I was thinking last night that there were several role reversals in the film, when Jack assumed Ennis's typical identity (at least the viewer's perception of it), and vice versa. Two that came to mind:
1. Aguirre makes no bones in the trailer about assigning Ennis as camp tender, and Jack as herder. He looks straight at, and I believe points, directly at each one of them, singly, as he's giving the duties. Yet when he comes up the mountain to tell Jack about his uncle having pneumonia, he sees that Jack is now the camp tender, and through binoculars, that Ennis has assumed the role of herder. Yet he doesn't say a word about that. He seems to me like a boss who insists on having his orders followed, period, end of sentence. Why do you all think he doesn't say anything, or express any ire at all about that?
2. When Ennis comes back from what turns out to be his snowy last night in the pup tent on the Q.T., and finds Jack taking down the tent, telling him that Aguirre says it's time to bring the sheep down cause another big storm's blowing in from the Pacific, it is Ennis that he is visibly shook up, throwing things, raising his voice, pitching a fit, going up to sit on the mountain and stew about it, and throwing punches, while Jack is the one just matter-of-factly saying that's the way it is, and calmly going about the business of picking up the camp and loading the animals. Up till that point, it was Ennis that appeared to be calm and matter-of-fact and hesitant about showing emotions, and Jack that wore his heart on his sleeve and showed everything he was feeling the minute he was feeling it, with no restraint. Why do you all think they switched emotional roles, just like that?
I don't have any theories on either situation, so would appreciate it any of you would like to comment on either/both situations. And perhaps you can come up with other examples of this kind of thing occurring later on, also?
Thanks, Happy Easter everyone!
