Author Topic: lovable subtle details  (Read 476075 times)

Offline Penthesilea

  • Town Administration
  • The BetterMost 10,000 Post Club
  • *****
  • Posts: 14,745
Re: lovable subtle details
« Reply #570 on: July 17, 2011, 05:40:11 am »
Tonight I watched BBM with a non-Brokie - and it was the first time for me in about a year.  In the midst of the viewing, and in the course of explaining to my friend about how Ennis's protective instincts about the sheep may be transferred to Jack... it occurred to me that the woolly collar of Jack's coat may be significant.  So frequently, in the early scenes of BBM, we see Jack's face framed by the woolly collar of his green coat.  To me, this must be significant.




Yes. I think it links to the theme of Jack being the sacrificial lamb. Like the scene where we se him tending to the one lamb, plucking something out of its hoof (although that one also shows him as an experienced sheepherder).
And of course, the lamb ends up das in the end.  :(

If you wanted to take the symbolism even further, think of the shot where we see Ennis having a lamb in a sack tied to his saddle. He wants to keep the little lambie safe, and tucks it in for the purpose. Reminds me of how he wants to keep Jack hidden. A secret, to keep Jack (both of them, really) safe.


Offline Sason

  • BetterMost Moderator
  • The BetterMost 10,000 Post Club
  • *****
  • Posts: 14,161
  • Bork bork bork
Re: lovable subtle details
« Reply #571 on: July 17, 2011, 05:50:05 am »
RE-posting a picture for Sonja; we talked about this in chat last night.

This is Ma Twist in her kitchen. You can see the cherry cake in the background.




Closeup of the cherry cake with oddly only one cherry in it:



Thanks, Chrissi!!

LOL, I've never noticed it before!

Uhm......but (insert blasphemy warning).....it doesn't look much like a cherry cake to me.... ::)

The texture seems wrong, and the shape. And it seems the cherry (if that's what it is) sort of hangs in the air, without being attached to the cake at all.

But, OTOH, what do I know about Cherry Cakes Of The American West?   ::) :laugh:

This specimen may be a typical example of the species.   8)

Düva pööp is a förce of natüre

Offline Monika

  • BetterMost Moderator
  • BetterMost 5000+ Posts Club
  • *****
  • Posts: 6,587
  • We are all the same. Women, men, gay, straight
Re: lovable subtle details
« Reply #572 on: July 17, 2011, 05:56:41 am »
I´ve never noticed the cake in the background either. I think I expected it to be brown because the only cherry cake I´ve ever eaten was a chocolate cherry cake (made by Lee, I believe).

Offline Penthesilea

  • Town Administration
  • The BetterMost 10,000 Post Club
  • *****
  • Posts: 14,745
Re: lovable subtle details
« Reply #573 on: July 17, 2011, 06:20:37 am »
Thanks, Chrissi!!

LOL, I've never noticed it before!

Uhm......but (insert blasphemy warning).....it doesn't look much like a cherry cake to me.... ::)

The texture seems wrong, and the shape. And it seems the cherry (if that's what it is) sort of hangs in the air, without being attached to the cake at all.

But, OTOH, what do I know about Cherry Cakes Of The American West?   ::) :laugh:

This specimen may be a typical example of the species.   8)


For explaining purposes, I'll re-post a pic of my cherry cake. Ma Twist's cherry cake looks just as mine, except that I have plenty of cherries in it. :laugh:
A yellowish, fair dough, then simply stir the cherries in.




They sink in and are spread throughout the cake.
Re the shape of the cherry: the shape is not perfectly round since you have to take the stone out of it, so it's somewhat squeezed. And of course, the cake is cut right through the middle of the one cherry in the BBM pic.
Re the color: These artificially red looking cherries are called cocktail cherries. It's either that, or a very bright red breed of cherries. For example sour cherries are brighter than sweet cherries, and what I have are Schattenmorrellen (morello cherries), which are especially dark and sweet, with plenty flesh.

Offline Penthesilea

  • Town Administration
  • The BetterMost 10,000 Post Club
  • *****
  • Posts: 14,745
Re: lovable subtle details
« Reply #574 on: July 17, 2011, 06:32:09 am »
I´ve never noticed the cake in the background either. I think I expected it to be brown because the only cherry cake I´ve ever eaten was a chocolate cherry cake (made by Lee, I believe).


At Rodney's house, the evening before the Roundup 2008 officially began. :D

Offline Front-Ranger

  • BetterMost Moderator
  • The BetterMost 10,000 Post Club
  • *****
  • Posts: 30,287
  • Brokeback got us good.
Re: lovable subtle details
« Reply #575 on: July 17, 2011, 09:20:14 am »
Tonight I watched BBM with a non-Brokie - and it was the first time for me in about a year.  In the midst of the viewing, and in the course of explaining to my friend about how Ennis's protective instincts about the sheep may be transferred to Jack... it occurred to me that the woolly collar of Jack's coat may be significant.  So frequently, in the early scenes of BBM, we see Jack's face framed by the woolly collar of his green coat.  To me, this must be significant.

You're definitely onto something there, friend! Also, remember in the dozy embrace how Ennis stroked Jack's collar as he embraced him from behind? That's really a good subtle detail! And Jack was the one who didn't like the cold.  :'(

Thinking about the one cherry in the cake, to me it signifies Ennis's aloneness now that Jack is gone. In saying he will take a cup of coffee but can't eat no cake, Ennis is saying he will "stick with beans", with his bitter life now that the sweet life with Jack is gone.
"chewing gum and duct tape"

Offline Meryl

  • BetterMost Supporter
  • BetterMost Moderator
  • The BetterMost 10,000 Post Club
  • *****
  • Posts: 12,205
  • There's no reins on this one....
Re: lovable subtle details
« Reply #576 on: July 17, 2011, 02:31:12 pm »
You're definitely onto something there, friend! Also, remember in the dozy embrace how Ennis stroked Jack's collar as he embraced him from behind? That's really a good subtle detail! And Jack was the one who didn't like the cold.  :'(

Thinking about the one cherry in the cake, to me it signifies Ennis's aloneness now that Jack is gone. In saying he will take a cup of coffee but can't eat no cake, Ennis is saying he will "stick with beans", with his bitter life now that the sweet life with Jack is gone.


I was going to mention Ennis stroking Jack's collar, too.  It's always been one of my favorite things about that scene.  8)

The cherry cake reminds me of a discussion we had about yin/yang symbols in the movie.  The one cherry is reminiscent of the symbol.

« Last Edit: July 18, 2011, 12:21:38 am by Meryl »
Ich bin ein Brokie...

Offline Brown Eyes

  • BetterMost Supporter!
  • BetterMost Moderator
  • The BetterMost 10,000 Post Club
  • *****
  • Posts: 10,377
Re: lovable subtle details
« Reply #577 on: July 17, 2011, 02:52:21 pm »

Yes, I agree that the one cherry in the cake is like half of a yin and yang symbol.  Similar to the black and white barn door (?) that we see outside Jack's bedroom window, that appears to be an incomplete yin and yang symbol.

Meryl, do I recall correctly that the barn door observation came from you long ago?

the world was asleep to our latent fuss - bowie

Offline Meryl

  • BetterMost Supporter
  • BetterMost Moderator
  • The BetterMost 10,000 Post Club
  • *****
  • Posts: 12,205
  • There's no reins on this one....
Re: lovable subtle details
« Reply #578 on: July 17, 2011, 04:53:30 pm »
Yes, I agree that the one cherry in the cake is like half of a yin and yang symbol.  Similar to the black and white barn door (?) that we see outside Jack's bedroom window, that appears to be an incomplete yin and yang symbol.

Meryl, do I recall correctly that the barn door observation came from you long ago?

Yes, I was amazed to notice it.  I don't think it was just an accident, because the camera lowers down along with Ennis as he sits to look out the window, and the barn door is framed perfectly in the window.  I wish I could remember the thread link for that discussion.
Ich bin ein Brokie...

Offline Front-Ranger

  • BetterMost Moderator
  • The BetterMost 10,000 Post Club
  • *****
  • Posts: 30,287
  • Brokeback got us good.
Re: lovable subtle details
« Reply #579 on: July 17, 2011, 05:21:47 pm »
"chewing gum and duct tape"