Far from Heaven (2002)

In 1950s Connecticut, a housewife faces a marital crisis and mounting racial tensions in the outside world.

Director:

Todd Haynes

Writer:

Todd Haynes

Stars:

Julianne Moore, Dennis Quaid, Dennis Haysbert

Nominated for 4 Oscars. Another 90 wins & 39 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Julianne Moore	...	Cathy Whitaker
Dennis Quaid	...	Frank Whitaker
Dennis Haysbert	...	Raymond Deagan
Patricia Clarkson	...	Eleanor Fine
Viola Davis	...	Sybil
James Rebhorn	...	Dr. Bowman
Bette Henritze	...	Mrs. Leacock
Michael Gaston	...	Stan Fine
Ryan Ward	...	David Whitaker
Lindsay Andretta	...	Janice Whitaker
Jordan Puryear	...	Sarah Deagan
Kyle Timothy Smith	...	Billy Hutchinson (as Kyle Smyth)
Celia Weston	...	Mona Lauder
Barbara Garrick	...	Doreen
Olivia Birkelund	...	Nancy

Storyline

Cathy is the perfect 50s housewife, living the perfect 50s life: healthy kids, successful husband, social prominence. Then one night she surprises her husband Frank kissing another man, and her tidy world starts spinning out of control. In her confusion and grief, she finds consolation in the friendship of their African-American gardener, Raymond - a socially taboo relationship that leads to the further disintegration of life as she knew it. Despite Cathy and Frank's struggle to keep their marriage afloat, the reality of his homosexuality and her feelings for Raymond open a painful, if more honest, chapter in their lives.

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Plot Keywords:

african american | gardener | 1950s | housewife | homosexuality | 

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Taglines:

What imprisons desires of the heart?

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Genres:

Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for mature thematic elements, sexual content, brief violence and language

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

6 December 2002 (Greece)

Also Known As:

Dem Himmel so fern

Filming Locations:

Bayonne, New Jersey, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$13,500,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$37,347 (Hong Kong) (25 April 2003)

Gross:

$74,530 (Hong Kong) (2 May 2003)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Focus Features, Vulcan Productions, Killer Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

107 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Cinematographer Edward Lachman created the 1950s "look" by using the same type of lighting equipment (incandescent), the same lighting techniques, and the same type of lens filters when shooting this film, as would have been used on a 1950s era melodrama.

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Goofs

The afternoon/evening scene, supposed to be set in Miami, shows the sun setting (or low in the sky) off the beach. Every beach around/near faces to the east on the Atlantic ocean.

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Quotes

Eleanor Fine: Call me old fashioned, I just like all the men I'm around to be all men.

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Crazy Credits

The first end credit reads "for Bompi"

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Connections

Spoofed in My Big Fat Independent Movie (2005)

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Soundtracks

"Ballet Piece"
Written by Cynthia Millar
Published by Caramandel Music

User Reviews

breaking free

While certainly this film is about race and sexual preference, I think its observations are actually much more universal. What it is about - and so many of the movies it references are also about - is how social structures work hard to prevent you from stepping outside your little world. People work hard to control attitudes towards outsiders - in this case, black people and homosexuals - in a negative way that not only keeps them out, but also keeps you in. Many people just don't like it when you seek something from the outside and will be manipulative to keep it so. Witness Patricia Clarkson, who is so manipulative that she has to remind Jualianne Moore how old and dear friends they - oldest and dearest - in such a way that it is a threat more than a comfort. And the film does this within the conventions of the genre it is putting itself in. In many ways, it merely uses the tawdry, cliched imagery of Hollywood soapers in such a way that, if you are not familiar, they may appear to be cliches here. But they are very intentional. And in this way, everything is controlled about the film - reactions, colors, everything. No wonder the characters need to break out of their worlds.