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Happy Tussle Scene --- by mac_tire
by TheDozyEmbrace 5 hours ago (Sun Mar 18 2007 23:07:19 )
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Happy Tussle Scene --- by mac_tire
by - mac_tire (Wed Feb 1 2006 09:48:07 )
I don't think this has been mentioned as often as many other (wonderful) scenes, but one scene I love between the two men is that one that takes place the day after Tent Scene Number Two.
We see it through Aguirre's binoculars, though we don't know it at first. Both boys have their shirts off (and it looks like their flies may be partly open), Ennis is clearly teasing Jack from behind, and Jack runs after him.
I like so much about it -- for one thing, Film Ennis is the lanky bag of bones, Film Jack has the muscles, and you can see Ennis trying to heave Jack over when Jack gets him in a hold; Jack humors him, doesn't let himself be thrown but doesn't tumble Ennis either, and then they tussle on the ground together. And Ennis takes the top spot and kisses Jack like he can't keep his hands off him. I only wish we had a closer view of the scene, simply because I'm greedy -- to me it shows that playful, tender aspect of lovers who have just fallen for each other.
When people suggest that Jack was the one who "made Ennis gay," or that Ennis didn't want Jack as much as Jack wanted him, I always think of this scene -- when they lived in their little paradise and Ennis was comfortable being joyful and open and loving.
by - shrinkrapt (Wed Feb 1 2006 09:54:58 )
*sigh......* that's one of my favourite scenes, too. And it's the scene where I realised just how Ang was making the audience FEEL the passing of time/glare of the outside world, by always cutting short any moments of intimacy and going straight to the viewpoint of another character, in this case Aguirre. Even in this paradise, the social order encroaches and denies us/our boys real happiness.
by - lucise (Wed Feb 1 2006 10:14:20 )
The only thing that spoils this awesome scene - friggin' Aguirre with his flipping prying eyes and binoculaurs! What matters though - the boys didnt know he was there, so they were still free to show their feelings
How sweet and playful that was!
by - starboardlight (Wed Feb 1 2006 10:44:11 )
i love that scene, and I love you're describing it. it's so beautifully intimate, and that's why Aguirre's presence is so intrusive and heartbreaking. the sounds in that scene is also brilliant, the wind and that leathery scratching hints at the intrusion.
by - amgineurt (Wed Feb 1 2006 11:24:07 )
I love this scene too. When it starts, Jack is actually just doing up his pants, and Ennis's belt is undone (can't tell about his fly), letting you know that Aguirre got a real eyefull. And it wasn't until my 3rd or 4th viewing that I noticed the little kiss at the end behind the hat (damned hat!).
I think it's there to show you that Ennis became much less trepidacious, becoming so much more comfortable in the relationship. Enough to have sex outside, away from the protection of the tent.
What also cracks me up is that Jack is putting his pants on, no shirt, yet he already had his hat on, which means that it was the first thing he put on when getting dressed.
by - newyearsday (Wed Feb 1 2006 11:29:04 )
When people suggest that Jack was the one who "made Ennis gay," or that Ennis didn't want Jack as much as Jack wanted him, I always think of this scene -- when they lived in their little paradise and Ennis was comfortable being joyful and open and loving.
Awww, mac_tire, how sweet. I am impressed and amazed at how well you have taken in and then described this scene--how many times have you seen the movie? It always goes by wwaaay to quick for me, and from too far away. This is gonna be one of the slo mo scenes when the dvd comes out.
by - lucise (Wed Feb 1 2006 12:20:39 )
amgineurt - thanks for that
In the short story (which i plan to read completely everyday i am not actually in the theatre watching the movie) - after their first explosive night in the tent, they both knew that they were hooked (sheep be damned). And they made love outside under the sun, not knowing that Aguirre was watching for a good while.
I think that in this scene in the movie, as amgineurt so well point out: they had finished making love and were getting dressed before they started their little playful wrestling
I love the kiss behind the hat and i love that Ennis started the whole thing by knocking off Jack's hat..
Oh how i wish their paradise was for much longer than one bleeding summer.
Oh well, if the story was any different , it wouldnt be the BBM that we love, and it certainly wouldnt have the same effect (at least on me anyway).
thanks all!
by - bznest (Thu Feb 2 2006 09:42:21 )
I've seen the movie several times and always forget about that scene because I'm always upset by the Aguirre part of it and forget what wonderful things happen before that. Great point!!
OT, I still maintain that Ennis was not 'gay' he just loved Jack!
by - snuffle007 (Thu Feb 2 2006 09:47:52 )
You know what, I didn't even see the little kiss behind the hat.
Will look out for it next time (went to see it yesterday for the 6th time) and will also look out for all the other little things mentioned on here.
This film is like seeing a different but same film every time. You notice new things each viewing
by - chibidesign (Thu Feb 2 2006 09:53:08 )
I never bother with the threads that try to define the parameters of sexuality, but you just stumbled on my definition of gay right there. Most people aren't all one way or all the other way. There's lots of circumstances where someone might explore the grass on the other side of the fence while remaining essentially hetero or homo, boredom, curiosity,whatever. But when a man falls IN LOVE with another man, I'd say he's kidding himself that he's straight. Bisexual maybe, but you never see Ennis pursue women--they come after him but he never takes the initiative.
by - mac_tire (Thu Feb 2 2006 15:12:40 )
UPDATED Thu Feb 2 2006 15:27:25
And it's the scene where I realised just how Ang was making the audience FEEL the passing of time/glare of the outside world by always cutting short any moments of intimacy and going straight to the viewpoint of another character
Yes, he is for sure torturing us with the angst, the sadist...it's a good thing he made this incredible movie or I'd really hate the man....
How sweet and playful that was!
Painfully sweet!
by - mac_tire (Thu Feb 2 2006 15:16:00 )
I'm ashamed to say I didn't even pick up on the sounds, starboardlight -- I'll have to pay attention to that next time. There's always something else to discover in this film, which is what I love about BBM and about this board. And "intrusive and heartbreaking" is better than what I said, you've got it exactly.
by - CowboyCody (Thu Feb 2 2006 15:20:57 )
What a beautifully shot scene, playful, alive, loving only to be interrupted by Aguirre, damn him. The emotions of the heart free at play and that wonderful world of connectedness. I didn't catch the sounds the first time, but I will.
by - mac_tire (Thu Feb 2 2006 15:22:45 )
What also cracks me up is that Jack is putting his pants on, no shirt, yet he already had his hat on, which means that it was the first thing he put on when getting dressed.
Yes! Those hats were the first thing to go on, that cracked me up too. There's something very touching about that, somehow.
Awww, mac_tire, how sweet. I am impressed and amazed at how well you have taken in and then described this scene--how many times have you seen the movie? It always goes by wwaaay to quick for me, and from too far away. This is gonna be one of the slo mo scenes when the dvd comes out.
I've seen it way too many times, I'm now at the point where I'm a bit embarassed to be specific about it. I concur a thousand percent with your DVD remark -- too quick, too far away. I always say I want the Secret Unabridged Jack and Ennis on Brokeback Tapes.
I love the kiss behind the hat and i love that Ennis started the whole thing by knocking off Jack's hat..
Oh yeah. It's like kids playing around -- but a lot sexier.
by - mac_tire (Thu Feb 2 2006 15:26:10 )
This film is like seeing a different but same film every time. You notice new things each viewing
That may be the one thing -- if someone held a gun to my head and I could only pick one -- that makes this film an instant classic.
The kiss behind the hat is just...it'll kill you, even though you can't see it as fully as you'd wish.
by - URBANCOW2001 (Thu Feb 2 2006 17:05:56 )
UPDATED Thu Feb 2 2006 17:31:18
I often have said that Ennis seemed interested in Jack from the start.
Ennis was the happiest ever in his life during the time spent in Brokeback Mountain than any time before and definately after. That is why he is was so upset about leaving the mountain early. He would have stayed there forever with Jack if he could; there was feeling the love that was missing from his life.
Knowing Both Ennis and Jack's background and life before they met, they really did not have much warmth or compasion from anybody. Ennis, even though he had siblings lacked the love of a parent during his later childhood and teens. Jack seemed to come from a 'uptight' home with what appears to be a cold father and mother who was treated probably as a doormat.
Imagine if Ennis' father did not inflict the fear into his head.
by - 3hree6ix5ive-1 (Mon Feb 6 2006 18:14:42 )
What I found most interesting about this scene, is we (the viewers) become Agguire in that we are intruding on Jack and Ennis as well. I know this is a part of the short story, however, I like the way that Ang Lee uses the cut frame from Jack and Ennis, to Agguire, to Jack and Ennis, to Agguire looking at his watch.
Honestly, during that scene, I felt like I was privy to something private. You know like when you see PDAs in public and you feel the need to turn away? That's almost what I felt here ... it was, to me, more intimate than the 1st tent scene.
... hope that all makes sense.
by - delalluvia (Mon Feb 6 2006 18:21:34 )
Thanks for posting this mac tire. Yes, their flies are open - at least Jack's is - so Aguirre got the full monty. Who's to say they were even IN the tent making love and not outside like Proulx writes?
I, too, like how it's Ennis who is the playful one, wanting to horse around, and then kiss the one who makes him feel so alive.
Sweet, sexy and innocent all at the same time.
by - diamond_inrough (Mon Feb 6 2006 18:26:42 )
UPDATED Mon Feb 6 2006 18:29:32
Yeah lucise, the creepy thing is in the short story, it actually flat out says that he watched them for about 10 minutes having sex. Talk about a peeping Tom. Creepy.
About the scene from the boys' perspectives though, I love it.
by - Sixx_Sixx_Sixx23 (Mon Feb 6 2006 18:36:45 )
This was definatly my favorite scene. It was so adorable and fun. The kiss behind the hat I noticed, but I missed the thing about them getting dressed. I plan on watching this movie again, so I'll have to play closer attention this time. I loved this movie. It was so incredibly sad that they never managed to fully regain what they had that first summer. I believe that Ennis' father is partly to blame for this, because it's obvious he had a very negative effect on his son. This scene and the scene where he's crying in the alley after Jack drives away are the really only indications that he loves and needs Jack as much as Jack loves and needs him.
by - naun (Mon Feb 6 2006 19:39:45 )
What I found most interesting about this scene, is we (the viewers) become Agguire in that we are intruding on Jack and Ennis as well.
Thank you! I'd been trying ever since I first saw the movie to figure out just why it seems to add to the beauty and fragility of this scene that it is shot from a distance -- and you've hit on the reason exactly. It adds to the feeling that this is a private, secret joy that the boys are sharing -- and at the same time implies that it is being violated by an outsider's gaze, even before we see Aguirre, even before we hear him creaking in his saddle. Because it's us, the viewers, who are intruding.
by - carmenjonze-1 (Mon Feb 6 2006 19:44:34 )
i listed that as one of my top 3 scenes in another thread, too.
by - mac_tire (Mon Feb 6 2006 19:44:44 )
Thank you!
3hree6ix5ive-1
What I found most interesting about this scene, is we (the viewers) become Agguire in that we are intruding on Jack and Ennis as well.
Thank you! I'd been trying ever since I first saw the movie to figure out just why it seems to add to the beauty and fragility of this scene that it is shot from a distance -- and you've hit on the reason exactly. It adds to the feeling that this is a private, secret joy that the boys are sharing -- and at the same time implies that it is being violated by an outsider's gaze, even before we see Aguirre, even before we hear him creaking in his saddle. Because it's us, the viewers, who are intruding.
Hey naun, thanks ... you know, this is one of my favourite scens in the film. It is, I think, one of the few times when Ennis isn't looking around or worried about what other people will think about his feelings for Jack. As "uncomfortable" as I felt seeing the feeling that were being expressed by Jack and Ennis, it was just beautiful, in a way.
Sigh ... and now I want to see this movie ... again.
by - Sixx_Sixx_Sixx23 (Mon Mar 6 2006 11:50:19 )
I'll be sure to check the link out, thanks.
by - amandazehnder (Sun Mar 26 2006 12:04:32 )
Talk about a sexy and joyful scene. Someone somewhere noted that not only are they buttoning up their pants when the scene begins, but that in the beginning of the scene Ennis has suspiciously **muddy knees** already (before they fall on the ground). :-)
This scene and the skinny dipping scene are such a relief in the film, because they allow glimpses of pure happiness. Also the scene after the motel when you see them in the truck driving towards the mountains. That moment contains a sense of euphoria leading up to the skinny dipping. :-)
by - mars_nr1 (Sun Mar 26 2006 14:02:07 )
I just saw that scene, put the DVD on slow and zoomed in. I think it's too bad that you don't see that they are kissing. Jack is blocking the view with his hat. I think that's too bad. Like they got out of character. Why would you try to avoid that people see the kissing with your hat?
by - terryhall2 (Sun Mar 26 2006 19:48:09 )
I wish Ang had done his usual far away distance and then close distance thing, only the other way round: a close distance of our heroes then one further away to show they were being watched..Maybe it was done the way it was in the movie to indicate passing of time? Another scene is Jack's giggles when the two of them are fighting after he ropes Ennis..very natural horsing around of two teenage guys.
by - BreDigsTheJakeness (Sun Apr 9 2006 04:37:57 )
I love this scene. It's so demonstative of the fun they had together and the genuine affection they felt for one another. I usually call it "the time they frolliced in the grass" because I like how that sounds. Such a cute scene... and I've love to see it closer up.
