Author Topic: If you were Alma............  (Read 21813 times)

Offline serious crayons

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Re: If you were Alma............
« Reply #60 on: May 14, 2006, 02:12:53 am »
Thanks. Wouldn't that also imply that Ennis was consciously sending Cassie a message? Oh, sure enough, he was sending her one by not responding to her messages, but was this a conscious plan of action? I'm not sure. I'm not defending him here. I've just seen guys do this sort of thing--lie to themselves that they're procrastinating when they really just don't have the balls to break up with someone.

Yes. Feel free to defend Ennis to me anytime! But in this case he was cruel (as he semi-acknowleges, by saying "I'm sorry"). But what I mean specifically is --  and this is probably not worth all this discussion because it's such a minor point -- it doesn't make sense to say HE got the message. SHE got the message -- his lack of response, which really is, unavoidably, a conscious if insensitive message -- and started dating Carl. So he should say, "looks like YOU got the message, in any case."

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I'm coming to realize that, too. Heretofore, when I've thought of it all, I just regarded is as a necessary wrapping up of the Cassie subplot. But there's clearly more than just that going on here.

YES! That is so true. And I formerly thought the exact same thing. I figured this scene was all about showing Ennis looking depressed after his argument with Jack, and wrapping up the Cassie subplot, and also offering the breakup as evidence that he had reached a new level of awareness regarding Jack, or his sexuality, or whatever. I still think all those things are going on. But something that (I hate to keep saying) I read on imdb suggested there might be more to it. And sure enough, it's totally there, in his eyes and face, as soon as Cassie says the word "love." Watch it. It's an epiphany for him.

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Oh, not to worry, I have the DVD. I bought it on the release day, and I did my gay civic duty and paid more than I would have had to pay elsewhere by buying it at our local independent GLBT bookstore. And I made a real, if private, event out of watching it for the first time. I just haven't been able to make myself a block of two and a half hours to watch it again since (I hate watching movies on video in "chunks"). I could be watching it now, but here I am. ...

Well, that's what I mean, man! Take 134 minutes off these boards and watch it! I guarantee that -- if you're anything like I was, anyway -- you will see the movie in a whole new way. I arrogantly thought I knew it all, as you know from reading my vehement arguments about this or that. But when I watched it last week I discovered at least a dozen new things, partly as a result of all this time we've spent arguing about it. And I'm not foolin.

(PS Well, why don't you, then? Is it time? Technology? The fear that you will be sick of it? Believe me, I was afraid of all of those things myself, but everything worked out fine.)


Offline Jeff Wrangler

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Re: If you were Alma............
« Reply #61 on: May 14, 2006, 03:21:35 pm »
To his credit, at least, according to the stage directions, Ennis knows he's hurt Cassie, but he doesn't know what to do about it.

As for the DVD, there's never enough time, never enough. . . . Off now to do a friend a favor and read some fanfiction.  :)
"It is required of every man that the spirit within him should walk abroad among his fellow-men, and travel far and wide."--Charles Dickens.

Offline serious crayons

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Re: If you were Alma............
« Reply #62 on: May 14, 2006, 03:26:51 pm »
According to the movie, he says "I'm sorry."

Offline Jeff Wrangler

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Re: If you were Alma............
« Reply #63 on: May 14, 2006, 04:54:44 pm »
According to the movie, he says "I'm sorry."


At least that line made it into the published screenplay!  :D
"It is required of every man that the spirit within him should walk abroad among his fellow-men, and travel far and wide."--Charles Dickens.