Tracker Pixel for Entry

Haynes Takes “Carol” On the Road

Cinema | January 18th, 2016

by Greg Carlson

The meticulous Todd Haynes shares another engrossing 1950s tale of forbidden romance with “Carol,” a thematic sibling to the director’s career high point “Far from Heaven.” Adapted by Phyllis Nagy from Patricia Highsmith’s bracing novel “The Price of Salt,” “Carol” is every bit as feverish as the legendary anecdote describing the book’s origin. In the title role, Cate Blanchett is a well-to-do woman who might possibly be pursuing the distractions of Therese, Rooney Mara’s young salesgirl, just as much as the custody of her daughter during a difficult divorce. Filled with the loaded communication of the glance and the gaze, “Carol” is a lush and aching love story. 

The movie may be called “Carol,” but the point of view belongs equally to Therese. Blanchett and Mara are good enough to expect more award nominations headed their way, and Haynes deftly balances the performances, constructing with the actors a careful pas de deux that accesses the hearts of both characters. Whether or not Carol uses her power, experience, and social status to seduce Therese, the drama clearly carves out room to examine how women in post-World War II America found themselves, regardless of sexual orientation, confined to customs determined by repressive norms.

Admirers of Haynes will find an embarrassment of riches in the lines of Carol’s stunning gray 1949 Packard Super Deluxe 8, the exterior of the Spare-Time diner, and the sight and sound of the Teddy Wilson/Billie Holiday microgroove long player featuring “Easy Living.” Anthony Lane writes of the necessity of retaining the novel’s period setting: “If Haynes had updated ‘The Price of Salt’ to the present, our response would have been: big deal. Trade your straight marriage for a same-sex relationship, these days, and you will be hailed for your emotional honesty, whereas Highsmith, steeped in crime fiction, needed the creak of danger and the hiss of social disdain.” Lane’s assertion is worth considering, even though “Carol,” with its sumptuous costumes and production design, centralizes and fetishizes the cool of the mid-twentieth century.

Over time, the novel’s open-ended and hopeful conclusion has remained one of its most frequently cited talking points. Because Highsmith resisted prevailing attitudes and expectations about the ways in which homosexual characters could or should be portrayed in fiction, interest in the book has continued (even though it was for a time out of print). Just as astonishing is the novel’s influence on Nabokov. As Terry Castle has long maintained, the tingly road trip centerpiece – a throbbing fantasy of anticipation – “must have [been] stolen” for “Lolita.” 

“Carol” has already emerged, deservedly so, as a critical darling, but the film is not without its minor shortcomings. In significant ways, Highsmith depicted nervous confusion and sexual heat with an edge that Haynes blunts in favor of a more tasteful and highbrow rendering of Carol and Therese’s affair. Additionally, the age and class difference between the two women merits only scant notice within the film narrative, despite providing a potentially rich vein for deeper exploration. Minor quibbles aside, however, “Carol” is an absolutely ravishing feast for the senses. Lovers of classic Hollywood glamour will swear Mr. Haynes and his crew found a functional time machine.

Recently in:

By Maddie Robinsonmaddierobi.mr@gmail.com This article discusses topics related to mental health and suicide. If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available. Call or text 988 or visit 988lifeline.org. …

By Michael Millermichael.miller@ndsu.edu As I reflect back on July, I want to share a USA Today article from July 3, 1986, celebrating the 100th anniversary of the Statue of Liberty. It has been 138 years since 1886 when…

Thursday, August 8, gates 5 p.m., show starts at 7 p.m.Bluestem Amphitheater, 801 50th Avenue S., MoorheadFormed by guitarist/vocalist Brian Setzer, upright bass player Lee Rocker and drummer Slim Jim Phantom, The Stray Cats…

We’re making progress. By Sabrina Hornungsabrina@hpr1.com Yay Kamala! It is such a relief to see a candidate for POTUS who is actually capable of doing the job and preserving our representative democracy. And, of course, she’s…

By Ed Raymondfargogadfly@gmail.comMen have made a real mess of the world. We should try estrogen.I didn’t bother to count the countries involved in wars because this column won’t be published for a week. But I don’t think any…

By Rick Gionrickgion@gmail.com Holiday wine shopping shouldn’t have to be complicated. But unfortunately it can cause unneeded anxiety due to an overabundance of choices. Don’t fret my friends, we once again have you covered…

By Rick Gionrickgion@gmail.com In this land of hotdish and ham, the knoephla soup of German-Russian heritage seems to reign supreme. In my opinion though, the French have the superior soup. With a cheesy top layer, toasted baguette…

Lamb of God celebrates 20th anniversary of a seminal albumby John Showalterjohn.d.showalter@gmail.comPhoto by Travis ShinnWhen the band Burn the Priest formed in 1994, they likely did not realize the impact that they would have on…

By Greg Carlsongregcarlson1@gmail.com Writer-director Nicole Riegel’s sophomore feature “Dandelion” is now playing in theaters following a world premiere at South by Southwest in March. The movie stars KiKi Layne as the…

New Minnesota sculptures include artist’s largest trollBy Sabrina Hornungsabrina@hpr1.com According to Danish artist and environmental activist Thomas Dambo, “All trash is treasure.” So far, he and his team have built 138…

By John Showalterjohn.d.showalter@gmail.comHigh Plains Reader had the opportunity to interview two mysterious new game show hosts named Milt and Bradley Barker about an upcoming event they will be putting on at Brewhalla. What…

By Annie Prafckeannieprafcke@gmail.com AUSTIN, Texas – As a Chinese-American, connecting to my culture through food is essential, and no dish brings me back to my mother’s kitchen quite like hotdish. Yes, you heard me right –…

By Sabrina Hornungsabrina@hpr1.comNew Jamestown Brewery Serves up Local FlavorThere’s something delicious brewing out here on the prairie and it just so happens to be the newest brewery west of the Red River and east of the…

By John Showalter  john.d.showalter@gmail.comThey sell fentanyl test strips and kits to harm-reduction organizations and…

JANUARY 19, 1967– MARCH 8, 2023 Brittney Leigh Goodman, 56, of Fargo, N.D., passed away unexpectedly at her home on March 8, 2023. Brittney was born January 19, 1967, to Ruth Wilson Pollock and Donald Ray Goodman, in Hardinsburg,…

By Chad Obanali.hoffman@ndunited.org North Dakotans know that if something sounds too good to be true, it usually is. That is certainly the case with the ill-advised constitutional ballot measure to eliminate the ability of local…