BetterMost, Wyoming & Brokeback Mountain Forum
Brokeback Mountain: Our Community's Common Bond => Brokeback Mountain Open Forum => Topic started by: Front-Ranger on March 09, 2007, 04:00:39 pm
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Some say that Ennis did not/would not flirt with Jack and that their relationship was all Jack's doing. I disagree. Ennis was flirting with Jack from the moment they met. Your thoughts??
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I don't think he flirts since the very moment he meets Jack. He does it later in the movie, when they begin to be friends.
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Some say that Ennis did not/would not flirt with Jack and that their relationship was all Jack's doing. I disagree. Ennis was flirting with Jack from the moment they met. Your thoughts??
Of course their relationship wasn't all Jack's doing. It takes two to tango.
The one scene that comes to my mind immediately is the obvious one: "You may be a sinner, but I ain't had the opportunity yet." Look at his face, his expression, the smirk, how directly and long he looks at Jack, then looks away for split-second, then back to Jack again, then taking the whiskey bottle and looking back at Jack again, checking the impact of his words. I thinks it's pretty bold for Ennis' standards. I love him in this scene. Ok, I love him in any scene as most of you already know :).
And Jack perfectly gets it. He nods and makes a pleased "mmm" sound, sounding like "aha" or "I see".
The things he does for Jack: ordering soup, switching jobs, shooting the elk. They are not so much openly flirting, but more like courting Jack.
And the teasing: "Harmonica don't sound right either.", the rodeo fuck-up remark, and so on. Friendly teasing belongs to flirting.
I don't beleive Ennis flirted with Jack from the get-go. Too shy, too confused by this fella and his own reaction to him. But he sure was fascinated by Jack from the very beginning.
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Great and fascinating question!
The things he does for Jack: ordering soup, switching jobs, shooting the elk. They are not so much openly flirting, but more like courting Jack.
What really got me was the "tent don't look right" scene. They had switched jobs; Ennis was to be out in the pup tent w/ the sheep.
But what's he doing? Straightening and fussing with the main tent, when he isn't supposed to be staying there.
I wouldn't call it actively flirting with Jack, but something was definitely going on in Ennis' unconscious . . .
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To me the moment it all begins for Ennis was early up at the mountain, when he watches Jack ride away on the horse and he take a step back to look at him better. Its as if something hit Ennis at that moment because right after that he begins to look up at the mountain worrying about Jack and also starts doing all the the things for him. Also right soon after this wind begins howling whenever he is thinking about about him, like when he is riding back from meeting the Basque and getting the supplies. I am also not sure if Ennis actually flirts after this, although I think that does show Jack his interest in his own way with his doing things for Jack. But I think that that moment, watching Jack trying to control the horse was when his infatuation, attraction and then love began.
But, on second thought, I do think that Ennis telling Jack the coyote story, while sitting there shirtless, actually was serious flirting.
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The one scene that comes to my mind immediately is the obvious one: "You may be a sinner, but I ain't had the opportunity yet."
Heya,
When I saw the topic of this thread... this was the scene that came to mind immediately for me. I think Ennis is trying to flirt here. And, I think it's significant that he says this on the same night that TS1 occurs.
And, yes, I think Ennis checks Jack out a lot while at the same time he tries to be very subtle about this. I don't think that counts a flirting because I think he hopes that Jack and others don't notice him doing this. And, we know that he tries to do nice things for Jack beginning very early on... I'm assuming that this is the whole point of the soup situation (to demonstrate that Ennis is already trying to please Jack/ take care of him, etc.). And I think too, when he tells Jack that his Dad thought rodeo cowboys were all f***-ups he was trying to tease Jack in a flirty way. Sort of like boys in high school who will pick on the girls (or sometimes boys :D ) who they're really attracted to but don't know how to approach the situation in a straightforward way.
I think one of the most fun scenes to debate about on the topic of flirting is the very first opening scene before Jack and Ennis have even yet said a word to each other. Are they flirting or "cruising" each other here? I love the opening of the movie (before Aguirre arrives)... I could just watch that over and over again and be a very happy person.
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I love all these thoughts! Bringing back all the sweet scenes for me! Keep em coming!!
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Another example is right after Ennis shoots the elk, when Jack pushes Ennis and then Ennis pushes Jack and makes that crack about getting "tired of your dumbass missin." Classic flirting maneuver!
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Another example is right after Ennis shoots the elk, when Jack pushes Ennis and then Ennis pushes Jack and makes that crack about getting "tired of your dumbass missin." Classic flirting maneuver!
Good example of what I see as Ennis flirting, he picks up on something that Jack says and acts on it. When he don't want no more beans, Ennis orders the "boxes" of soup, and the Basque smiles, knowingly, "too early in the summer to be sick of beans". When he looses the groceries, and Jack says he won't eat beans, he kills him an elk. He was real sly about it.
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Another example is right after Ennis shoots the elk, when Jack pushes Ennis and then Ennis pushes Jack and makes that crack about getting "tired of your dumbass missin." Classic flirting maneuver!
In the same vein...When Jack and Ennis meet, Ennis gives Jack what I call the classic "Wyoming welcome." This is when he tips his hat brim down so Jack can't see his face. A similar thing happened in The Virginian. When the hero and his love interest meet, the new schoolmarm makes a big show of ignoring him and dancing with all the married men. When he finally asks for a dance, she refuses, saying that he must "be presented" to her first.