Topic: Ennis: Huh?

[forbiddenlovers]

Hi!! 

Watching BBM AGAIN last night, something started jumping out at me. The number of times Ennis ends a sentence with Huh?

Don't know why, but that just kinda is humorous. It's just funny to me. Anyone else notice how many times he ends a sentence like that.

"Well that snow barely stuck an hour. Huh?"

"I don't need your money, huh, you know I ain't in the poorhouse. S***!"

And many more quotes out there like that. Just asking

ann

[tpe]

This is not exactly a 'Huh?', but it is the same in spirit:

(In the  1st Tent Scene) 'What are you doin...'

[forbiddenlovers]

I love the way that is uttered "what are you doin"  Half drunk, half asleep, half stunned by what is going on. Very interesting to hear him say that also!!

[tpe]

Another, more subtle, one.

You remember in the scene at the bar after seeing Aguirre?  Jack tells Ennis that last year, lightning killed 42 (?) sheep.  While Jack is saying this, Ennis makes a face that is the visual equivalent of 'Huh?'

I think you know what I mean...


 

[NoReins]

What about the "ahdno" in response to Jack's "what about you?" question in the motel scene?

I have no idea how to put that in type - but it's kinda cute, especially when you think of the little smile that accompanies it!

[keren_b]

What about the "ahdno" in response to Jack's "what about you?" question in the motel scene?

I have no idea how to put that in type - but it's kinda cute, especially when you think of the little smile that accompanies it!

And he says it again on their last time on the mountain - when Jack askes him if he hasn't found anyone else to marry, and Ennis tells him about Cassie and that she wants to go to a nursing school, and again finishes with this "ahdno". I thought it kinda reflected his difficulties to express himself... he's not very verbal, you know 

[frances]

This is not exactly a 'Huh?', but it is the same in spirit:

(In the  1st Tent Scene) 'What are you doin...'

 

Another "Huh" in another angry Ennis'moment

Well that snow barely stuck an hour. Huh? 'Sides, that son-of-******, he's cheatin' us outta a whole month's pay. That ain't right.

I agree, Keren_b, about Ennis' difficulties to express himself...

Another example, the way he pronounces these words :

Bottom line is... we're around each other an'... this thing, it grabs hold of us again... at the wrong place... at the wrong time... and we're dead.

[filazahies]

Another, more subtle, one.

You remember in the scene at the bar after seeing Aguirre?  Jack tells Ennis that last year, lightning killed 42 (?) sheep.  While Jack is saying this, Ennis makes a face that is the visual equivalent of 'Huh?'

I think you know what I mean...


 

LOL

[tpe]

Contribution from karen_b:

"why don't you just let me be, huh? it's coz of you Jack that I'm like this... I'm nothing... I'm nowhere... 

This is on the opposite side of the emotional spectrum...

[forbiddenlovers]

Tpe, yes, I know exactly what you mean!! That's the non-verbal form of a "huh" right there. That look on his face is priceless!!

It's so interesting to interpret even the smallest words out there.

[tpe]

Tpe, yes, I know exactly what you mean!! That's the non-verbal form of a "huh" right there. That look on his face is priceless!!

It's so interesting to interpret even the smallest words out there.

It was also so adorable.  Thanks forbiddenlovers. 

[forbiddenlovers]

You're welcome

I just can't believe I pick out things like this in a movie. I guess when you watch it EVERY night after you get home from work, you start to notice the little things, lol. 

Ann

[NoReins]

I wanna see that look again. Damn you, amazon.co.uk

[donnaread]

You're welcome

I just can't believe I pick out things like this in a movie. I guess when you watch it EVERY night after you get home from work, you start to notice the little things, lol. 

Ann

Ann you sound like me, lol.  I saw it nine times in theaters (until in stopped playing in my area), and I've lost track of how many times I've watched the DVD. 

Donna

[forbiddenlovers]

Donna, you're lucky, they didn't play it in my area, small town, homophobic, full of rich old ladies mostly. so I had to wait till the DVD. So I've had the DVD for two weeks now and not a day has gone by that I haven't watched it!! lol.

YAY!! Now I have someone to talk about crazy little things to!!

Ann

[donnaread]

Ennis says "huh" a lot. 

Donna

[dirtbiker]

So has anyone here been obssessed enough to have the total "huh" count?

[Kemmer]

So has anyone here been obssessed enough to have the total "huh" count?

No, but I find I'm starting to say it myself---totally out of character, but somehow bonding.

[dirtbiker]

So has anyone here been obssessed enough to have the total "huh" count?

No, but I find I'm starting to say it myself---totally out of character, but somehow bonding.

I actually have always used that expression... hee hee

[coguaro]

 I lovethe Ennis way to tell Huh.. I noticed that I used similar expression even bofere BBM!!!  :o

[TJ]

Since this thread is under "The Movie & Story," I ask how many times did Annie Proulx's Ennis Del Mar say, "Huh?"

In real life, I had said, "Huh" (or "Hunh" same pronounciation for me), when I was caught of guard and responded that way. But, as soon as I said that, it registered in my brain what the person had said in the first place. 

[Miss Nice]

Those Huh are very irritating when I saw the DVD for the first time on Monday this week. Lamost spoiled the viewing. I had the English subtitles on and reading those Huh all the time were SO annoying. Next watch, I turned the subtitles off, and it helped a bit.

[ksxks]

So has anyone here been obssessed enough to have the total "huh" count?

Funny -- I hadn't read this topic and had just posted my thing about Ennis's "huh" elsewhere.  Fun that others have noticed this, also.  But then, what haven't we noticed??

I don't have it with me, but I'll look for it later:  a couple of the times I went to the theater I took notes (sloppy in the dark notes), and I think I got all of Ennis's huh's.  I adore this.  Well, I adore Ennis, and everything.  And yes, I do the huh thing a lot myself.  You've already mentioned "Snow barely stuck an hour, huh?" and "I don't need your money, huh?"  And there's also "Want me to kick the rest of your !@#$ teeth out, huh?"  Also, in the dozy embrace, it's a "hmm" instead of a "huh."  "You're sleeping on your feet like a horse, hmm?"

And yes, all the other Ennisisms, the little mumblings.  That "Idunno" in bed at the motel, with the smile...  Oh, sweet, sweet.   Here's one I like:  on the very first day, after getting hired, when they're sitting in the bar, Ennis takes out a cigarette and of course he doesn't say, "May I use your lighter please," he holds out his hand kind of, and mumbles something unintelligible, "canI?" or something, and Jack hands him his lighter.  (Excuse me, Ennis smokes, he doesn't have his own lighter?)

ks

[TJ]

I find this discussion really interesting in that the movie's Ennis Del Mar says "Huh?" a whole lot; but, the "question" does not even appear in the short story. "Hunh?" is not in the story either. "Hunh?" is "Huh?" pronounced with a French accent.

[Patriot1]

I find this discussion really interesting in that the movie's Ennis Del Mar says "Huh?" a whole lot; but, the "question" does not even appear in the short story. "Hunh?" is not in the story either. "Hunh?" is "Huh?" pronounced with a French accent.

Well TJ, seeing the discussion is about Ennis saying "huh" a lot, it would be my guess we are discussing the movie and not the book this time.  Wouldn't you say that was a logical assumption?

[TJ]

Rhetorical question to the movie makers and the script writers: Why did Ennis say "Huh?" so much in the movie?

Was he really supposed that absent minded that he has to be retold something when another person talks to him? Was he supposed to have an adult Attention Deficit disorder (or however you say that)?

[Patriot1]

Rhetorical question to the movie makers and the script writers: Why did Ennis say "Huh?" so much in the movie?

Was he really supposed that absent minded that he has to be retold something when another person talks to him? Was he supposed to have an adult Attention Deficit disorder (or however you say that)?

That could be an excellent question TJ.  But, seeing nobody here wrote the screenplay (to the best of my knowledge) perhaps it would be better to pose the question directly to the screenwriters instead of here.  Oh, I am sure there are some who would speculate but I suspect you would prefer a true answer instead of speculation.

Just in case you haven't seen their addresses on the Forum, here they are:

Larry McMurtry
c/o Howard Sanders
United Talent Agency
9560 Wilshire Blvd.
5th Floor
Beverly Hills, CA 90212
 
Diana Ossana
c/o Howard Sanders
United Talent Agency
9560 Wilshire Blvd.
5th Floor
Beverly Hills, CA 90212

If you get an answer, I, for just one, would love to know what they say.  Thank you.

[TJ]

Oh, I did not say that I would write them or even ask them to their faces. Besides, if I were to mail one or more letters, I would have to go buy stamps. I haven't bought any since they raised the postage rates here in the USA. I don't even use the US Postal Service to pay my monthly bills.

[NoReins]

Anyway...back on topic.

I've actually come to love all of Ennis's "huh" moments (just one more thing to love...) Lots of folk have little mannerisms or noises that they repeat over and over again and it's quite often endearing - making them unique. The fact that we're talking about it at all shows that it was an effective way of making Ennis unique - presumably added by Heath, since I can't imagine Diana and Larry wrote lots of "huhs" into the screenplay!

I still love the mumbled "ahdunno" in the motel room most though - although I do find myself wanting to scream at him to stop mumbling and tell Jack how he feels

[keren_b]

And yes, all the other Ennisisms, the little mumblings.

That's brilliant ksxks, I loved it!!! Ennisisms. if you don't mind, I'll ask Cham to add it to the BBM slang dictionary...