This short film directed by Todd Haynes was made in 1987 and is a bio-pic of Karen Carpenter's life. The film looks at her life from the period she became famous up until her death in 1983. It is filmed in a documentary style, with Karen and most of the other characters being portayed using Barbie dolls. The film presents her mother, father and brother, Richard in an unflattering light. The film examines Karen's struggle with anorexia that eventually resulted in her death. The start of the fim shows a first person reconstruction of Karen's mother discovering Karen's body at their family home in Downey, California. The film then returns in flashback to the start of Karen's career in 1966. It is quite a dark film and I found the fact that the Barbie doll used to portray Karen got slowly more gaunt as the film progressed particularly unsettling.
The film was withdrawn from circulation in 1990, after her brother Richard successfully sued Haynes for copyright infringement. Apparently, rumour has it that Richard particularly objected to the fact that the film hinted that he was gay.
All in all, I thought this was an interesting film, that is worth watching.
The film was withdrawn from circulation in 1990, after her brother Richard successfully sued Haynes for copyright infringement. Apparently, rumour has it that Richard particularly objected to the fact that the film hinted that he was gay.
All in all, I thought this was an interesting film, that is worth watching.
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