There were a few scenes that ended happily - the elk-shooting scene (ended happily for everyone except the elk); the "rodeo cowboys are fuckups" scene; the "tent don't look right" scene; the "I ain't yet had the opportunity" scene.
Elle, thanks for stating this examples. You're right and I was wrong, there
are happy scenes without a melancholy undertone.
But yeah, the happiest scenes in the movie have such sharp pain skewered through them:
Indeed <sigh>
I notice all the happy-ending scenes take place on Brokeback, and all the pain-skewered scenes (good phrase, Elle), take place post-Broke.
Right, too. Another <sigh>. Guess that's why I once watched their Brokeback summer only and stopped the movie when they came down the mountain.
Maybe Annie should have written a very,very short story and stop at that point. Ang Lee could have made a filmlet out of it. No, only joking here
.
The heartbreak ist part of the deal. For Ennis and Jack and for the Brokies, too. And without it we would not be here and discuss it endlessly.
Back on topic: Ennis and Alma tobogganing. Is this a happy scene? For Alma: sure. For Ennis: yes. As far as I remember, Ennis looks truly happy, doesn't he? Other than Jack with Lureen during their first dance.
For the audience? For us the tobogganing scene is not a pure happy one, because
we know something, that Ennis is not really aware of at this point of his life.