For me, I found that the mirror shot that Ang Lee shoots while Jack is shaving himself is really fascinating. Even if it is only for one second, it raises some questions for me: Is Jack looking at himself while shaving, or is he looking at Ennis? And if it's the latter, is he seeing a "mirror" reflection of him, his true self? I am not sure.
Additionally, I liked how Ang Lee uses this whole montage of sheep and herding as a form of montage as a use of the passing of time. While taking care of sheep might be the most boring task ever, Lee's open shots of the beautiful Wyoming landscape (actually Albertan!) make the herding a grand task in this majestic country.
Finally, I liked the contrast Lee put between Jack and Ennis- Jack's black cowboy hat and jeans, constantly toting a bottle of whiskey, and very talkative, while Ennis is quiet and reserved, wearing a beige coat, and holding a mug. These contrasts are what attract both men to each other.
I agree with you about the sheep. I think the sheep serve a much greater purpose in the film than they do in the book. One quality of the shot is its distance; the sheep are usually seen far away so that we can see just how many there are (tons,) and that they are all more or less walking in the same direction. Maybe I'm going super analytical, but I see a similarity in the way the sheep are being herded, and the way that Jack and Ennis feel they must follow the same direction (in life) as everyone else by concealing their relationship.
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ReplyDeleteI also liked the mirror scene(s), but maybe for a different reason. I think they show a good characterization of Jack, or at least show us (the educated watcher) that he likes Ennis. I can back that up (said about the first mirror scene also) because Lee gives us the second, mournful look at Ennis through Jack's side mirror. Even if someone had not read the short story they can see the first view of Ennis from the side mirror as Jack 'checking out' Ennis because that's what he was doing (and also getting a last glimpse at Ennis) in the second. I too like that detail.
Also, in a less verbose response, I agree that the panning over sheep on mountains//doing sheep things is great and those pans along with other landscape shots (and season changes) show time passing but in an endless-seeming way.