Some movie lines don’t just reach our ears; they pierce our hearts. They expand and weigh heavily as they begin to unravel. That feeling is so raw and profound that it latches itself inside you and never leaves.After seeing their love blossom in the pristine wilderness of Brokeback Mountain, we hear Jack Twist (Jake Gyllenhaal) saying to Ennis Del Mar (Heath Ledger), “I wish I knew how to quit you.” We fall prey to the devastating impact of his words because we know the immensity of his pain.It’s been two decades since these words were first spoken, and that pain is still fresh both in our memories and in our hearts.So, let’s try to relive those moments. Maybe we can find out the cinematic precision that went into making this scene from Brokeback Mountain so heartbreaking, and why these words continue to be one of the most potent commentaries on the nature of love itself.The Heartbreak in the MakingThe helplessness in this line tells us the long and intense history between Ennis and Jack. We can imagine they have had quite a journey. Let’s now see the literary journey of this quote.Literary OriginsAs you might be surprised to learn, the line didn’t appear in Annie Proulx’s short story at all. In the story, Proulx built the years of repressed passion between Ennis and Jack in a very precise and succinct manner, leaving a lot unsaid. While adapting the short story, however, the screenwriters Larry McMurtry and Diana Ossana turned these...
Published By: NoFilmSchool - Today