Isn't this a wonderful thread started by our old friend nakymaton? I miss him/her. And pity that we didn't answer kittycat's questions! Well, better late than never.
I first watched BBM two weeks ago which was the first week of January 2012. It was the best movie ever made. Below are a few of the things I have noticed about the movie and would love to discuss.
1. Ennis never talks about his siblings after the beginning of the movie. Why do you think he never mentions them again? I think they were probably homophobic like his father and Ennis wanted nothing much to do with them. Ennis always new he was gay.
True, I'm sure he knew from an early age that he was different. In the story, there is a bit more about his brother. He got tired of being bullied by his brother, so he beat him up one day, on the recommendation of his tyrant of a father.
2. In the first scene Ennis carries a paper bag filled with his clothes which were his only possessions. At the end of the movie Jack's mom puts the infamous shirts in a paper bag. Any significance of the paper bags? Poverty?
Yes, and it's related in a way to his comment that "if you don't have nothing, you don't need nothing" (when his daughter told him he needed more furniture). It's also related to his expectations in life, which were not high. It also suggests his vulnerability...a paper bag does not protect its contents well.
3. When Ennis and Jack first start to herd the sheep up the mountain on horseback Jack is holding a baby lamb in his arms and looks back at Ennis. Ennis has his lamb wrapped up in a blanket and it rode on the side of the horse. I see this as Jack wearing his emotions out in the open and Ennis burying his inside.
I never noticed that before Kittycat. You are undoubtedly right!
4. At Jack's parents house Ennis allows himself to open up. He talks a lot. Although he is heartbroken about Jack's death he seems to be relaxed around Jack's parents. (Jack's mom anyway). He says "On no ma'am I could not eat any cake right now. Just coffee for me" and "You don't know how bad I feel about Jack. Me and Jack knew each other for a long time. We were very close." "Yes ma'am I would like that very much" when asked to see Jack's room upstairs. I think he was just as comfortable talking to Jack's mom as he was talking to his own daughter(s). Maybe more. I definitely see him and Jack's mom developing a great relationship over the years. Maybe Jack's father will die soon.
One would hope Old Man Twist would keel over just from all the bile and bitterness that have built up within him.
5. Windows obviously have something to do with the story. But what? I can't figure it out. Any thoughts?
Perhaps a feeling of being on the outside looking in, as Ennis said he looked at all the people on the pavement and wondered if "they knew". Windows and mirrors give a feeling of detachment and a barrier between the person and life.
6. While Jack is standing on a combine doing a sales pitch a man comes into the office and asks Jack's father-in-law, "Is that the cowboy who used to rides bulls?" The father- in-law replies "he tried to". Jack had a reputation during his bull riding days of being gay and that man might have known. He probably told the father-in-law and they both plotted to have Jack killed. Even though the father-in-law died before Jack I think he had something to do with his death. When Lurleen is describing Jack's death to Ennis I find it interesting that she describes every wretched second of it in detail. "He was changing a tire.... drowned in his own blood before anyone found him", etc. As if that was what she was instructed to say about Jack's death. Sounds too scripted. Did she know a deep dark secret about Jack's death? I know it's kind of morbid. Just an observation.
There's been quite a lot of speculation about this. The movie is ambiguous, but the story makes it more clear that she was covering up the real reason of death.
7. When Jack is desperately looking for his blue parka Lurleen is ignoring his concern about the parka and talks about other things. Maybe she hid the parka just to annoy Jack. She knew having to look for it would delay his trip to see the love of his life.
Maybe, but I think it's more likely that Jack misplaced it since he was never the organized type of person.
8. Fishing. Fishing. Fishing. Ennis told Alma that they were fishing buddies. He took his fishing gear with him on each trip. Why did they never fish? There were many streams, rivers and lakes they could have fished in. Who doesn't love fresh fish? Did they hate their real lives that much? Did they did not want to even bring up fishing because they had talked to their wives about fishing?
They didn't fish, I think, because fishing is a time-consuming activity and they wanted to spend the time doing . . . other things. Plus, they liked to eat the ritual foods that they had had on Brokeback Mountain, potatoes, elk, maybe even beans.
9. While arguing with Jack once about having a life together Ennis sarcastically says, "Lets get Alma and Lurleen to adopt my girls and then we could be free to live a life together and do what we want." Maybe Ennis fantasized about that often. Maybe Ennis was subconsciously sorry he even married Alma that November after Brokeback. When Ennis shed a tear at the divorce I think he was more upset about having to pay child support. This would financially keep him from seeing Jack as often as he wanted.
Sounds likely. I think Ennis' outburst had to do with Alma giving up the girls so Lureen and Jack could adopt them and Ennis and Jack could live together without him having to abandon his daughters. That was a highly unlikely scenario.
10. When Ennis read that Jack had died he immediately went to the phone booth across the street to call Lurleen. How did he know the number? Did he have it memorized? Did he carry it with him in his wallet? I thought that it was very touching that he had Jack's number all this time but could never call Jack.
I'm not sure how much time passed between the "deceased" postcard and the call to Lureen. It could have been a while.
I see Jack as being the "male" and Ennis being the "female" in the relationship. However the story shows that there really were no "roles". They loved each other unconditionally and would do anything for one another. You see Jack doing Ennis's laundry. You see Ennis diligently cooking for Jack. Ennis helped Jack carry the large log and offered to trade places with him to sleep with the sheep. Ennis shot the elk because the groceries were destroyed and Jack wanted to eat some meat. Jack ran over to Ennis to comfort him when he came to the camp with a bleeding head. Jack took off his bandana and dipped it in hot water to help clean the wound, etc.
The beauty of the story is that love has no bounds. Love cannot be conformed to "roles". Love cannot be restricted to the way society says it has to be. Aquirre, Jack's father-in-law and Jack's father lived their lives strictly as "society" told them to live. Without an original thought. Without an open mind. Were they happy? Did you once see a smile on their faces? Were they three people you would like to hang out with?
Amen, kittycat.
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