The Reunion

[Jaysmommy]

Hi All,

I've been having trouble watching youtube clips on on both my pc and my Mac, they don't seem to load right, and when they play, they are jumpy and hard to watch.

Does anyone have a better link for viewing the reunion scene? I looked on yousendit, but I'm such a doofus, I'm not sure how to find it. Does yousendit have this clip? I was able to get the 2nd Night (SNIT) and also the wonderful "Far Away" video from links posted to yousendit on these boards....would sure love to see Reunion....

if anyone can point me in the right direction, I'd be much obliged.....

Thanks!

[bernadette]

I posted this on the main discussion thread and it got ignored (hmmm, maybe they are trying to tell me something) so I thought I'd try it here although it doesn't directly relate to the reunion scene.  Did anyone else notice how Ennis subtly mirrors Jack in the movie?  Ennis' car, after he marries Alma, is the same make (GMC) and color as the truck Jack is driving in the beginning.  Then during the reunion scene Jack is wearing that down vest over his red shirt.  The next time we see Ennis after the reunion, when he and Alma are fighting and the girls are swinging, he is wearing a tan down vest.  Then in the Thanksgiving scenes they are both wearing those bolero tie things, which could just be a sign of the 70's fashion times (blech).  Anyway, maybe it means nothing, but I definitely noticed it when I saw it again yesterday.  I apologize if someone else has already posted this somewhere.

Thanks for posting this here. I have to go over to the symbolism thread again. I think it's amazing you noticed all that (I did notice the truck, but have actually only seen the movie 2x- poor excuse?) Anyway. I keep thinking of little things like this that seem to mean something, but what what?? What does it mean? I keep thinking it must mean something or they would not have gone to the trouble to put it in there. Any ideas anyone??

[Radha]

Hi All,

I've been having trouble watching youtube clips on on both my pc and my Mac, they don't seem to load right, and when they play, they are jumpy and hard to watch.

Does anyone have a better link for viewing the reunion scene? I looked on yousendit, but I'm such a doofus, I'm not sure how to find it. Does yousendit have this clip? I was able to get the 2nd Night (SNIT) and also the wonderful "Far Away" video from links posted to yousendit on these boards....would sure love to see Reunion....

if anyone can point me in the right direction, I'd be much obliged.....

Thanks!

Jaysmommy, Just sent you a message.

[rnmina]

Here's a little thing I just noticed after reviewing this scene umpybillion times...After Alma sees them on the stairs and closes the doors, the camera leads as she walks back into the kitchen - it's all of maybe 5 steps, but by shifting the stop and changing the relative speeds of Michelle and the camera, the scene makes it look like she's walking across the grand canyon or something...A very subtle camera trick, but very effective.

I'm SO blown away by the way Alma turns and walks from the door into the apartment. It's as if she's taken a blow to the chest as  she walks with  her body  slightly bent,  her halting steps, her facial expression, the way she holds onto her purse for support, though I doubt she did that in a conscious way.

[supersolenoid]

I am a 58 year old straight woman...married for 38 years, 3 kids, 6 grandkids, and let me tell you..I wish I had in my life a kiss like Jack and Ennis had when they met up after those 4 years..it was powerful and wonderful. The entire movie was haunting.  I absolutely loved it!

I am a 32 year old gay man... single, no kids nor grandkids and let me tell you: I wish too I had in my life a kiss like Jack and Ennis had when they met up after those 4 years... because it actually is one of the most powerful scene of the entire film and, as someone else wrote, just think that:
 - ENNIS started the kiss (even with all of his fears: isn't it true, unstoppable love?
 - JACK (considered a bitch by many people because of his sexual behaviours) tears up when he feels Ennis' passion in that kiss

I love them, I dream of them, I've been 10 times to the cinema since its launch in Italy and I cannot stop feel this pain in my breast, like a blade that keeps escavating my soul... but I cannot wait to have the DVD in my hand and I am afraid of being stuck at home watching the movie every night for the next months...

[alma]

Here's a little thing I just noticed after reviewing this scene umpybillion times...After Alma sees them on the stairs and closes the doors, the camera leads as she walks back into the kitchen - it's all of maybe 5 steps, but by shifting the stop and changing the relative speeds of Michelle and the camera, the scene makes it look like she's walking across the grand canyon or something...A very subtle camera trick, but very effective.

I'm SO blown away by the way Alma turns and walks from the door into the apartment. It's as if she's taken a blow to the chest as  she walks with  her body  slightly bent,  her halting steps, her facial expression, the way she holds onto her purse for support, though I doubt she did that in a conscious way.

This is my favorite Alma moment (why I took her name for user ID). I noticed something disturbing last viewing (fifth time). People laughed when she walked away from the door. The women to my right kept twittering and even again when Alma is alone at the kitchen table and gets that unbelievably miserable look on her face, the women laughed again.

I had read that in a review by a staunch conservative (he was criticizing the movie as being a desensitization to adultery) and didn't believe it. Then it happened in my theater and I was livid. The early weeks of the film saw deathly silence. Has anyone else experienced this in the theater?

[peteinportland]

This is my favorite Alma moment (why I took her name for user ID). I noticed something disturbing last viewing (fifth time). People laughed when she walked away from the door. The women to my right kept twittering and even again when Alma is alone at the kitchen table and gets that unbelievably miserable look on her face, the women laughed again.

I had read that in a review by a staunch conservative (he was criticizing the movie as being a desensitization to adultery) and didn't believe it. Then it happened in my theater and I was livid. The early weeks of the film saw deathly silence. Has anyone else experienced this in the theater?

This is widely discussed in the Impact section in the "Audience reactions" thread.

[bluehorse]

Alma, I've been eight times in SF and there is always laughter at this moment, but I don't think it's malicious. Here's my take, I posted this a little while ago:

I think the laughter is two-fold. One is surprise, even Jack and Ennis (especially Jack) is surprised that this guy who left him last time saying: see you around, is suddenly devouring him with total abandon. I think both of them are blindsided by the depth of their need and passion for each other in this scene. Even with all the anticipation (Ennis nervously waiting, Jack red-lining it all the way there) I think the sudden torrid, unstopable need in both of them is a bit of a surprise, the undeniable ferocity of it. So, there's that: the feeling as a viewer of HOLY HOLY SHIT, the giant WOW. But I think it's also relief both for the audience and the lovers, so much pent-up desire, so much dissatisfaction in their lives, marriages, so much flatness and gray, cramped quarters, compromises and then this explosion of emotion, passion, love that is pure, real irrefutable. So, I think the laughter is also from relief. AND in relationship to Alma, I think it's not for lack of sympathy with her but frankly, I think in this scene you want e & j together so badly, sympathies are more with the lovers, they have to be. There is also an element of uncomfortable laughter at her shock, a "girlfriend you have no idea. . ." type of response. But I think, at the same time there might be this laughter, it is not directed at Alma or out of a lack of empathy for her, just a wooooaaaaaaaaaaa reaction to the situation. . .my take on it, anyway.

[alma]

Alma, I've been eight times in SF and there is always laughter at this moment, but I don't think it's malicious. Here's my take, I posted this a little while ago:

I think the laughter is two-fold. One is surprise, even Jack and Ennis (especially Jack) is surprised that this guy who left him last time saying: see you around, is suddenly devouring him with total abandon. I think both of them are blindsided by the depth of their need and passion for each other in this scene. Even with all the anticipation (Ennis nervously waiting, Jack red-lining it all the way there) I think the sudden torrid, unstopable need in both of them is a bit of a surprise, the undeniable ferocity of it. So, there's that: the feeling as a viewer of HOLY HOLY SHIT, the giant WOW. But I think it's also relief both for the audience and the lovers, so much pent-up desire, so much dissatisfaction in their lives, marriages, so much flatness and gray, cramped quarters, compromises and then this explosion of emotion, passion, love that is pure, real irrefutable. So, I think the laughter is also from relief. AND in relationship to Alma, I think it's not for lack of sympathy with her but frankly, I think in this scene you want e & j together so badly, sympathies are more with the lovers, they have to be. There is also an element of uncomfortable laughter at her shock, a "girlfriend you have no idea. . ." type of response. But I think, at the same time there might be this laughter, it is not directed at Alma or out of a lack of empathy for her, just a wooooaaaaaaaaaaa reaction to the situation. . .my take on it, anyway.

Thanks Pete for the redirect. I read more than I even knew had been posted about this.\

Bluehorse, your interp makes a whole lot of sense.

I wondered if part of what was going on was the feeling that Alma just was way out of her depths processing all that she had just seen.

It is such a big scene (the reunion) and the emotion of that kiss is overpowering for everyone. Seeing Alma is so surprising and upsetting... and a grim reminder of how messed up this love affair is desinted to be.

Anyway, rambling now.

Thanks.

[bluehorse]

I wondered if part of what was going on was the feeling that Alma just was way out of her depths processing all that she had just seen.

Yes, I think that's exactly it. . .

[Lonewolf]

I decided to go with the mathematical approach on this one, here i go:

On the board ive heard that Jack had to drive 1200 miles to get to Ennis
In the movie, arguing with his wife, Jack mentions a 14 hour drive
when we divide those numbers *types in digits* we get 85.714... rounding up! 86... an 86mph average, when Jack said he redlined it he wasnt kidding.

Now thats love folks

[alma]

I decided to go with the mathematical approach on this one, here i go:

On the board ive heard that Jack had to drive 1200 miles to get to Ennis
In the movie, arguing with his wife, Jack mentions a 14 hour drive
when we divide those numbers *types in digits* we get 85.714... rounding up! 86... an 86mph average, when Jack said he redlined it he wasnt kidding.

Now thats love folks

I love you math types. All of that calculating would never have occurred to me! Wonderful!

[Bubble Wrap]

I got the feeling with Alma that she took hold of her handbag on purpose...it was something physical to grip onto following the shock of what she'd just seen, but also I think she was aware that she didn't have much time in which to gather her emotions and appear composed.  So she took hold of her bag and made as if to be looking through it.  It's that thing we all do, a safety net, when you've seen something you shouldn't have, or you're doing something you shouldn't be and you try to make yourself look innocent.

[lolita]

Not too off topic- is it true that the reunion kiss is off youtube? I cant find it and ive got an overwhelming urge to see it again (and again) Even though im seeing the movie for the 8th time on Sat...
I need a link badly for this obsession!

[angela_toronto]

I got the feeling with Alma that she took hold of her handbag on purpose...it was something physical to grip onto following the shock of what she'd just seen, but also I think she was aware that she didn't have much time in which to gather her emotions and appear composed.  So she took hold of her bag and made as if to be looking through it.  It's that thing we all do, a safety net, when you've seen something you shouldn't have, or you're doing something you shouldn't be and you try to make yourself look innocent.

i agree. 

i also think she took hold of her handbag because she wanted to accompany them (to guard her man).  every woman that carries a purse picks it up as she exits the house as it contains your wallet, etc.

the handbag was also a signal for ennis, prompting him to give her a decided brush off both verbally ("we're going and wont be back tonight") and physically (turning away and making a quick exit).