Naturally I went the way of Todd Haynes. I am a fan of his movies Poison, Velvet Goldmine and Far From Heaven. He has a gift for making visually interesting movies. Superstar: The Karen Carpenter story is no different. Haynes decided to film it with dolls and with the use of puppetry, makes it a surprisingly lively short film.
The opening shot is handheld, POV, and black and white – seemingly walking through a house. Searching for Karen Carpenter – the popular lead singer of the 70s band The Carpenters. Suddenly, a door is opened and we see a body laying on the floor. Haynes technique in this moment is very unique. Not only integrating POV shots, but also stripping it of the color. This makes this moment feel more realistic – almost documentary like. Plus the sound we hear when Carpenter’s lifeless body is found is unlike anything I have heard before. I think it captures the feeling of shock quite well.
Another part of Superstar I thought was creative was the interview scene. Karen and her brother are speaking to a music executive who wants to hire them. It is obvious Haynes holds the big boss in contempt. He edits the shot of a hand approaching Karen…even before we know what it means. Suddenly the executive says “Put yourself in my hand.” And then we see a brief shot of an emaciated corpse thrown into a grave. What ballsy imagery! This is a rabbit hole for Karen, foreshadowing the troubles that lie ahead. Her struggle with food and self-esteem, her dependency on laxatives to lose weight. Her eventual death.
I really liked how the movie was part drama, part PSA and part documentary. There are moments when a narrator describes what anorexia is – distorted self image and self-starvation – makes the movie feel clinical – but I went into Superstar knowing its what killed Mrs. Carpenter, and so felt the effort was to produce cohesion. Since its never stated what kills her.
My favorite part of Superstar was actually near the beginning. A deep voiced narrator begins the film by stating that this is Karen Carpenter’s story. As a camera pans cross buildings in a real neighborhood, Carpenter’s lovely, emotional voice sings the intro to their wonderful song Superstar. “Long ago, and so far away…” it was as if she was singing about herself.