Brokeback Mountain: Our Community's Common Bond > Brokeback Mountain Open Forum

Jack and Ennis's trucks

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jpwagoneer1964:
The firist truck Ennis has is a drk blue GMC (not Chevrolet). I think he may have picked it because it reminded him of the older black GMC that Jack had when they met. At that time Ennis didn't know if he would see Jack again. His second and only other truck is a 1966 Ford F-100 two tonewhite and blue is the same make and model as the red and white one that Jack had at the renunion scene when it was only a year old. I think this is another way that Ennis was thinking of Jack.

Brown Eyes:

--- Quote from: goadra on June 17, 2006, 11:36:51 pm ---Jack’s trucks:

* Black GMC: A colorless life up to this point? Maybe. For paint, creating black is an additive process; for light, it’s a subtractive process. So Jack’s life could be full or devoid of color.
* Red “reunion” truck: Oxygenated blood. Jack is bringing Ennis back to life. He is also wearing a red shirt (possibly the same red shirt that’s in his Lightning Flat closet).
* Blue Ford: Oxygen-poor blood, but still a vital fluid. Ennis nixes the idea of the “sweet life,” which takes some of the fire out of their relationship, but they still need each other.
* Brown F150 (final lake scene): Dried blood / scar. Also the color of whiskey, so perhaps this is symbolic of their last taste of what little “sweet life” they shared. After this meeting, Ennis is shown with only coffee and wine, no more beer or whiskey.
Ennis’s trucks:

* Blue GMC: Jack’s color, driver’s door is brownish (Ennis’s color). Prior to the reunion, Ennis’s truck is parked at the Riverton apartment “nose in”--his focus is inward, on his family; after the reunion, it’s parked “nose out.”
* Light blue & white Ford: The blue & white sky on Brokeback Mountain. Ennis’s head is in the clouds; his relationship with Jack is a dream that keeps him going.
--- End quote ---

Wow!  This is all really interesting.  Also jpwagoneer1964, thanks for the info on the makes of the trucks.  This film is so populated by trucks that they just must mean something.  And, yes, I've always noticed the similarity between Jack's first truck and Ennis's first truck.  That little detail about Ennis's blue and white truck being the same model as Jack's red and white truck is awesome!  I feel like the beverage observation is interesting enough to deserve a thread of it's own.
 :D

jpwagoneer1964:

--- Quote from: goadra on June 17, 2006, 11:36:51 pm ---Some thoughts that I posted on TOB a while back...

Jack’s trucks:

* Black GMC: A colorless life up to this point? Maybe. For paint, creating black is an additive process; for light, it’s a subtractive process. So Jack’s life could be full or devoid of color.
* Red “reunion” truck: Oxygenated blood. Jack is bringing Ennis back to life. He is also wearing a red shirt (possibly the same red shirt that’s in his Lightning Flat closet).
* Blue Ford: Oxygen-poor blood, but still a vital fluid. Ennis nixes the idea of the “sweet life,” which takes some of the fire out of their relationship, but they still need each other.
* Brown F150 (final lake scene): Dried blood / scar. Also the color of whiskey, so perhaps this is symbolic of their last taste of what little “sweet life” they shared. After this meeting, Ennis is shown with only coffee and wine, no more beer or whiskey.
Ennis’s trucks:

* Blue GMC: Jack’s color, driver’s door is brownish (Ennis’s color). Prior to the reunion, Ennis’s truck is parked at the Riverton apartment “nose in”--his focus is inward, on his family; after the reunion, it’s parked “nose out.”
* Light blue & white Ford: The blue & white sky on Brokeback Mountain. Ennis’s head is in the clouds; his relationship with Jack is a dream that keeps him going.
When Ennis picks up the “Deceased” postcard: It was suggested that the brown truck that passes in front of Ennis from left to right is an indication of Jack’s presence. Before we see Ennis leave the post office, though, there’s a red truck parked at the right of the screen--also Jack’s presence?

--- End quote ---
The two tone brown truck is a 1978-80 GMC/Chevrolet( the front is not visable) one-ton crew cab dually. The truck at the final post office is a brown Ford.

serious crayons:
You all are much more truck-savvy than I am. All I can add is what I recently posted on another board: there is a truck parked next to Aguirre's trailer that is about half rust and half blue paint -- so Jack's signature blue and Ennis' signature brownish tan are intermingled on a truck that, from some camera angles, is parked midway between them.

Amanda, you may be right about the viability of a "Brokeback beverages" thread. Some people theorize that, after the story ends, Ennis winds up drinking excessively in his grief and loneliness. But actually he's not necessarily reckless about drinking. We do see him drink a lot a couple of times (tent scene 1 and while waiting for the reunion), but we don't see any indication that he's out of control. Unlike Jack, possibly, if you can believe Lureen's "he drank a lot."

Meryl:
Thanks for starting a truck thread, jp.  I've seen others, but there's plenty to mention.  Thanks, too, for that listing, goadra.  It's nice to have it all there to refer to.  

I like the idea of comparing Jack's truck colors to blood, since his clothing colors also recall that symbolism.


--- Quote ---When Ennis picks up the “Deceased” postcard: It was suggested that the brown truck that passes in front of Ennis from left to right is an indication of Jack’s presence. Before we see Ennis leave the post office, though, there’s a red truck parked at the right of the screen--also Jack’s presence?
--- End quote ---

Interestingly, there is a truck with a red stripe visible outside the bus station where Ennis is eating his apple pie, and there is a bright red truck parked near his trailer in the last scene of the movie as Alma, Jr., drives up in a red car.  Could that last red truck again represent new life, only this time for Alma and Kurt?

Another thing I noticed recently is that Jack has a light brown truck at the scene at the lake.  A similarly-colored truck moves past Ennis as he reads the "Deceased" postcard (Jack exiting the story?).  Finally, a brown truck is parked in the yard outside the Twist home as Ennis drives up.  Though they're all different trucks, it almost seems that they are meant to subtly connect one scene to another.

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