Humming -- by CaseyCornelius

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TOoP/Bruce:
by - CaseyCornelius (Fri Jan 27 2006 22:55:39 )   

UPDATED Fri Jan 27 2006 23:23:34
henrypie:

To my fellow musician. I think there was some attempt made by Ang Lee in getting Ennis to sing 'Streets of Laredo' in order to partially balance Jack's later singing of 'Water Walking Jesus' due to the omission of any other overt singing by Ennis. Given my relating to the story as a musician as well, I sorely miss the details of Annie Proulx's more extended scene of the two of them essentially 'courting' each other in song and their night-time serenading inspiring 'coyote yips'. I regret it having been excised from the screenplay. I understand that the film would not have been able to fully integrate Ennis singing 'The Strawberry Roan' and Jack's further singing of 'a Carl Perkin's song' which is detailed in the story. It's probably a matter of Ossana, McMurtry, Ledger and Lee electing to make Ennis more introverted in the film than he obviously was in this scene in the story.
Re: Cowboy's Lament - Ennis Happily Humming   
by - mac_tire (Fri Jan 27 2006 23:04:52 )   
Ignore this User | Report Abuse   
I love reading what you have to say. And clearly I have tons of company. Thanks for the lyrics and the insights.

I also love your characterization of the story-singing-scene as the boys "serenading" one another, just love it.

and he would wake...the pillow sometimes wet, sometimes the sheets

Absent 'Strawberry Roan' and Coyote Yips   
by - CaseyCornelius (Sat Jan 28 2006 23:46:16 )   

UPDATED Tue Mar 28 2006 21:55:34
I'll say again how much I'm sorry that the scene in the story of the two of them 'serenading' wasn't as extensive in the film. It would have been great to see Heath trying 'to keep up to' Jake's attempts at singing. I appreciate the fact that Ennis would have sung the 'salty words' to Strawberry Roan which detail the castrating of a bull, something in keeping with his rougher character compared with Jack's. [Perhaps that castration image from the song was McMurtry's and Osanna's inspiration for Ennis's later conversation with Cassie when he deflects her attention by sharing that he'd spent the day castrating calves.]
And I really miss the coyote yips in response to Jack's lonely singing of 'Water Walking Jesus' - unless they're in the film and I haven't been able to hear them due to lesser sound systems in some of the theaters.

Re: Absent 'Strawberry Roan' and Coyote Yips   
by - badnomad (Sun Jan 29 2006 00:01:25 )   

I love all the subtle details in this film that go almost unnoticed. Remember in the beginning of the film when Ennis recounts his story and his sister left the house to marry a "roughneck."

The at the end of the film when Alma Jr. tells his dad she's marrying an oil-driller, Ennis with a twinkle in his eye and a smile, laughs "A Roughneck."

I think at that moment he smiles because he thinks of his sister (with most likely fond familial memories)and see's how the cycle of life continues.Another example of his story coming full circle (like with the paper bag motif)and chooses to be a participant in life again (mailbox symbolism).

Re: Absent 'Strawberry Roan' and Coyote Yips   
by - CaseyCornelius (Sun Jan 29 2006 16:57:52 )   

UPDATED Mon Jan 30 2006 07:55:18
badnomad:

I'm always touched by the supreme irony in that later point in the film, when Ennis tenderly takes hold of Alma, Jr. saying "Roughneck. You're nineteen. Guess you can do whatever you want", as it was the same age he was when he fell in love with Jack - except ENNIS couldn't do whatever he wanted.
Hop-e you got my letter of apology (personal, I guess--I don';t always

by - Julie01 (Thu Feb 2 2006 06:41:48 )   


know WHERE they will appear)--anyway--Ennis is not calling his daughter a "roughneck," he's saying "He's a roughneck, huh?"--about Curt. Roughneck=oilworker.
"You come back and see us again"--Jack's mother

Re: Cowboy's Lament - Ennis Happily Humming   
by - CaseyCornelius (Tue Jan 31 2006 22:10:01 )   

UPDATED Tue Jan 31 2006 22:12:42
mac tire:
The story's scene of them 'serenading' is wonderful.

But, I also appreciate how McMurtry, Ossana, and Ang Lee have added to the screenply how the differences in their dancing abilities reflects their character. It's embarassing to witness Ennis's attempts to slink around the dance floor with Cassie as if wishing the ground would swallow him up. I can't remember seeing anyone anywhere who appears to be in utter personal agony in that scene, especially as it contrasts with the wonderfully open, uninhibited, but still modest dancing come-hither which Cassie delivers. She is so disarmingly appealing. A superb performance by Linda Cardellini.
That contrasts almost immediately in the film with the opening of the 1978 Childress Fund-raising Dance and that incredible balletic swirl of the couple as the woman twirls around 5-6 times. Granted, Lureen and LeShawn complain that their two [closeted] husbands don't show any interest in dancing with them, but Jack does demonstrate earlier in the film as well as in this scene that he's integrated enough into society to be able to 'pass' in the heterosexual world of the 'mating' dance.

Re: Cowboy's Lament - Ennis Happily Humming   
by - Front-Ranger (Wed Feb 1 2006 15:40:26 )   

I would like to add a few points. Ennis tells his daughters that he will come to their event after he gets back from fishing "as long as I don't have to sing!" and he complains about having to dance with Cassie. While Jack belts out gospel, dances, and clowns around at the drop of a hat. At the fundraiser dance in Texas, it seems to me that Jack looks straight at Randall and says "Wanna dance?" Randall first reacts with a surprised look, then quickly looks over to his wife as if lobbing the question to her. Dancing with LaShane nets Jack a great deal more information about Randall. (Aside: he asks Randall why a woman would powder her nose before going to bed. He prefers unvarnished sex.) These contrasts show how Ennis and Jack differ in expressing themselves and another reason why Ennis is drawn to Jack. The motif is resolved in the beautiful flashback scene, where Ennis not only sings but gently rocks back and forth with Jack as Jack "sleeps on his feet, like a horse."

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