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

Ode to the First and Second Tent Scenes

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Brown Eyes:
In various threads, the differences between the first two tent scenes have come up and I thought the topic deserved its own thread.  These two scenes that are supposed to take place on consecutive nights really are a study in contrasts.  The first scene is predicated on the notion of cold... Ennis is cold so he comes into the tent... the fire has died out and Jack is bundled in his coat to keep warm.  Also the lighting in this scene is very blue, black, grey and cold compared to the warmth of the second tent scene.  The second scene happens as the fire is still roaring and Ennis is warm enough by the fire to not need his jacket.  And, Jack does not need to call out to Ennis in order to get him to enter the tent.  And, Jack is warm enough to lie there comfortably without a shirt.  So, what has happened in terms of Ennis's state of mind between the chat on the mountaintop near the sheep and this huge moment when he decides to go to Jack again?  Why are their heads pointed in opposite directions in the two different tent scenes?  How much intimacy is expressed in scene one vs. scene two?

 :-*

ednbarby:
Well, I think what's happened in Ennis' head is just coming to terms with what was there all along.

I've said before that I so relate to the contrasts here because I lived them.  I had ferocious animal chemistry with a guy I worked and hung out with for several months before we finally consummated our lurking passion.  And when we did, it was really kind of violent (but SO good...).  The next night, and it really was the next night, I had a party at my apartment for all my co-workers, and I worried all day he wouldn't show because he had been kind of embarassed and cold towards me that morning.  He did show.  And I remember one particular moment, when we sat on opposite sides of the room, and my eyes met his, which were boring into my soul.  Everyone else couldn't leave fast enough.  And when they finally did and we were alone, we wordlessly worked our way to the bedroom, and he was the most tender and sweet that I ever remember him.  I thought he was The One.  Well, I thought that the moment I laid eyes on him.

What was the question?  ;)  Oh, yeah.  Seriously, I think that in Jack, Ennis found not only the friend but the lover he'd always dreamed of having but was afraid to admit to himself he was dreaming of.  I think the "You know I ain't queer" was him saying to himself and to society that he wasn't what he feared he was, and *not* saying that specifically to Jack.  I think he thought about him all day and wanted him more than he could begin to understand.  He saw his opportunity at the campfire, felt emboldened by the heat of it (and had to know deep down that Jack would welcome it), and went for it.

jpwagoneer1964:
Hi
I can't add anthing to what has been said about the 2nd scene, Jack , being so gentle and loving to Ennis, letting him know that this is not a "one shot thing" by his actions. As to differed dress I  would guess it mover the weather than anyting else and that their facing oppisite way may be a lack of continunity as in some other scenes.
In the first scene the fire had died out, the reason Ennis was in the tent in the first place so the lighting would be different. There is more than just rough sex though, Both are touching faces, forehead to forehead and Jack is willing to let Ennis take charge. Ennis DOES acknowlege Jack when he leave the next morning "Yep....come on(to the horse) same as he did when Jack said earlier "You won't get much sleep ,I tell you that".
As I said before after their talk on the mountian, notice this is one time where a scene is held, I think they remained up there, sitting close in silence for quite sometime until it was time to go back to camp and fix supper. Remember that Jack had made a special trip to see Ennis. At camp I don't think much if anything was said but each was perhaps feeling the warmth of their new bond in anticipation and hesitation-Ennis more than Jack-of what was next..

serious crayons:
I like that they're both wearing at least one layer less of clothing in the second tent scene. Sure, the fire is still high and so it's warmer -- that makes it technically accurate. But it's metaphorically accurate, too -- they've moved one step further toward intimacy.

Like Annie Proulx's sayying "You can't have Jack without Ennis" (or is it the other way around?) I always feel like you can't have the first tent scene without the second, or the other way around. (Not to say it's not possible -- as many of us can testify from personal experience!) But they are so perfectly complementary that, together with the reunion scene, they all really round out the story of their relationship.

We've often quoted Heath's comment that each love scene tells a story in itself. In the most basic terms, the first tent scene is about lust, the second about love, the third about longing.

Also, what do people think happened between their "you know I aint queer" conversation and the scene immediately prior to TS2, where Jack is waiting in the tent and Ennis is by the fire?

Brown Eyes:

--- Quote from: ednbarby on June 18, 2006, 10:31:49 pm ---Well, I think what's happened in Ennis' head is just coming to terms with what was there all along.

I've said before that I so relate to the contrasts here because I lived them.  I had ferocious animal chemistry with a guy I worked and hung out with for several months before we finally consummated our lurking passion.  And when we did, it was really kind of violent (but SO good...).  The next night, and it really was the next night, I had a party at my apartment for all my co-workers, and I worried all day he wouldn't show because he had been kind of embarassed and cold towards me that morning.  He did show.  And I remember one particular moment, when we sat on opposite sides of the room, and my eyes met his, which were boring into my soul.  Everyone else couldn't leave fast enough.  And when they finally did and we were alone, we wordlessly worked our way to the bedroom, and he was the most tender and sweet that I ever remember him.  I thought he was The One.  Well, I thought that the moment I laid eyes on him.

What was the question?  ;)  Oh, yeah.  Seriously, I think that in Jack, Ennis found not only the friend but the lover he'd always dreamed of having but was afraid to admit to himself he was dreaming of.  I think the "You know I ain't queer" was him saying to himself and to society that he wasn't what he feared he was, and *not* saying that specifically to Jack.  I think he thought about him all day and wanted him more than he could begin to understand.  He saw his opportunity at the campfire, felt emboldened by the heat of it (and had to know deep down that Jack would welcome it), and went for it.

--- End quote ---

Yikes!  ednbarby, this post is too hot to touch!  Thanks for that!




--- Quote from: jpwagoneer1964 on June 18, 2006, 11:10:21 pm --- and that their facing oppisite way may be a lack of continunity as in some other scenes.

Ennis DOES acknowlege Jack when he leave the next morning "Yep....come on(to the horse) same as he did when Jack said earlier "You won't get much sleep ,I tell you that".

--- End quote ---

jpwagoneer, I'm guessing that they're facing opposite directions in the two scenes, maybe simply to emphasize to the audience that the two encounters are vastly different.  I somehow don't feel like this is a continuity error.  I'd think that these two scene are so crucial to the film and so attention-getting (everyone would know that audiences, critics, etc. would fixate on these scenes) that they'd be very careful and deliberate with them.  I think it's an interesting idea to suggest that Ennis acknowledges Jack when he rides away... but if he does it's so subtle and ambiguous to leave other possible interpretations open.  I've always heard his "Yep" as a prod to the horse... but it would be nice to think he's answering Jack.  Still, Jack doesn't seem too pleased with this exchange.

Katherine, I really like the idea that layers of clothing have lots of meaning, especially in scenes like this.   One thing that had to happen between the "I ain't no queer" conversation and the second tent scene... is Ennis had to change clothes.  He's wearing a different shirt than he was wearing in the first tent scene.  The first tent scene shirt is the one with broad blue and brown intersecting stripes and the second tent scene shirt is the shirt that he finds at the end in Jack's closet.  I'd love to imagine the level of shyness that probably accompanied Ennis bathing in front of Jack this time.  Or would they have dared to be flirty...?

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