Melina: Montage

The pacing of the story quickly changed after the slow-panning moments spent at Brokeback Mountains. The slow panning shots, the quiet music, the blowing wind were left behind after Ennis' scene where he is crying in an alley over Jack's departure. The silohuette of Ennis bent over leaning on a wall, crying, marks the transition in time for the movie. The winds blowing against the thin tree to the point where it appears bent also symbolizes the overall theme of homosexuality between Jack and Ennis. From this moment on, the director used the effect of montage in order to portray the monotonic rhythm Prouxl uses after Jack and Ennis go along their separate paths. The fast pacing of Ennis' relationship with his wife, his marriage, and his children correlates with Prouxl's short and concise descriptions used during this phase in the story. The quick cuts between Jack and Ennis show the restlessness of their lives--they have settled for something less.

The use of colors is also an interesting interpretation on the director's behalf. The colors portrayed in Ennis' home in the middle of the desert (yellow, brown, beige) depicts a lack of life presented in the lifestyle. The colors presented in Brokeback Mountain depict the excitement and passion both characters experienced such as the blazing fire behind the shadows of the two embracing inside the tent--essentially the best quality of life; the joy of living. Likewise, Jack is found in dark places with similar monotonic colors (black, gray, dark green) when he goes out to the bars. Colors is also used to show the economical difference between the rich and the poor. Both Jack and Ennis where bland colors such as black, or beige, or faded jean, while Jack's girlfriend where's bright red. The message is also present in the room where Jack's wife is holding the baby, the colors of the room are bright and vivid.

Sounds also play a crucial role when portraying different emotions; they work as codes and indexes. Such as the scene where Ennis is found holding his daughters while they cry functions as a code or index to illustrate the emotion of stress. Ennis is tired of his life and stressed about maintaining his family. The simultaneous cries along with his facial expression clearly show the intended emotions.