. I think a big point of the scene is the ambiguity of that piece of it - what Jack and Ennis have to recurringly deal with - "Are the people out on the pavement looking like they know, or aren't they?"
Wow, you guys, fascinating thread. It's hard to keep up with all the potentially juicy topics here.
Re the ambiguity Clarissa mentions above, YES, absolutely. At first, I saw that scene as Jimbo telling the others what just happened, and everyone glancing over at Jack in a scary, threatening way. But wait -- they look scary and threatening, yet
nobody is actually looking back at Jack. They could just be exchanging pleasantries.
Yet another example of the movie's cryptic portrayal of society's homophobia. No question it exists, Earl alone proves that. But the focus stays on Ennis' inner homophobia, how society's intolerance has warped his soul. So except for Ennis' dad -- and Jack's possible killers -- none of the supposed villains ever reacts as harmfully as you'd expect. Aguirre doesn't fire them, Alma doesn't out them for years, John Twist might have grudgingly accepted them as ranching partners, and Jimbo may or may not be gossiping about Jack.
Like that homophobic joke that is playing on the radio as Ennis is packing for the trip with Jack (the time when Alma says, "You forgettin' something?") He's just living life, and has to listen to "humor" about men like himself, and not be able to react to it. He doesn't even look like he hears it.
I've never been able to make out everything the radio guy says, Clarrissa, and in fact the only way I was alerted to the joke was from a previous post of yours. My impression is that Ennis is so used to it he thinks nothing of it. He's been hearing that stuff all his life. It's wallpaper. If he were to stop and consider that they're making fun of men like him, he would think the problem is with men like him, not with idiot radio announcers.
How would Ennis have reacted in a bar situation like that? Would he have behaved in a similar fashion to Jimbo if a guy (let's leave Jack out of this scenario for now) came up and started flirting with him in a fairly open way? If Jimbo is a closeted guy to the same extent or more as Ennis, can we imagine that their reactions would be more or less similar? Would Ennis have been more obviously intrigued than Jimbo? If Cassie had been a guy and had come onto Ennis (even with a fraction of the boldness that Cassie exhibits), what would Ennis have done?
IMO, Ennis would be less brusque than Jimbo, though perhaps also less savvy. Jimbo comes a fraction of an inch from openly acknowledging what's going on -- Ennis wouldn't. He might just close up, becoming as shy and taciturn as when he first met Jack.
Jack never comes on to Ennis as strongly as he does to Jimbo. Meanwhile, Ennis' gaydar isn't well tuned. Consequently, before the tent scene it never consciously occurred to Ennis that Jack might feel anything more than friendship toward him. Which is why that five-second moment when Ennis makes his decision is so amazing.
I think Jack's gaydar must be really good... I mean if for no other reason than he figured Ennis Del Mar out!
Now here is a really interesting question that I don't remember ever discussing before. We've debated when Ennis realizes that he himself is gay, but when does
Jack know it? Does Ennis set off Jack's gaydar?
