Superstar: The Karen Carpenter Story (1987)

Director:

Todd Haynes

Writers:

Todd Haynes (writer)
Cynthia Schneider (writer)

Genre:

Short

Plot:

Karen Carpenter's battle with anorexia nervosa and the cultural influence of the Carpenters in the 70s. |

Plot Keywords:

Anorexia | Obsession | Cult Favorite | Ken Doll | Showbiz

Cast

Rob LaBelle	...	Dad / Mr. A&M (voice)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Gwen Kraus	...	Narrator (voice)
Bruce Tuthill	...	Narrator (voice)

Runtime:

43 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

USA:Not Rated (Banned)

Company:

Iced Tea Productions

Trivia:

This movie is a biography of Karen Carpenter with a slight twist - all of the parts are played out by Ken and Barbie style dolls.

Movie Connections:

Features The Poseidon Adventure (1972)

More than lives up to its cult reputation

I've been wanting to see this for years and, thanks to the miracle of the internet, I finally did, last night. Granted, the audio and visual quality of the film were absolutely atrocious, having probably been uploaded from a billionth-generation bootleg. But that doesn't mean I didn't see it! There were definitely images on my screen, and sound coming out of my speakers.

Anyway. Since I have a guilty fascination with the music of The Carpenters (I say "fascination" because I'm not quite ready to admit that I like it yet. I'm getting there step-by-step, but it's a slow process), the opening bars of 'Superstar' after the attention-grabber of an opening soothed me into a receptive mood, perfectly evoking nostalgia for the period of early-1970s America. Considering I wasn't there, I'd consider that an effective opening.

Then, we get our first glimpse of the infamous Barbie dolls. In case you didn't know, Haynes made this film with Barbie dolls in all of the major roles. He had wonderful sets built for the dolls, including the Carpenter family home, recording studios, record company offices and so on. I know what you're thinking, but it actually doesn't look stupid. Karen's life story is played out through highly-stylized scenes, and while the dolls may add a layer of detachment to the story, the detail in their expressions, particularly the Karen doll, which was gradually filed down to reflect Karen's fatal struggle with anorexia, is at times remarkable.

There's a soap opera feel to the whole film, and Haynes' love of melodrama makes itself evident in the characterizations provided by the voice actors and also in the incidental music. Haynes favours an elaborate approach to editing and direction, inter-cutting the main narrative with documentary-style interludes, almost in a parody of the form, and inserts of found footage, flashbacks and fantasy/dream sequences, occasionally overlaying text in order to add an authorial commentary on Karen's life and eating disorders in general.

Richard Carpenter didn't have the film banned solely for unauthorized use of the Carpenters' music. In the film, he is shown as a domineering, oppressive influence on his sister (not to mention Haynes' coy insinuation of homosexuality), who, along with his and Karen's parents, are portrayed as having greatly contributed to Karen's illness. This emphasizes Karen's famous purity, but how much of it is actually true is something only the Carpenter family know for sure. The film is most certainly in Karen's camp, and sets her up as a martyr of sorts in the battle to liberate women from dumbfounded media expectations. It's a shame that the film had to be banned, because it puts across its message in an original, dazzling fashion and is a genuine one-off in the annals of cinema, as far as I'm aware.