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Superstar: The Karen Carpenter Story

January 01, 1970

Superstar: The Karen Carpenter Story is a 1987 American experimental biographical film that portrays the last 17 years of singer Karen Carpenter's life, as she struggled with anorexia. Directed by Todd Haynes, the film uses Barbie dolls as actors, as well as documentaries and artistic footage. Superstar was co-written and co-produced by Haynes and Cynthia Schneider, with an unauthorized soundtrack consisting mostly of the hit songs of The Carpenters. It was filmed over a ten-day period at Bard College in the summer of 1985. Barry Ellsworth collaborated on the film and was the cinematographer for the Barbie themed interior segments of the film.

Superstar: The Karen Carpenter Story
Cover of a black-market video release of the film
Directed byTodd Haynes
Written byTodd Haynes
Cynthia Schneider
Produced byTodd Haynes
Cynthia Schneider
StarringMerrill Gruver
Michael Edwards
Narrated byGwen Kraus
Bruce Tuthill
CinematographyBarry Ellsworth
Edited byTodd Haynes
Music byThe Carpenters
Production
company
Iced Tea Productions
Distributed byAmerican International Video Search, Inc.
Release date
  • 1987 (1987)
Running time
43 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

The film was withdrawn from circulation in 1990 after Haynes lost a copyright infringement lawsuit filed by Karen's brother and musical collaborator, Richard Carpenter.[1][2] The film's title is derived from The Carpenters' 1971 hit "Superstar". Meanwhile, over the years Superstar has developed into a cult film, has notably been bootlegged, and is included in Entertainment Weekly's 2003 list of top 50 cult movies.[3][4] Its apparent metamodern purpose as a film, including multiple perspectives on anorexia nervosa, the pop music industry, The Carpenters themselves, and the definition of a biographical film, has also given it a legacy among fans of avant-garde cinema; Guy Lodge, writing for The Guardian, expressed that 'while Haynes is working in a vein of very rich irony, there's not a hint of snark here'.[5]

Plot edit

The film follows Karen Carpenter from the time of her "discovery" in 1966, her quick rise to stardom, to her untimely death by cardiac arrest (secondary to anorexia nervosa) in 1983. It begins in Karen's parents' home in Downey, California on February 4, 1983, and the viewer follows through the eyes of Karen's mother, Agnes Carpenter, as she discovers her body in a closet. The film then returns by flashback to 1966, and touches on major points in Karen's life including the duo's signing with the A&M record label, their initial success and subsequent decline, Karen's development of anorexia nervosa, her 14-month marriage to Thomas Burris, Karen's on-stage collapse in Las Vegas, her search for treatment for her anorexia nervosa, the attempt to restart her career, and finally a claim that she gradually developed a reliance on syrup of ipecac (a product that, unbeknownst to her, destroyed her heart and led to her cardiac arrest and death).

An unusual facet of the film is that, instead of actors, almost all of the parts are played by modified Barbie dolls. In particular, Haynes detailed Karen's worsening anorexia by subtly whittling away at the face and arms of the "Karen" Barbie doll. Sets were created properly scaled to the dolls, including locales such as the Carpenter home in Downey, Karen's apartment in Century City, restaurants, and recording studios. Details such as labels on wine bottles and Ex-Lax boxes were shrunk in proportion. Interspersed with the story are documentary-style segments detailing both facts about anorexia and the times in which Karen Carpenter lived, as well as blurred and distorted flashing segments that are intended to break the flow of the film. These segments were seen as melodramatic parodies of the documentary genre. The underlying and unauthorized soundtrack includes many popular hits of the day, including duets such as Elton John and Kiki Dee and Captain & Tennille, and songs by Gilbert O'Sullivan, Leon Russell, as well as the bulk of The Carpenters' hits themselves. However, the soundtrack also includes distinctive experimental synthesizer pieces that serve as motifs during extremely tense moments in the plot.

The tone of the film is sympathetic to Karen, especially in regard to her anorexia, but much of that sympathy is seemingly gained by making the other characters unsympathetic. Karen's parents, Harold and Agnes, are portrayed as overly controlling, attempting to keep Karen living at home even after she turned twenty-five. Agnes was portrayed as unaware of the extent of Karen's problem with anorexia. The duo's initial meeting with A&M Records owner Herb Alpert (who is simply called Mr. A&M in the credits) was inter-cut with stock footage of Vietnam War scenes. Richard Carpenter was portrayed as a rampant perfectionist who frequently sided with his parents against Karen, and he was also depicted as being more concerned with his and Karen's careers than with Karen's health. This culminated in a scene where Richard berates a fatigued and obviously ill Karen for not meeting business demands, yelling at her, "What are you trying to do? Ruin both of our careers?", causing her to break down in tears. Haynes then insinuated, during a fight between Richard and Karen over her renewed use of Ex-Lax, that Richard had a secret that he didn't want his parents to know about. Haynes' dark treatment of the film included using black captions which often blend in with the scene, rendering them unreadable.

Haynes also works spanking, a common theme in his works, into the film, through a repeated segment featuring a black-and-white overhead view of someone administering an over-the-knee spanking to the bare-bottomed adult Barbie Karen. The meaning of this segment is never discussed, leaving it to the viewer's imagination and serving as a motif breaking any intention of normality in the film.

Cast edit

Songs edit

Reception and copyright lawsuit edit

The film premiered in 1987.[6][7] Upon its release, the film was a minor art hit, and was shown at several film festivals.[8] However, shortly thereafter, Richard Carpenter viewed the film and became irate with its portrayal of his family and himself. It later emerged that Haynes never obtained music licensing from either Richard or the Carpenters' label, A&M Records, for the numerous songs used in the film. Richard sued Haynes for failing to obtain the clearances and won to the point of blocking Superstar's theatrical release.[9] The Museum of Modern Art retains a copy of this film, but in an agreement with The Carpenter Estate, they do not exhibit it.[8] Nevertheless, bootleg copies remain in circulation[10][11] and it can still be seen on YouTube.

In his analysis of Superstar's bootleg existence, Lucas Hilderbrand, a professor of film studies at University of California, Irvine, stated: "Analogue reproduction of the text rather than destroying the original's aura, actually reconstructs it. Materially the fallout of the image and sound mark each successive copy as an illicit object, a forbidden pleasure watched and shared and loved to exhaustion."[12]

In 2003, Entertainment Weekly labeled the film at No. 45 on the list of the Top 50 Cult Movies.[4]

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ Holden, Stephen (November 8, 1998). "FILM; Focusing on Glam Rock's Blurring of Identity". The New York Times.
  2. ^ Short of the Week
  3. ^ Dirks, Tim. "Top 50 Cult Movies". Entertainment Weekly/AMC. Retrieved January 1, 2013.
  4. ^ a b "The Top 50 Cult Movies". Entertainment Weekly. No. 711. May 23, 2003. pp. 26–38.
  5. ^ Lodge, Guy (August 11, 2016). "Superstar: Todd Haynes's banned Karen Carpenter movie is visionary". The Guardian. Retrieved January 26, 2019.
  6. ^ Lieberman, Rhonda (April 2003). "1987: Todd Haynes's Superstar". Artforum. Retrieved December 22, 2023.
  7. ^ Brathwaite, Lester Fabian (July 3, 2023). "Before Barbie, there was Todd Haynes' infinitely weirder Barbie movie about Karen Carpenter". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved December 22, 2023.
  8. ^ a b Where on the Shelf Is...Superstar: The Karen Carpenter Story? : JoBlo.com
  9. ^ James, Caryn (April 14, 1991). "FILM VIEW: Politics Nurtures 'Poison'". The New York Times. Retrieved April 17, 2016.
  10. ^ Turner, Kyle (November 24, 2015). "The Films of Todd Haynes: Performance, Desire, and Identity". The Film Stage. Retrieved March 6, 2016.
  11. ^ Matheson, Whitney (February 4, 2013). "Today in history: Karen Carpenter died 30 years ago". USA Today. Retrieved March 6, 2016.
  12. ^ Hilderbrand, Lucas (2004). "Grainy Days and Mondays: Superstar and Bootleg Aesthetics". Camera Obscura. 19 (3). Duke University Press: 56–91. doi:10.1215/02705346-19-3_57-57. S2CID 191522435.

External links edit

  • Superstar: The Karen Carpenter Story at IMDb  
  • Article on the film at The Guardian
  • Review of the film at The Washington Post

January 01, 1970
superstar, karen, carpenter, story, 1987, american, experimental, biographical, film, that, portrays, last, years, singer, karen, carpenter, life, struggled, with, anorexia, directed, todd, haynes, film, uses, barbie, dolls, actors, well, documentaries, artist. Superstar The Karen Carpenter Story is a 1987 American experimental biographical film that portrays the last 17 years of singer Karen Carpenter s life as she struggled with anorexia Directed by Todd Haynes the film uses Barbie dolls as actors as well as documentaries and artistic footage Superstar was co written and co produced by Haynes and Cynthia Schneider with an unauthorized soundtrack consisting mostly of the hit songs of The Carpenters It was filmed over a ten day period at Bard College in the summer of 1985 Barry Ellsworth collaborated on the film and was the cinematographer for the Barbie themed interior segments of the film Superstar The Karen Carpenter StoryCover of a black market video release of the filmDirected byTodd HaynesWritten byTodd HaynesCynthia SchneiderProduced byTodd HaynesCynthia SchneiderStarringMerrill GruverMichael EdwardsNarrated byGwen KrausBruce TuthillCinematographyBarry EllsworthEdited byTodd HaynesMusic byThe CarpentersProductioncompanyIced Tea ProductionsDistributed byAmerican International Video Search Inc Release date1987 1987 Running time43 minutesCountryUnited StatesLanguageEnglish The film was withdrawn from circulation in 1990 after Haynes lost a copyright infringement lawsuit filed by Karen s brother and musical collaborator Richard Carpenter 1 2 The film s title is derived from The Carpenters 1971 hit Superstar Meanwhile over the years Superstar has developed into a cult film has notably been bootlegged and is included in Entertainment Weekly s 2003 list of top 50 cult movies 3 4 Its apparent metamodern purpose as a film including multiple perspectives on anorexia nervosa the pop music industry The Carpenters themselves and the definition of a biographical film has also given it a legacy among fans of avant garde cinema Guy Lodge writing for The Guardian expressed that while Haynes is working in a vein of very rich irony there s not a hint of snark here 5 Contents 1 Plot 2 Cast 3 Songs 4 Reception and copyright lawsuit 5 See also 6 References 7 External linksPlot editThe film follows Karen Carpenter from the time of her discovery in 1966 her quick rise to stardom to her untimely death by cardiac arrest secondary to anorexia nervosa in 1983 It begins in Karen s parents home in Downey California on February 4 1983 and the viewer follows through the eyes of Karen s mother Agnes Carpenter as she discovers her body in a closet The film then returns by flashback to 1966 and touches on major points in Karen s life including the duo s signing with the A amp M record label their initial success and subsequent decline Karen s development of anorexia nervosa her 14 month marriage to Thomas Burris Karen s on stage collapse in Las Vegas her search for treatment for her anorexia nervosa the attempt to restart her career and finally a claim that she gradually developed a reliance on syrup of ipecac a product that unbeknownst to her destroyed her heart and led to her cardiac arrest and death An unusual facet of the film is that instead of actors almost all of the parts are played by modified Barbie dolls In particular Haynes detailed Karen s worsening anorexia by subtly whittling away at the face and arms of the Karen Barbie doll Sets were created properly scaled to the dolls including locales such as the Carpenter home in Downey Karen s apartment in Century City restaurants and recording studios Details such as labels on wine bottles and Ex Lax boxes were shrunk in proportion Interspersed with the story are documentary style segments detailing both facts about anorexia and the times in which Karen Carpenter lived as well as blurred and distorted flashing segments that are intended to break the flow of the film These segments were seen as melodramatic parodies of the documentary genre The underlying and unauthorized soundtrack includes many popular hits of the day including duets such as Elton John and Kiki Dee and Captain amp Tennille and songs by Gilbert O Sullivan Leon Russell as well as the bulk of The Carpenters hits themselves However the soundtrack also includes distinctive experimental synthesizer pieces that serve as motifs during extremely tense moments in the plot The tone of the film is sympathetic to Karen especially in regard to her anorexia but much of that sympathy is seemingly gained by making the other characters unsympathetic Karen s parents Harold and Agnes are portrayed as overly controlling attempting to keep Karen living at home even after she turned twenty five Agnes was portrayed as unaware of the extent of Karen s problem with anorexia The duo s initial meeting with A amp M Records owner Herb Alpert who is simply called Mr A amp M in the credits was inter cut with stock footage of Vietnam War scenes Richard Carpenter was portrayed as a rampant perfectionist who frequently sided with his parents against Karen and he was also depicted as being more concerned with his and Karen s careers than with Karen s health This culminated in a scene where Richard berates a fatigued and obviously ill Karen for not meeting business demands yelling at her What are you trying to do Ruin both of our careers causing her to break down in tears Haynes then insinuated during a fight between Richard and Karen over her renewed use of Ex Lax that Richard had a secret that he didn t want his parents to know about Haynes dark treatment of the film included using black captions which often blend in with the scene rendering them unreadable Haynes also works spanking a common theme in his works into the film through a repeated segment featuring a black and white overhead view of someone administering an over the knee spanking to the bare bottomed adult Barbie Karen The meaning of this segment is never discussed leaving it to the viewer s imagination and serving as a motif breaking any intention of normality in the film Cast editGwen Kraus and Bruce Tuthill as Narrators Merrill Gruver as Karen Carpenter Michael Edwards as Richard Carpenter Melissa Brown as Mother Rob LaBelle as Father Mr A amp M Nannie Doyle as Cherry Boone Cynthia Schneider as Dionne Warwick Larry Kole as Announcer Joanne Barrett Todd Haynes as Todd Donovan Michelle Manenti Moira McCarty Richard Nixon archive footage as himself Ronald Reagan archive footage as himselfSongs edit Superstar The Carpenters Beginning credits I ll Never Fall in Love Again Dionne Warwick which Karen sings along to I ll Never Fall in Love Again The Carpenters We ve Only Just Begun The Carpenters They Long to Be Close to You The Carpenters Top of the World The Carpenters Sing The Carpenters at the White House Alone Again Naturally Gilbert O Sullivan while Karen is talking on the phone Let Me Be the One The Carpenters played straight after Alone Again Native New Yorker Odyssey restaurant scene Love s Theme The Love Unlimited Orchestra Theme from A Summer Place Percy Faith Philadelphia Freedom Elton John played briefly as Richard discovers Karen unconscious Rainy Days and Mondays The Carpenters at the end of the song Karen collapses Love Will Keep Us Together Captain amp Tennille scene when naked body parts are shown Don t Go Breaking My Heart Elton John with Kiki Dee Karen s housewarming party Angel of the Morning Juice Newton Karen starts dieting again This Masquerade The Carpenters Karen meeting Tom Burris For All We Know The Carpenters New York Recovery montage They Long to Be Close to You The Carpenters ending Reception and copyright lawsuit editThe film premiered in 1987 6 7 Upon its release the film was a minor art hit and was shown at several film festivals 8 However shortly thereafter Richard Carpenter viewed the film and became irate with its portrayal of his family and himself It later emerged that Haynes never obtained music licensing from either Richard or the Carpenters label A amp M Records for the numerous songs used in the film Richard sued Haynes for failing to obtain the clearances and won to the point of blocking Superstar s theatrical release 9 The Museum of Modern Art retains a copy of this film but in an agreement with The Carpenter Estate they do not exhibit it 8 Nevertheless bootleg copies remain in circulation 10 11 and it can still be seen on YouTube In his analysis of Superstar s bootleg existence Lucas Hilderbrand a professor of film studies at University of California Irvine stated Analogue reproduction of the text rather than destroying the original s aura actually reconstructs it Materially the fallout of the image and sound mark each successive copy as an illicit object a forbidden pleasure watched and shared and loved to exhaustion 12 In 2003 Entertainment Weekly labeled the film at No 45 on the list of the Top 50 Cult Movies 4 See also editFan film The Karen Carpenter Story 1989 television movie also about Karen s death that involved Richard s official participationReferences edit Holden Stephen November 8 1998 FILM Focusing on Glam Rock s Blurring of Identity The New York Times Short of the Week Dirks Tim Top 50 Cult Movies Entertainment Weekly AMC Retrieved January 1 2013 a b The Top 50 Cult Movies Entertainment Weekly No 711 May 23 2003 pp 26 38 Lodge Guy August 11 2016 Superstar Todd Haynes s banned Karen Carpenter movie is visionary The Guardian Retrieved January 26 2019 Lieberman Rhonda April 2003 1987 Todd Haynes s Superstar Artforum Retrieved December 22 2023 Brathwaite Lester Fabian July 3 2023 Before Barbie there was Todd Haynes infinitely weirder Barbie movie about Karen Carpenter Entertainment Weekly Retrieved December 22 2023 a b Where on the Shelf Is Superstar The Karen Carpenter Story JoBlo com James Caryn April 14 1991 FILM VIEW Politics Nurtures Poison The New York Times Retrieved April 17 2016 Turner Kyle November 24 2015 The Films of Todd Haynes Performance Desire and Identity The Film Stage Retrieved March 6 2016 Matheson Whitney February 4 2013 Today in history Karen Carpenter died 30 years ago USA Today Retrieved March 6 2016 Hilderbrand Lucas 2004 Grainy Days and Mondays Superstar and Bootleg Aesthetics Camera Obscura 19 3 Duke University Press 56 91 doi 10 1215 02705346 19 3 57 57 S2CID 191522435 External links editSuperstar The Karen Carpenter Story at IMDb nbsp Article on the film at The Guardian Review of the film at The Washington Post Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Superstar The Karen Carpenter Story amp oldid 1212638149, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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