Damn you, dozy embrace scene...

[mvansand76]

There I go again.... I watched the dozy embrace again after months and this time, this little detail just blew me away...

That little head nod Jack does after Ennis says "I gotta go..."

 

God, can you guys believe it, I am soooo angry at Ennis suddenly! I have never been as mad at Ennis as I am right now.
Poor, poor Jack, what a loving soul...

BTW- the camera angle when we see Ennis mount his horse is so unique, behind Jack's back.

[ifyoucantfixit]

         I never understand this feeling that people get..Being so mad at Ennis.  Ennis was no less
loving and caring than Jack..He was introverted and afraid.  He was very loving with his animals \
and his girls..because that was an accepted love by society.  He was applauded and shown
favor by those loves.
        He was deathly afraid to show Jack love.  He was afraid of the consequences..It was so
dire, that he wouldnt even let himself admit his feelings.  It was not that he didnt have them.

[brokeplex]

         I never understand this feeling that people get..Being so mad at Ennis.  Ennis was no less
loving and caring than Jack..He was introverted and afraid.  He was very loving with his animals \
and his girls..because that was an accepted love by society.  He was applauded and shown
favor by those loves.
        He was deathly afraid to show Jack love.  He was afraid of the consequences..It was so
dire, that he wouldnt even let himself admit his feelings.  It was not that he didnt have them.

Exactly, it is difficult for anyone who has not lived in the fear that Ennis constantly lived in to understand how closed off he was to expressing his real feelings. He was locked inside a prison built for him by a culture that rejected his true self. Remember the camping trip the boys took in 1977, while Ennis is washing up the dishes, he confides in Jack his paranoia, his fear of his true nature being discovered. His fears were independent of Jack's presence, they were a constant companion. And he hated himself for his feelings. Remember the fight he got in with the roughneck Thanksgiving night after assaulting Alma while she was washing up the dishes. He hated himself so much that he punished himself by deliberately getting into a fight with a man that could easily, "wipe the floor" with Ennis. Why did he grab Alma's arm and bruise her? Because she was exposing his true self, his feelings for Jack. In his mind he couldn't afford to allow even that brief exposure without a harsh response. Ennis felt so guilty. I do not like the way that Ennis treated Alma or Jack. But, Ennis could imagine no other life for himself than the one he had. When Jack suggested that Ennis come to Texas, Ennis couldn't even imagine doing that.
 

[Brown Eyes]

There I go again.... I watched the dozy embrace again after months and this time, this little detail just blew me away...

That little head nod Jack does after Ennis says "I gotta go..."

 

God, can you guys believe it, I am soooo angry at Ennis suddenly! I have never been as mad at Ennis as I am right now.
Poor, poor Jack, what a loving soul...

BTW- the camera angle when we see Ennis mount his horse is so unique, behind Jack's back.

Aww!! Mel... 

I know how you feel.  The dozy embrace and even the music that goes with the dozy embrace on the soundtrack get me really emotional every time.  No matter how many times I see the movie, that moment is always overwhelming.  I agree that the little tiny gestures, like the head nod, etc. really make the scene poignant.  And, I've always heard that line "see you in the morning" as both really ominous and really sweet.  It's soooooooo significant because this is the last thing we ever actually hear the boys say to one another during the film (or Ennis saying to Jack... I guess the head nod is Jack's last communication with Ennis).

         I never understand this feeling that people get..Being so mad at Ennis.  Ennis was no less
loving and caring than Jack..He was introverted and afraid.  He was very loving with his animals \
and his girls..because that was an accepted love by society.  He was applauded and shown
favor by those loves.
        He was deathly afraid to show Jack love.  He was afraid of the consequences..It was so
dire, that he wouldnt even let himself admit his feelings.  It was not that he didnt have them.

I think it's OK to feel angry at Ennis at times.  It doesn't mean we don't have sympathy for him if we feel frustration with him in certain scenes... And we can still love his character even if we get angry with him over certain issues.  Heck, we know Jack went through this himself... being frustrated but still loving Ennis and occasionally getting angry.

I do get angry at Ennis for being so reserved with Jack, etc.  Ennis's fear at showing his love for Jack is immensely harsh on Jack I think.  I feel  sorry for Jack for the way his character keeps getting his hopes dashed and yet keeps coming back (the most extreme example being the post-divorce fiasco).

At the same time, it's also OK to feel frustration with Jack too.  The idea to go and surprise Ennis following the divorce was probably poor judgment (but his excitement and hope probably got the better of him) and I think his timing was poor when he raised the issue of the cow and calf operation during the reunion.  I think Jack was moving a little too fast here... I mean they had just gotten back together.  I always sort of wish the Jack would hold off for a while with the cow and calf proposal.

While I do like to always try to strike a balance when considering and analyzing these two characters, I'll admit I often find myself being more frustrated with Ennis than Jack, even though I understand where Ennis's own pain and issues are coming from.  I think this also has something to do with Ennis being the protagonist...  I think we're actually meant to analyze Ennis in a different way than we are Jack.

[KristinDaBomb]

I am not mad at him when I watch that scene. What I am is heartbroken. Because you can tell how much Ennis loves Jack but he is in constant fear and can't act on it. I always find that scene and the fight before it so heartbreaking.

[Brokeback_Dev]

I am not mad at him when I watch that scene. What I am is heartbroken. Because you can tell how much Ennis loves Jack but he is in constant fear and can't act on it. I always find that scene and the fight before it so heartbreaking.

Thats exactly what it is Kristin.   Heartbreaking.  I cry every time I watch it. 

[Brown Eyes]

Well, yes, it's not necessarily the dozy embrace scene where I find myself feeling frustrated or angry with Ennis.  This happens for me most profoundly I think during the post-divorce scene.

But, with the dozy embrace scene... aside from the feeling of heartbreak... I feel really frustrated at realizing how much potential these two guys had at having an amazing relationship and then realizing how messed up everything becomes later in their lives.  I get frustrated at thinking about the lost potential amd lost time that occurs between them after the '63 summer.  It's also frustrating that this is yet another instance of them saying good bye to one another and Ennis riding away.  It's like the beginning of a tragic pattern.

 

[loneleeb3]

I could never be mad at Ennis because I can so closely relate to him.
I know the constant fear he lived with. Always wondering if anyone knows or will find out.
It's a paranoia beyond compare. It's like building a mansion of cards around somthing you don't want anyone to see.
You are constantly lookin for and fearing any breeze that could wreck your efforts.
It's a balancing act that unless you have been there you can not possibly understand.
Ennis was at war with himself. He loved Jack so much but couldn't express it like Jack wanted him to or like even he himself wanted to.
We see glimpses of his love (the reunion scene, Dozy Embrace) and of His fear (It ain't gonna be that way, Almat Thanksgiving and the farewell scene by the lake).
But at the end in Jacks Closet and when He swears, we see the depth of his love and loss.
My heart breaks for Ennis.

[mvansand76]

Well, yes, it's not necessarily the dozy embrace scene where I find myself feeling frustrated or angry with Ennis.  This happens for me most profoundly I think during the post-divorce scene.

But, with the dozy embrace scene... aside from the feeling of heartbreak... I feel really frustrated at realizing how much potential these two guys had at having an amazing relationship and then realizing how messed up everything becomes later in their lives.  I get frustrated at thinking about the lost potential amd lost time that occurs between them after the '63 summer.  It's also frustrating that this is yet another instance of them saying good bye to one another and Ennis riding away.  It's like the beginning of a tragic pattern.

 

Oh thank you Amanda, for voicing exactly what I was thinking! You're so good at that! 
That, I think is also the reason why that scene is there in the first place, to show us once again what they missed out on...

God, now I'm crying AGAIN!

 

[loneleeb3]

God, now I'm crying AGAIN!

Awww! {{{{{HUG}}}}}  I'm glad I'm not the only one!