What is up with Uncle Harold? He's a phantom character we hear about but never see (along with Roy Taylor, Don Wroe, Steve, Kurt, Troy and Ennis' mother -- only Uncle Harold is far more conspicuous and seemingly significant)? Why would the movie introduce a character, put him in dire jeopardy, then save his life -- all completely offscreen and with little or no connection to the plot?
The news about Uncle Harold's pneumonia is ostensibly what gets Aguirre up the mountain and in a position to spy on Jack and Ennis. But it also seems kind of pointless. Aguirre could have been given any number of other routine reasons for stopping by; he could even just be checking on things. Uncle Harold's illness does not propel any action -- Aguirre rather indifferently makes the announcement, Jack rather indifferently replies that he can't do anything about it, Aguirre agrees, and that's the end of that.
By the time they break camp, we viewers have pretty much forgotten about Uncle Harold. Yet, as if we'd been waiting in suspense, Jack feels compelled to mention him again and reassure us that he's OK. He says it quickly, as if it's only of passing interest, yet he announces it even before he gets to the bigger news (and, in the screenplay, pauses afterward) You'd think Jack would normally say, "Aguirre came by, said to bring 'em down" and then after that, or maybe even hours later, he'd add, "Oh by the way, Aguirre also said my uncle didn't die after all."
So let's figure out what purpose Uncle Harold is supposed to serve.
Here's what I notice: The scene where Aguirre announces Uncle Harold's illness mirrors the post-divorce scene, in several ways. In both, someone -- Aguirre in the first and Jack in the latter -- shows up unexpectedly and says, "So here I am." In both, Jack is wearing uncharacteristically dark clothes (going from memory, I think his shirt is blue in the Aguirre scene, but it's a darker, grayer blue than usual, and in post-divorce it's black and gray, colors that elsewhere in the movie seem associated with death or murder). In both, someone has been doing some investigating beforehand -- Aguirre with the binoculars, Jack by asking 10 people where Ennis lives. In the first, Aguirre peers at Ennis through his binoculars and Jack follows his gaze, perhaps realizing what Aguirre is thinking. In the second, Ennis peers at the white truck and Jack follows his gaze, perhaps realizing what Ennis is thinking.
So what does it all mean? When Jack says, "nothing I can do about it up here," and Aguirre agrees, "nothing you can do about it down there, either," are they metaphorically talking about Jack's inability to do anything to change Ennis' mind? Or does Uncle Harold somehow fit into Ennis' fears about the dangers they'd face if they lived together -- and does his recovery show that the dangers actually aren't as great as Ennis believed? Is Uncle Harold gay (as someone theorized a while back)?
What are your thoughts?
