Author Topic: Stud Duck - spoiler  (Read 11907 times)

Offline rabjr1

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Stud Duck - spoiler
« on: Jan 26, 2006, 10:04 AM »
Stud Duck is the term that Ennis uses to descrobe Jack's father.  It is used in the thanksgiving scene by Lureen's father.
« Last Edit: Jan 26, 2006, 11:51 AM by tpe »
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Offline tpe

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Re: Stud Duck
« Reply #1 on: Jan 26, 2006, 11:50 AM »
Stud Duck is the term that Ennis uses to descrobe Jack's father.  It is used in the thanksgiving scene by Lureen's father.

Correct.

In her essay which accompanies the screenplay, Proulx mentions that it took her awhile to get the proper term for Jack's father during Ennis' post-mortem visit to Jack's parents. 

Of course, this term was never used in the short story as part of the dialog between Ennis and Jack's parents.  It is the voice of the narrator of the story who pins it on Jack's father.  It is interesting that they lifted this particular word and put it in Lureeen's father's mouth during the Thanksgiving scene in Jack's house.

I guess the screenwriters wanted to incorporate this important term somehow in an actual dialog involving Jack.  For Jack's father to have described himself out-loud as a stud duck in the movie would have sounded strange.  I think making Lureen's father vocally use it to refer to himself worked better.
« Last Edit: Jan 26, 2006, 11:52 AM by tpe »

Offline Sitaram

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Re: Stud Duck - spoiler
« Reply #2 on: Jan 26, 2006, 09:10 PM »
Would it be too much of a spoiler if I knew what, precisely, is meant by "stud duck", except the obvious meaning of the AFLAC mascot on Viagra?
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Offline rabjr1

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Re: Stud Duck - spoiler
« Reply #3 on: Jan 26, 2006, 09:12 PM »
Stud duck-BSD (big swinging d**k-jsut a country phrase for top dog etc etc etc
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Offline Sitaram

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Re: Stud Duck - spoiler
« Reply #4 on: Jan 26, 2006, 09:17 PM »
Stud Duck is the term that Ennis uses to describe Jack's father.  It is used in the Thanksgiving scene by Lureen's father.

Now, I am confused. I have mastered the concept of "stud duck", but I have the uneasy feeling that this thread meant to say Jack's father-in-law and not that sullen broken, figure that we see as Jack's father. 

« Last Edit: Jan 26, 2006, 09:19 PM by Sitaram »
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Offline Sitaram

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Re: Stud Duck - spoiler
« Reply #5 on: Jan 26, 2006, 09:23 PM »
Now, it makes more sense, when I see the term in the context of the story:

Quote
"Thank you, ma'am, I'll take a cup a coffee but I can't eat no cake just now."
The old man sat silent, his hands folded on the plastic tablecloth, staring at Ennis with an angry, knowing expression. Ennis recognized in him a not uncommon type with the hard need to be the stud duck in the pond. He couldn't see much of Jack in either one of them, took a breath.
"I feel awful bad about Jack. Can't begin to say how bad I feel. I knew him a long time. I come by to tell you that if you want me to take his ashes up there on Brokeback like his wife says he wanted I'd be proud to."

Earlier today I had been planing how to post my sudden realization of how both Jack and Ennis are portrayed as truly manly and brave in a world of would-be stud-ducks.

Ennis appears truly noble and manly at the 4th of July fireworks as he thrashes the two flauntingly heterosexual Hell's Angel stereotypes.  Jack is equally noble and manly as he defeats his father-in-law at the Thanksgiving scene.

« Last Edit: Jan 26, 2006, 09:32 PM by Sitaram »
Words Transform the World (one person at a time).