Hey Bud!
Thanks so much for your interest in this topic and for choosing to feature it!
Yes, I definitely think there's a lot to be said about ways that BBM makes audiences think about the genre of the western and the classic image of the cowboy. And, when I first started thinking about this topic I was mostly focusing on the image of Ennis and this immediate connection that's always been in my mind between Ennis and the Marlboro Man.
This is most striking to me at the very beginning of the movie. The fact that one of the first things we see of Ennis is him smoking a cigarette. But, the fact that he's unwilling to finish even one cigarette... pinching it off and saving it in his pocket... wanting to save it for later, etc. seems very significant. There seems to be a lot said here about issues of class and rural poverty lurking beneath the surface of iconic images such as the Marlboro Man... in addition to issues of sexual difference.
One thing that's so striking to me about Ennis is how his character embodies the idea that the demeanor of a classic, tough, stoic, loner-type cowboy can be simultaneously the demeanor of a closeted gay man who is constantly in fear of the the "people on the pavement" who might be able to detect his secret.
I think a discussion of Heath's methods in portraying Ennis here are also very important. I recall interviews with Heath where he discussed very conscious decisions about his posture, gait in walking, etc. to convey a sense of Ennis's repression and internalized anxiety.
And, with the James Dean connection... I think it's just so striking how much Heath resembles James Dean to begin with. So, I wonder how much of the casting decision here was very deliberate. And, so I'm really wondering how does James Dean's image or mystique inform the character of Ennis?
Anyway, I'm really hoping that this will turn into a discussion about visual aspects of BBM and how it relates to other famous cinematic images or advertising images, etc. So, like Chrissi said, the Marlboro Man is just one example of an image that seems to relate to BBM, and hopefully folks will be able to bring their own examples here to this thread. And, in presenting these comparisons with other media images, I'd really like to hear what people thing those other sources mean... or how those other sources may help in expanding an understanding of BBM.
