Film-Ennis vs. Story-Ennis and Film-Jack vs. Story-Jack

[serious crayons]

OK, here's one. Both Movie Ennis and Movie Jack are far more handsome than their story counterparts. In that sense, the story is more realistic; chances seem pretty slim that two randomly selected cowboys would both be that hot. The descriptions in the story sound a lot more like real-life cowboys would probably look.

Anybody here wish the movie had been more faithful to the story in that respect?

Also, the movie versions are also much less colloquial in their speech. Which is fine with me. The colloquialisms of the story are colorful and well-written and evoke a sense of place, but to me they are also a bit distancing.

[Brown Eyes]

Heya Katherine and Jeff,
It's fun watching you two have conversations sometimes. 

I've just been waiting for someone to bring up the glamour-factor in the book vs. film difference. 

I think it's definitely clear that the filmmakers made a conscious decision to make both characters more appealing (physically in terms of casting, but also in terms of mannerisms, etc.).  I think this is particularly true of Jack.  I don't remember where the interview is, but I recall reading Proulx talk about how she really likes Jake's depiction of Jack but that she sees the film character as really quite significantly different.  I remember she thought of film-Jack as being like "quicksilver."  I don't quite know what that means, but I like it. 

I think that through casting Jake the filmmakers definitely wanted to make Jack more conventionally attractive, but I'm glad they conveyed some of his "average-ness" through keeping his awkwardness (it's interesting how Jake makes this "awkwardness" simultaneously endearing and charming) as part of his character.  I like in the DVD special feature how Jake describes his understanding of Jack as a person who's "really trying" that the act of "trying" hard is just part of Jack. 

Personally, I'm glad I saw the movie before I read the story.  One thing I find strange when I read the story even now is that I don't at all feel the same level of emotional connection with the written characters.  I love Annie's writing and phrasing, etc.  But, I've never felt as connected to story-Ennis or Jack.

[Jeff Wrangler]

OK, here's one. Both Movie Ennis and Movie Jack are far more handsome than their story counterparts. In that sense, the story is more realistic; chances seem pretty slim that two randomly selected cowboys would both be that hot. The descriptions in the story sound a lot more like real-life cowboys would probably look.

Anybody here wish the movie had been more faithful to the story in that respect?

Not particularly. ... 

But this point does remind me of something I don't understand. I've read somewhere that Annie Proulx has said that in her own vision, Jack is "homely," yet her description in the story doesn't strike me as particularly unattractive. He has curly hair, and he smiles a lot. She says his buckteeth are noticeable but, in my opinion, sort of undercuts herself by saying they aren't big enough that he could eat popcorn out of the neck of a jug (I know someone with buckteeth who probably could!). Apparently he's a little broad in the, er, thighs, but so what? And he has an outgoing personality. I've never had any trouble believing that a lonely kid like Ennis could fall--hard--for an outgoing guy like Jack.

[Jeff Wrangler]

Heya Katherine and Jeff,
It's fun watching you two have conversations sometimes. 

Thanks. I think. ...

I've just been waiting for someone to bring up the glamour-factor in the book vs. film difference. 

I think it's definitely clear that the filmmakers made a conscious decision to make both characters more appealing (physically in terms of casting, but also in terms of mannerisms, etc.).  I think this is particularly true of Jack.  I don't remember where the interview is, but I recall reading Proulx talk about how she really likes Jake's depiction of Jack but that she sees the film character as really quite significantly different.  I remember she thought of film-Jack as being like "quicksilver."  I don't quite know what that means, but I like it. 

I don't really understand what she means by "quicksilver," either. Since I know that "quicksilver" is an antiquated name for "mercury," I tend to think of "quicksilver" as meaning "mercurial," which I associate with "changeable," which, to me, isn't necessarily a good thing, though it can be.

I think that through casting Jake the filmmakers definitely wanted to make Jack more conventionally attractive, but I'm glad they conveyed some of his "average-ness" through keeping his awkwardness (it's interesting how Jake makes this "awkwardness" simultaneously endearing and charming) as part of his character.  I like in the DVD special feature how Jake describes his understanding of Jack as a person who's "really trying" that the act of "trying" hard is just part of Jack. 

Personally, I'm glad I saw the movie before I read the story.  One thing I find strange when I read the story even now is that I don't at all feel the same level of emotional connection with the written characters.  I love Annie's writing and phrasing, etc.  But, I've never felt as connected to story-Ennis or Jack.

Interesting. I've known the story well since it's original New Yorker publication, so there was no way I could avoid seeing the film "uncontaminated." Actually, I think I must confess I do feel more connected to Story Ennis. (At least he talks more!) Story Jack, on the ther other hand, is the type of person who makes me suspicious when I meet them in real life--people who smile a little bit too much, talk a little bit too much. They make me wonder what they're up to.

[Brown Eyes]

I just thought of "quicksilver" as evoking something along the lines of "high-spirited" or "energetic".  Well, one of my favorite things about Annie's use of language (and this certainly does get translated into the movie) is her ability to be enigmatic.

[TJ]

Some of the farmboys/farmers, ranchers/ranchboys and cowboys with whom I enjoyed being with actually looked they were put together like Frankenstein did to create his human-parts monster.

Annie Proulx's Jack Twist was not exactly handsome nor was he ugly. Her Ennis Del Mar was not handsome at all. But, I have seen and loved all the way to their hearts guys who fit her descriptions of her ranch boys.

[JfT]

According to Webster's Universal College Dict., quicksilver(3) means "unpredictably changeable."

Jack quicksilver?  I thought Jack was more endearingly predictable, as opposed to Ennis , whom at times could surprise.

[Brown Eyes]

Jack quicksilver?  I thought Jack was more endearingly predictable, as opposed to Ennis , whom at times could surprise.

Hi JfT, I agree with this reading. Darn, I'm going to have to search around for that Proulx interview.  I don't think she was implying anything *negative* about film-Ennis.

[Brown Eyes]

OK, here's Proulx's quotation... It's from an interview with the Advocate back in December.  Here's the link http://www.advocate.com/news_detail.asp?id=23486  if anyone's interested.


"AP: What did you think of the performances by Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal?

Proulx: I thought they were magnificent, both of them. Jake Gyllenhaal's Jack Twist...wasn't the Jack Twist that I had in mind when I wrote this story. The Jack that I saw was jumpier, homely. But Gyllenhaal's sensitivity and subtleness in this role is just huge. The scenes he's in have a kind of quicksilver feel to them. Heath Ledger is just almost really beyond description as far as I'm concerned. He got inside the story more deeply than I did. All that thinking about the character of Ennis that was so hard for me to get, Ledger just was there. He did indeed move inside the skin of the character, not just in the shirt but inside the person. It was remarkable."

[Jeff Wrangler]

Hi JfT, I agree with this reading. Darn, I'm going to have to search around for that Proulx interview.  I don't think she was implying anything *negative* about film-Ennis.

I found the "quicksilver" quote.

It apparently comes from an interview Annie Proulx gave to Sandy Cohen of the Associated Press. A couple of months ago I found it on line at Advocate.com and printed a hard copy for my Brokeback file. I have that hard copy in front of me now:

[Interviewer] What did you think of the performances by Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal?

[Annie Proulx] I thought they were magnificient, both of them. Jake Gyllenhaal's Jack Twist wasn't the Jack Twist I had in mind when I wrote the story. The Jack that I saw was jumpier, homely. But Gyllenhaal's sensitivity and subtleness in this role is just huge. The scene's he's in have a kind of quicksilver feel to them. Heath Ledger is just almost really beyond description as far as I'm concerned. He got inside the story more deeply than I did. All that thinking about the character of Ennis that was so hard for me to get, Ledger just was there. He did indeed move inside the skin of the character, not just inside the shirt but inside the person. It was remarkable.

So my memory stands corrected. She applied the "quicksilver" analogy to Jake's scenes, rather than specifically to Jake.

But I can't forebear adding that it's always made me extremely happy that the creator of Ennis and Jack is so pleased with Heath and Jake's portrayals. The comment that Heath got more deeply inside the story than did Annie Proulx herself is truly remarkable.