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50 greatest music films ever
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1 Superstar: the Karen Carpenter Story
(Todd Haynes,1987)
Not
to be confused with the distinctly ropey TV movie, ‘The Karen Carpenter
Story’, which emerged two years later, this is Todd Haynes’ version of
the fragile American singer’s story – told with emaciated Barbie dolls,
archive footage, fake talking heads and ample, unauthorised use of The
Carpenters’ music. If all this sounds a little mocking, even
distasteful, for the story of a young woman whose fame and success
contributed to her early death from anorexia, the important thing to
stress is that Haynes walks an interesting tightrope between irony and
sincerity with ‘Superstar’. Certainly, there’s an element of wink-wink
knowingness and satire to this extraordinary and inventive film, but
his target is never Karen Carpenter. Rather, Haynes has in his sights
the hackneyed machinery with which so many filmmakers, reporters and
documentarists deal with the troubled lives of artists. Indeed,
Carpenter herself emerges as a sympathetic figure, the tragic heroine
of the piece. The music, too, is treated with the utmost respect: the
live scenes are often very moving, made even more powerful by the
stillness of the dolls apparently performing The Carpenters’ songs.
Formally, it’s definitely an odd experiment, but as a biographer,
Haynes grapples with the essence of his subject in a linear, even
traditional fashion. The sadness of Carpenter’s story is never lost
along the way.
The film begins with a grainy, black-and white
sequence in which Karen Carpenter’s mother finds her dead daughter – a
Barbie doll wrapped in sheets – on the floor of the family home. A
portentous voiceover then kicks in over the opening-credits to the tune
of The Carpenters’ hit ‘Superstar’ and a shot of a pretty suburban
home. ‘Why, at the age of 32, was this smooth-voiced girl from Downey,
California, who led a raucous nation smoothly into the ’70s, found dead
in her parents’ home? Let’s go back,’ drawls a laconic, male voice.
Intriguingly, the opening of the more orthodox TV movie is almost
identical: we watch as Carpenter’s mother discovers her daughter’s
body, and it’s then that both films lunge into the past. The focus of
Haynes’ film is Carpenter’s anorexia and he doesn’t deal lightly with
the subject, promising, via a block of text on the screen, ‘an
extremely graphic picture of the internal experience of contemporary
femininity’.
‘Superstar’ is a genuine horror movie. The flesh
creeps when the A&M Records boss signs Richard and Karen with a
lugubrious ‘We’re a real family here at A&M.’ That scene is cut
with footage of the Holocaust and ends with a body being thrown into a
pit: the open arms of celebrity beckon for Karen. The scenes of
Carpenter with her family are creepy too: her brother is portrayed as a
control-freak, while her parents come across as domineering. ‘What are
you trying to do? Ruin both our careers?’ is Richard’s chilling
response to his sister’s illness.
The chances of Haynes’
43-minute film ever getting a legal release were pretty slim. Not only
did he use The Carpenters’ music without the family’s permission but
there’s nothing sympathetic about his treatment of Karen’s brother and
his parents, Agnes and Harold. It’s been suggested, too, that Mattel
considered taking legal action over the use of the Barbie dolls in the
film. But there was no need: Richard Carpenter got there first. He sued
Haynes in 1990 and won, which meant all copies of the film were
recalled. The only way to see it now is by Googling it on the internet.
Dave Calhoun
Greatest hit When Carpenter collapses
during a performance of ‘Rainy Days and Mondays’. Who would have
thought a Barbie doll could be so moving?
Top 50 index | 50-41 | 40-31 | 30-21 | 20-11 | 10-6 | 5-1
Author: Dave Calhoun. Written by Derek Adams, Geoff Andrew, Dave Calhoun, Wally Hammond, Michael Hodges, Martin Horsfield, Martin Hoyle, David Jenkins, Trevor Johnston, Eddy Lawrence, Sharon O'Connell, Chris Parkin, Graeme Thomson, Peter Watts
User comments on this story
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- Harry said...
- The Chuck Berry film Hail Hail Rock'n'Roll is a great documentary about the contrary genius. And your admiration for Keith Richards can only increase - he displays inifinite patience when Chuck corrects his playing. Posted on Mar 29 2008 20:49
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- A Sad Man said...
- What about the Monkees film "Head" its a surrealist, psychadelic classic. And Velvet Goldmine too. Posted on Jan 31 2008 15:22
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- Holly said...
- Nice...personally, i like "Raise your voice!", "Confessions of a teenage drama queen"...something more modern :D:D Posted on Jan 31 2008 14:22
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- KevinT said...
- I would have to include the documentary 'A Great Day In Harlem' - one of the best films about jazz musicians. Posted on Oct 17 2007 17:20
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- Brendan Thorpe said...
- How about "Born to Boogie"? Marc Bolan at the height of TRextasy - the arty bit may not be great, but the concert stuff is excellent! Posted on Oct 16 2007 15:37
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- J said...
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Taste is subjective, so we'll cut you some slack... But how could you snub "Ray" or the Cash film "Walk the Line?" "Rockers" was pretty amazing. "The Wall..." and the new release of "The Grateful Dead Movie" is hot. The bonus features (esp. the performances uncut) kick ass. AC/DC's "Let There Be Rock" & come on... "Yellow Submarine."
Personally I think "Spinal Tap" & "Hedwig & The Angry Inch" should be included. The bands may have been born out of the movies (the original play in Hedwig's case), but they are rocking bands nonetheless. Posted on Oct 14 2007 12:52 - Report as inappropriate
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- Alex Murillo said...
- Just to correct a common mistake..."This Is Spinal Tap" is not "Christopher Guest's mockumentary", as you said...it was directed by Rob Reiner. Guest was indeed a co-writer, and of course the film bares a resemblance to Guest's later films, but I think it's unfair to both Reiner and the other members of Spinal Tap (McKean, Shearer) to label the film as Guest's alone. Posted on Oct 11 2007 02:49
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- alex said...
- Actually I'm positive Spinal Tap did a few novelty shows back in the L80's/E90's (8 in all I believe) one at the lamented CBGB/OMFUG in NYC. Even one novelty show brings a band into the plane of existence as anyone knows who has ever been in bands. I've been in a lot, some did only one show, and they ALL existed even if no one but the three of us knew it. So Spinal Tap existed. QED. Posted on Oct 10 2007 16:23
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- Graz said...
- I also forgot to metion the Rock n' Roll, Australian Japanese Surfing Road Movie " Bondi Tsunami". 2004. Check it out. Posted on Oct 10 2007 04:32
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- Graz said...
- What about B.Middler in t"The Rose". Garland and Striesand in thier versions of " A Star is Born" . The briilant "Hair" and now also "Hairspray". But absoutley " Once" is brillant. Who compiled this list? Posted on Oct 10 2007 03:28
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- kay said...
- where the hell is PURPLE RAIN?!?!?! this surely has to be in the list?! Posted on Oct 08 2007 14:58
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- Don said...
- You've missed some of the truly great performances by real bands while playing up other performers imitating the stars. And some are as much fantasy as reality based on someone's interpretation of what happened. That is not a true documentary, just fiction passed off as one. Posted on Oct 08 2007 13:42
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- kanna77 said...
- this is great ! Posted on Oct 08 2007 03:47
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- Vince said...
- this list is horse shit, wot's the deal, because the brits hate the irish you can't out "the commitments" or "once" up in the top 50? and did you forget about a movie one of your own made called "the wall"? and the number one film listed is a bloody movie about the world's worst singer karen carpenter? wot the hell???? Posted on Oct 06 2007 05:04
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- Massimo said...
- The worst movie ever, with the best soundtrack ever: Streets of Fire! Posted on Oct 05 2007 20:53
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