were Jill and Brett McBain really married?

[dave jenkins]

I saw it in cinema this Sunday, and I noticed something I had not paid so much heed to before that makes me certain now that yes, they were married.

When Jill is ransacking the drawers, at one point she takes out a small white bouquet (lillies of the valley? - apparently a favourite for weddings) and lingers over it for a very short moment. I realised that that must be her wedding bouquet which Brett kept as a memento - why else would it be there?
And I don't mean that question just in terms of the world of the film; I think it's a visual clue to the viewers: here's a bittersweet memory.

game, set, match.

[cigar joe]

I saw it in cinema this Sunday, and I noticed something I had not paid so much heed to before that makes me certain now that yes, they were married.

When Jill is ransacking the drawers, at one point she takes out a small white bouquet (lillies of the valley? - apparently a favourite for weddings) and lingers over it for a very short moment. I realised that that must be her wedding bouquet which Brett kept as a memento - why else would it be there?
And I don't mean that question just in terms of the world of the film; I think it's a visual clue to the viewers: here's a bittersweet memory.

Good observation, I also remember just recently seeing a close up screencap somewhere of Jill's hand and her wedding ring someplace.

[Cusser]

Actually, I was surprised that she didn't show a wedding certificate.  Even though the west likely didn't have too many of those, maybe Naw'lins did.

[Tex]

Good observation, I also remember just recently seeing a close up screencap somewhere of Jill's hand and her wedding ring someplace.

Here ya go, Joe. From marmota in a previous thread.



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[marmota-b]

Would wedding rings have had stones?
I kind of looked out for it in the cinema, I must confess (seeing it all on a big screen helps! sitting in the fourth or fifth row helps!), but I only noticed a ring with a stone. Which does not mean a simple wedding band's not there, just that I didn't notice... after all, I was also just enjoying the whole experience.

[Usaviator]

I'm a little new to this movie, new to this message board, and new to spaghetti westerns altogether!  I first saw OUaTitW only several months ago, and I loved it so much, I've seen it several times since.   I have seen TGtBatU and FFoD, but OUaTitW wins them all in my heart and mind. 

Anyways, I ran across this message board just googling some questions I had about the film and ultimately stumbled upon some other interesting topics that other viewers had brought up.  The second time I saw OUaTitW, I actually had thought the same thing that I wondered if Jill was bluffing on the marriage claim at the funeral.  You have all provided very interesting views on the matter, and I agree that there could be several plausible pieces of evidence you could draw to support whether she was in fact married or not, but either way, SL didn't seem to want to make an intentional point of this in hopes to not distract from the other major points.  Also maybe we're all looking into it a little too much?  I understand finding little clues and drawing a subjective belief on whether she was or wasn't married, but either way, it doesn't tip the story one way or another. 

It could be one of those things that was meant to be understood and taken at face value, or it could be a little gift to the viewer from SL to get a chance to fill in the blanks yourself with whatever you want to see in it.  I could see it either way.  I don't tend to see extremes in the situation.  For instance, the film seems to generally portray Jill as someone who's not perfect, but trying to do the right thing, and generally making progress.  I gather this mainly from her first conversation with Cheyanne in talking about her desire to marry and have a family in the future (in contract with her promiscuous past).  It would be an extremely deviated thought to think Jill, after just learning about her new family's slaughter, would instantly be thinking of how she can get money out of the situation.  It's not that it's impossible, but it's just more of an extreme.  If she did lie about being already married to Brett, her claim could be out of honor to want to carry on the McBain family name, or our of pure sympathy for what just happened.  I do understand that Sam wants to take her back and she refuses, and then you see immediately following that is her rummaging through drawers looking for something.  But there are even multiple clues as to what her intentions were on finding anything of value - could have been for self gain, or to find clues on why the massacre took place. 

Either way, I like that these little possibilities exist in the background of the main storyline.  It's almost like a choose your own adventure in our mind without actually being able to significantly deviate the entire story plot away from what SL intended.   And it's even cooler that you can find many other situations like this throughout the movie where you question the motives of why characters do what they do, and you seem to constantly stumble upon multiple plausible answers.   Well done SL.

[drinkanddestroy]

 

Welcome aboard 

[stanton]

Without reading anything in this thread here, I think she must have been officially married to McBain, otherwise she can't be the legal heiress of the Sweetwater land, and then Frank and Morton would not have needed her.

[Cusser]

I bet someone faxed a copy of the marriage certificate to Lionel Stander's waystation 

[drinkanddestroy]

I bet someone faxed a copy of the marriage certificate to Lionel Stander's waystation 

Fax?  That is soooooooo 1990. You mean e-mail