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Chessie
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You're anything but a simple woman.
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« Reply #2 on: April 25, 2005, 09:08:25 PM » |
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Personally I loved the line. While I found it shocking, I thought it was so great. I never would have expected Clint to say ANYTHING that would imply any sort of gay behavior. It caught me off guard, but I loved it because it was so out of character for Clint but so in character for Wes. I think the line adds a lot of dimension to Wes, just in how he responds and his character. Do I think Wes experimented with gay sex? I don't think I want that visual  But in all seriousness, no I don't. I think while Wes is very ambiguous, I don't think he wouldn't go down that road. He always seems very confident in his manhood even though he's been broken. And I just don't see him trying that. Personally, I wasn't that surprised that Clint kept it in. I think Clint has a great ability to make people think and ponder things. I think that he knew this scene would make good discussion, and it obviously has. And, in how the movie flows and is paced it doesn't bother me that it was in there because odd things had already happened such as the scenes with Becky. It wasn't that shocking in the sense that it was there. It had been established that Wes was around town and the gay thing was going to come up at one point or another (just noticed how naughty that sentence was  ). It's one of my favorite scenes in the movie and I'm glad Clint kept it in.
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The old dreams were good dreams; they didn't work out, but I'm glad I had them. - Robert Kincaid, the Bridges of Madison County
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Americanbeauty
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There's a darkness inside all of us ...
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« Reply #7 on: May 05, 2005, 09:16:35 AM » |
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I must admit that this "Maybe I have" line surprised me. I really didn't expect Wes to answer that. But I don't think he says that to get rid of the other guy. He could have said "I don't wanna try" or told him to get off his back or to get lost, you know. PERIOD. So why did he say "Maybe I have" ? To me it's not innocent. I think he has. It's just part of his "dark side" ... Besides he's afraid of intimacy with women, his wedding was a mess, he suffered from his divorce ... you never know, that's not impossible that one day he decided to try something different, because women had hurt or disappointed him. And that's why it's a great scene, because it adds something to Wes' character. At this point of the movie, just when you feel that you know him -you've met his family, seen hi ex wife, you know about his "habits" ... BAM !! "maybe I have"  That's just great As for Eastwood including this scene in the movie, no I'm not surprised. He likes/is able to make his audience think through his movies. And I think it's a great gift. This revelation makes Wes even more mysterious and "dark". This is something that appeals to the audience, to the psyche of people, and makes the movie even more interesting.
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« Last Edit: May 05, 2005, 06:48:19 PM by Americanbeauty »
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Make-'em-run-around-the-block-howling-in-agony stunning "He that hath no beard is less than a man, and he that is less than a man, I am not for him…" 'Much Ado About Nothing' Act 2, Scene I (William Shakespeare) http://americanbphotography.tumblr.com/
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allycat
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« Reply #9 on: May 05, 2005, 02:24:00 PM » |
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When I first saw Tightrope I thought that Clint as Wes was merely being humorous. But more than that, I think it's indicative of Clint's willingness to explore masculinity in all its forms in his films, something which I've always greatly admired him for. Clint isn't afraid to shy away from this sort of topic or from exploring issues of sexuality and masculinity, which is one reason why he is such an interesting actor and director to me.
As for whether Wes could have actually slept with a man, in many ways I don't see why not. He has slept with prostitutes and I see no reason why he might not have slept with men - not necessarily as an adult, but it's possible he did when he was a young man and potentially confused about his sexuality. Of course, Wes could be bisexual - though we'll never know for sure. An interesting question at any rate!
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« Last Edit: May 05, 2005, 05:57:34 PM by KC »
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I've seen things you people wouldn't believe. Attack ships on fire off the shoulder of Orion. I watched C-beams glitter in the dark near Tannhäuser Gate. All those moments will be lost in time, like tears in rain. Time to die.
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Americanbeauty
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« Reply #10 on: May 05, 2005, 02:34:30 PM » |
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I think it's indicative of Clint's willingness to explore masculinity in all its forms in his films, something which I've always greatly admired him for.
I couldn't agree more. All his movies deal with, in one way or an other, masculinity. From The Beguiled to Dirty Harry, Play Misty, EWW, Unforgiven, BOMC ... you name it.
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« Last Edit: May 05, 2005, 06:48:38 PM by Americanbeauty »
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Make-'em-run-around-the-block-howling-in-agony stunning "He that hath no beard is less than a man, and he that is less than a man, I am not for him…" 'Much Ado About Nothing' Act 2, Scene I (William Shakespeare) http://americanbphotography.tumblr.com/
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allycat
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« Reply #11 on: May 05, 2005, 02:42:41 PM » |
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I couldn't agree more.
All his movies deal with, in one way or an other, masculinity. From The Beguiled to Dirty Harry, Play Misty, EWW, Unforgiven, BOMC ... you name it.
Absolutely! In 2001 I wrote a dissertation on Clint and masculinity, and looked at Tightrope, Dirty Harry, Unforgiven and Bridges. Wish I could do it all over again Looking it over just now, I realised I had commented briefly on the above scene. I noted that Wes's reply is rather ambiguous (or at least, I think that's how we're supposed to interpret it). Here's what I said: 'Clearly, Block's masculinity is an enigma of sorts; because of his desires (and darker desires at which the film hints) he is placed both in the realm of misogynist, homosexual, and even psychopath.' The result is that we question Wes Block as a character, especially when it is suggested that he might even be the killer himself (or have committed similar acts).
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« Last Edit: May 06, 2005, 02:50:02 AM by allycat »
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I've seen things you people wouldn't believe. Attack ships on fire off the shoulder of Orion. I watched C-beams glitter in the dark near Tannhäuser Gate. All those moments will be lost in time, like tears in rain. Time to die.
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allycat
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« Reply #17 on: May 07, 2005, 03:10:26 PM » |
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do you think he goes out to explore macuslinity - i don't think so per se
i think he finds projects that interest him then he adds that clint spark or twist
i mean he don't have to prove he is awesome
i see bridges more of a love story rahter than him proving anything
Don't say that vik, I wrote a 10,000-word dissertation on the subject back in 2001! Of course Clint finds projects that interest him, he wouldn't do a film if he didn't find it worthwhile. But I said in my essay that Clint has portrayed different versions of masculinity, through the roles he has taken over the years, there is a definite transition from characters such as Harry Callahan, to Wes Block, to William Munny (demythologising the hero) and finally to the more 'feminised' character of Robert Kincaid in Bridges. Clint took those roles precisely because he was confident in his own masculinity and unafraid to portray characters who were both heroic and yet flawed in some way. I wish I had my dissertation to hand so I could take a Clint quote from it, where he refers to masculinity (will have to wait til later) but the fact is, Clint doesn't have to prove anything, it's not about proving anything, it's about taking on roles which often explore masculinity (though that's not solely why Clint takes them on I'm sure) and doing something different. The point is that Clint has always been willing to be progressive and not always play the same roles in his films, like John Wayne or Arnie - you could say the masculinity they depict in their films is more rigid and stereotypical. At least, that was my argument 
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I've seen things you people wouldn't believe. Attack ships on fire off the shoulder of Orion. I watched C-beams glitter in the dark near Tannhäuser Gate. All those moments will be lost in time, like tears in rain. Time to die.
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