Now that I'm re-reading this...we don't get many (any?) scenes that are happy without the spectre of pain looming, do we?...Aguirre invading the Brokeback Eden, as an example.
I love the horsing-around post test scene2 also, Chris...It just so obviouly viewed thru Aguirre's binoculars, I can't enjoy it. I think we really needed one or two scenes of unadulterated happiness before they came down off Brokeback...
-Lynne
I may be confussing story and movie, but I'm under the impression that he saw all...something about he waited until Ennis had gone back up to the sheep before making his presence known. Then was disrespectful/dismissive of Jackl in that he delivered his message to Jack and left w/o even dismounting...that's in the story, right?
-L
p.s. Chris, read the story! Do you need me to send it to you??
They had a high-time supper by the fire, a can of beans each, fried potatoes and a quart of whiskey on shares, sat with their backs against a log, boot soles and copper jeans rivets hot, swapping the bottle while the lavender sky emptied of color and the chill air drained down, drinking, smoking cigarettes, getting up every now and then to piss, firelight throwing a sparkle in the arched stream, tossing sticks on the fire to keep the talk going, talking horses and rodeo, roughstock events, wrecks and injuries sustained, the submarine Thresher lost two months earlier with all hands and how it must have been in the last doomed minutes, dogs each had owned and known, the draft, Jack's home ranch where his father and mother held on, Ennis's family place folded years ago after his folks died, the older brother in Signal and a married sister in Casper. Jack said his father had been a pretty well known bullrider years back but kept his secrets to himself, never gave Jack a word of advice, never came once to see Jack ride, though he had put him on the woolies when he was a little kid. Ennis said the kind of riding that interested him lasted longer than eight seconds and had some point to it. Money's a good point, said Jack, and Ennis had to agree. They were respectful of each other's opinions, each glad to have a companion where none had been expected. Ennis, riding against the wind back to the sheep in the treacherous, drunken light, thought he'd never had such a good time, felt he could paw the white out of the moon.
I think we really needed one or two scenes of unadulterated happiness before they came down off Brokeback...
-Lynne
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.
But yeah, the happiest scenes in the movie have such sharp pain skewered through them: the motel scene when Ennis's face changes, "I reckon there's nothing we can do", the "sending up a prayer of thanks" scene, when Ennis sits up, shakes his head, and puts on his hat, "two guys livin' together - no way;" And Alma's world cracking apart during the blissful union of the reunion scene.
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.
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.
Yes, I thought about including the whole setting up camp beginning, especially the moment when they are both working on the felled tree with ax and saw. And the one and a half seconds when we look past the bridge to see Jack carrying the log and Ennis comes and touches him or it (can't tell). That's a happy one and a half seconds. Sigh....
I think the scene after they separated the sheep from the chilean sheep, is a really, really happy one. Nothing mars this scene, everything just seems right. Ennis taking a jibe at Jack's harmonica playing 'you'll run them sheep off again if you don't quiet down'!
They really seem very happy and content in that scene. And then that Ennis smile!(http://i107.photobucket.com/albums/m312/Belbbmfan/thumb_brokebackmtn_1168.jpg)
For me, the happiest scene is the last one. This may seem odd but it is the only glimmer of hope in an otherwise bleak landscape.
It is obvious that Ennis's daughter loves him. I hang onto that as the only positive thing about this story. One day, she will take care of him.
Someday, maybe my kids will do the same for me in the middle of the "sweet life" scene. :D
Someday, maybe my kids will do the same for me in the middle of the "sweet life" scene. :D
And, yes, Lee here we're talking about the "prayer of thanks" camping trip immediately following the reunion.
I've always felt like if you turn the movie off before Jack suggests the cow and calf operation, it is a fairly happy movie (at least as far as the Jack-Ennis story line goes... I guess not for the wives). I actually do this a lot. It's one reason why I've probably seen the first half of the movie twice as many times as the second half.