"I figured you were sore from that punch"

[dly64]

I keep wishing Jack would have gone around the block when leaving Signal and he would have been the cowboy that found Ennis on his knees in that alcove.

When I first saw this movie ... I thought that was Jack coming up the street. Needless to say ... it wasn't. 

[Brown Eyes]

I know!  I thought that guy was Jack upon my first viewing too.

So, what do we think would have happened if Jack offered Ennis a ride (to wherever he was going)?  I'm not even talking about a flirtatious overture or something... I just mean a basic ride... at least to a bus station or something.  I always found this pretty harsh of Jack (also an indication of how mad/ confused he probably is at this moment).  If Jack had offered a ride to Ennis... would Ennis have taken it?

[jpwagoneer1964]

I know!  I thought that guy was Jack upon my first viewing too.

So, what do we think would have happened if Jack offered Ennis a ride (to wherever he was going)?  I'm not even talking about a flirtatious overture or something... I just mean a basic ride... at least to a bus station or something.  I always found this pretty harsh of Jack (also an indication of how mad/ confused he probably is at this moment).  If Jack had offered a ride to Ennis... would Ennis have taken it?

In the book Annie says that they are going on oppisite directions.

If Jack HAD found Ennis in the alcove I can imagine him saying "Ennis...quit your hammering and get in here (the truck)." If he didn't then respond or said "get the f...k of me"Jack would have pulled him up and led him to the truck, Ennis no longer resisting. They would have taken off riding for a long time without even speaking but both glad they are together and knowing how close it came to seperation. After a couple of hours on the road, Jack may have said "Looks like we'll have to find work on a ranch together."

Then this picture woudn't be out of sequence.

[dly64]

I know!  I thought that guy was Jack upon my first viewing too.

So, what do we think would have happened if Jack offered Ennis a ride (to wherever he was going)?  I'm not even talking about a flirtatious overture or something... I just mean a basic ride... at least to a bus station or something.  I always found this pretty harsh of Jack (also an indication of how mad/ confused he probably is at this moment).  If Jack had offered a ride to Ennis... would Ennis have taken it?

Who is to say? I like to think they would have driven off into the sunset and had the "sweet life" that Jack had hoped for. Not very realistic, though.

It is interesting your take on the ride ... I thought the same thing!! I didn't understand why Jack didn't at least ask Ennis if he could take him somewhere. I think Jack was confused. (Who knows, maybe he was scared he'd get another punch!  )

[Meryl]

By jpwagoneer
They would have taken off riding for a long time without even speaking but both glad they are together and knowing how close it came to seperation.

This reminds me of the end of "The Graduate," when Benjamin and Elaine ran out of the church and jumped on a bus and rode together without speaking.  Wouldn't it be great if Jack turned up at Ennis's wedding and pounded on the doors and yelled, "ENNIS, ENNIS, ENNIS" til Ennis turned and yelled "JACK!" and escaped with him? 

[dly64]

This reminds me of the end of "The Graduate," when Benjamin and Elaine ran out of the church and jumped on a bus and rode together without speaking.  Wouldn't it be great if Jack turned up at Ennis's wedding and pounded on the doors and yelled, "ENNIS, ENNIS, ENNIS" til Ennis turned and yelled "JACK!" and escaped with him? 

WHOA!! In my dreams!

[nakymaton]

Heh. I imagined Jack bursting into the church at "speak now or forever hold your peace," then accidentally shooting somebody... and then Jack and Ennis running from the law in some bad parody of a Western.

Fortunately, I woke up. Tell you what, my dreams are too goofy to use to stoke the day.

[Brown Eyes]

Well, goofy or not... I like the idea of Jack interrupting Ennis's wedding.  That would have been cool!

[serious crayons]

If Ennis would have gotten into the truck and they'd ridden off together, nobody would have made a movie about their lives. We'd never have heard of them, and wouldn't know to be glad that things had worked out happily.

So if there were to be a happy ending, I'd prefer it would happen at the end of the movie as we now know it. Ennis would start to drive away after the lakeside argument, then after half a mile or so he'd go, "Oh, f*ck this," and do a U-turn back to the lake. That could actually still be a movie! (Maybe not quite as good of one, though ...)

As for The Graduate, my understanding is that that sort of bewildered silence at the end is supposed to leave us thinking, OK, so now what? Benjamin and Elaine go off and get married and start a family and buy a house in the suburbs and ... become plastic, too. That probably wouldn't happen to Jack and Ennis, though.

[jpwagoneer1964]

If Ennis would have gotten into the truck and they'd ridden off together, nobody would have made a movie about their lives. We'd never have heard of them, and wouldn't know to be glad that things had worked out happily.

 

I agree there wouldn't be a movie