Author Topic: lovable subtle details  (Read 476371 times)

Offline Kelda

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Re: lovable subtle details
« Reply #50 on: April 30, 2006, 03:47:42 pm »
Brassed Off! There's a movie I haven't thought about in a long time. I loved it when I first saw it.
Speaking of Ewan, I saw a movie of his this weekend called Stay. Not so good.

Brassed Off rocks! I am a band geek in this typically British way.. I also play in a band which is a little family like this!
http://www.idbrass.com

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Offline ednbarby

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Re: lovable subtle details
« Reply #51 on: April 30, 2006, 05:31:50 pm »
Amanda, I just wanted to mention that I love the Jack=wind metaphor, too.  I've made a study of it, and I find that every time he is either in a scene or it's clear Ennis is thinking about him, we hear the wind howling in the background (and sometimes in the foreground).  I love how it's almost at a fever pitch outside when Ennis is sitting on his bed in his undershirt with his eyes closed while Alma hugs him from behind, trying with all his might to pretend she is him.  Same as when he's in his trailer at the very end, and the wind is just whipping up a frenzy outside.

I also *love* that Aguirre says when Jack returns the next summer looking for Ennis:  "Well.  Look what the wind blew in."  Not look what the cat dragged in which is of course the most common way of saying the same thing, but what the wind blew in.

I should probably post this next bit in the most irrational reactions thread, but it follows here.  The wind down here in South Florida has been howling every day for months.  It's eerie and giving me a bad feeling about the upcoming hurricane season.  March is usually very blowy down here, but February and April aren't so much.  When it started up in February after I'd seen the movie a few times and discovered the wind metaphor, I walked outside one morning to get the paper, and it was whipping things up in such a Jack-like way, I just had to say out loud, "Hiya, Jack."

I'm not suffering from insanity - I'm quite enjoying it, actually.
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Offline David

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Re: lovable subtle details
« Reply #52 on: April 30, 2006, 07:49:29 pm »
I do recall reading somewhere in an Ang Lee interview about the wind.   Ann Proulx always wrote how that the wind was always blowing in Wyoming.   Ang noticed this too, but had to use wind machines to get the desired effect on film.

Speaking of subtle things....  when Jack does enter Aguirres trailer that second time, not only does quaid say :"Look what the wind blew in"    but notice the ventilation fan built into the wall behind and above Aguirre.    When Jack opens the door to enter the fans spins wildly.    Again,  Ang Lee with the wind!   

Damn I love this movie.    I wish I could watch it more, but I am tired of crying! 

Offline serious crayons

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Re: lovable subtle details
« Reply #53 on: April 30, 2006, 09:19:24 pm »
I love how it's almost at a fever pitch outside when Ennis is sitting on his bed in his undershirt with his eyes closed while Alma hugs him from behind, trying with all his might to pretend she is him.  Same as when he's in his trailer at the very end, and the wind is just whipping up a frenzy outside.

Nice way to describe that, Barb.

Offline Brown Eyes

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Re: lovable subtle details
« Reply #54 on: April 30, 2006, 10:46:55 pm »
I love this thread....
-I love that Ennis's excuse to Alma for wanting to stay out all night with Jack is that they might talk all night.  Has Ennis ever talked all night with anyone?  Would he be capable of that amount of conversation?
Hey Amanda,
There was a great thread on TOB (and of course, it's gone now) called "Ennis speaks a truth greater than he knows"...and he's doing that here.
While we all know what kind of communicatin is on Ennis' mind (and the rest of him) at that moment you describe, Jack is the one person that Ennis has in his life who he would (and has before) talk with all night, and that's another of the reasons they love each other.

Hi fernly,
This is a point very well taken.  Yes, I agree that one of Jack's major charms for Ennis is his role as confidant.  Certainly, conversation and friendship are vital to their relationship.  But, still, it makes me chuckle to think that the first excuse that comes to our taciturn and stoic Ennis's mind is that they'll talk.  But, maybe it's true.  Maybe he's been dying to talk as much as he's been dying to "be with" Jack.


Here's my new idea about Jack and the wind.  I even went so far as to post this on the old "Jack and the Wind" imdb thread (one of my rare, relatively recent ventures back there).  So, in the beginning when Jack and Ennis are drinking beers in the bar Jack tells his story about his first summer on Brokeback.  He talks about the sheep dying in the storm and Aguirre scolding him as if Jack "was supposed to control the weather."  Well, if his nature symbol is the wind, then he is supposed to control the weather (since the wind/jet-stream is one of the most important factors in the weather).  I don't know what to make of this exactly.  But, maybe it has something to do with Jack always leading the way (when they're on horse back and when their making their initial ascent up Brokeback, Jack is almost always in front).  In fact, Jack leads the way when they walk to that first bar too.  Obviously, he leads the way with the first move in their relationship too.
the world was asleep to our latent fuss - bowie

Offline twistedude

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Re: lovable subtle details
« Reply #55 on: April 30, 2006, 11:33:13 pm »
It's so small...but the owl hoots three times when Ennis picks up his (Jack's) blanket and heads for the tent. As usual, he kicks a utensil, so the first hoot is almost obscured...Is it O.K,. to talk about the things people with fullscreen see that people with widescreen don't (it's SUPPOSED to be the other way around)?--like: Ennis's wedding ring, all through the motel scene?

The difference between the way Ennis looks at Jack at the drop-off point, right after Jack has said, "Let's get goin', unless you want to sit around tyin' knots all day" and the way he looks at him when Jack's leaving camp and has a hard time getting his horse pointed in the right direction...he really likes him now.
"We're each of us alone, to be sure. What can you do but hold your hand out in the dark?" --"Nine Lives," by Ursula K. Le Guin, from The Wind's Twelve Quarters

Offline Brown Eyes

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Re: lovable subtle details
« Reply #56 on: May 01, 2006, 12:14:37 am »
Interesting point about the wedding ring.

Hey!  Can we start a discussion about instances of the number 3?  ;D
Remember those crazy old threads?  I've never heard the 3 hoots from the owl discussed before.

OK, has it ever taken anyone only 3 hours to cook Thanksgiving dinner?  The turkey would be severely undercooked.
 ::)
the world was asleep to our latent fuss - bowie

Offline David

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Re: lovable subtle details
« Reply #57 on: May 01, 2006, 07:50:57 am »
OK, has it ever taken anyone only 3 hours to cook Thanksgiving dinner?  The turkey would be severely undercooked.

Ha ha ha!    But from a mans point of view who has never prepared a Thanksgiving dinner, it just seems like three hours.      That is about the amount of time we perceive it takes to cook.   All the preparation time doesn't count to us.   We only count the hours we smell it cooking!     ::)

Offline Brown Eyes

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Re: lovable subtle details
« Reply #58 on: May 01, 2006, 07:39:38 pm »
My all-time favorite subtle detail may be the bird flying over when Ennis nervously watches the white truck drive past when Jack has come up unannounced after Ennis's divorce.

I wonder how many times they had to shoot that scene before they caught the bird flying over that truck.  It really is awesome.

OK, new detail-  I love the surreal coloring of the scene when Jack is tending the sheep his first night up on Brokeback and looks down towards Ennis's fire in the distance (the "Jack saw Ennis as night fire" moment.).  I love that even though the film is in color, that scene almost looks like it's in black and white... or more like black and purple or black and grey.  For a silent scene, it's just lovely and poetic.

ps.  For the record I've never cooked an actual Thanksgiving dinner either. lol   ::) :)
the world was asleep to our latent fuss - bowie

Offline chefjudy

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Re: lovable subtle details
« Reply #59 on: May 01, 2006, 09:11:53 pm »
 :) trust me on this one guys, a full Thanksgiving dinner will take a lot longer than 3 hours - the turkey takes at least that long to roast (depends on the size of course) and don't even get me started on all the side dishes!!  My job is cooking so I leave all the clean up to everyone else - seems fair to me............. ;)
Judy


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