Superstar: The Karen Carpenter Story
Encyclopedia
Superstar: The Karen Carpenter Story is a 43 minute film
about the life of Karen Carpenter
. It was directed by Todd Haynes
and released in 1987. It was withdrawn from circulation in 1990 after Haynes lost a copyright infringement
lawsuit
filed by Karen's brother and musical collaborator, Richard Carpenter
. The title of the film is derived from "Superstar", their 1971 hit song.
from the time of her "discovery" in 1966 to her untimely death by cardiac arrest
(secondary to anorexia nervosa
) in 1983. The movie begins with a quasi-first person
recap of her mother Agnes Carpenter discovering Karen's body in her parents' Downey
, California
home on February 4, 1983, and then returns by flashback to 1966. The story touches on major points in Karen's life from 1966 on:
An unusual facet of the film was that, instead of actors, almost all parts were played by modified Barbie
dolls. In particular, Haynes detailed Karen Carpenter'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, recording studios - including minute details such as labels on wine bottles and Ex-Lax boxes. Interspersed with the story were documentary
-style segments detailing the times in which Karen Carpenter lived and also detailing anorexia; these segments were seen as dry and melodramatic parodies
of the documentary genre. The underlying soundtrack included many popular hits of the day, including songs by Gilbert O'Sullivan
, Elton John
, Leon Russell
and the Carpenters
themselves.
The tone of the film was sympathetic to Karen, especially as regards her anorexia, but much of that sympathy was gained by making the other characters as unsympathetic as possible. Karen's parents, Harold and Agnes, were portrayed as overly controlling, attempting to keep Karen living at home even after she turned twenty-five; Agnes, in addition, 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
was intercut with stock footage of Vietnam war scenes. Richard Carpenter was portrayed as a rampant perfectionist
who frequently sided with his parents against Karen, and was also depicted as 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 and "ruining their careers", causing her to break down in tears. Haynes even insinuated during a fight between Richard and Karen that Richard was homosexual - which, if it had been reported to the public in the 1970s, would have destroyed the Carpenters' "clean-cut" image and the group's career.
Haynes' treatment of the film was quite dark; his choice of black captions often blended in with the scene, rendering them unreadable. Additionally, Haynes worked spanking
(a common theme in his works) into the film with a repeated segment featuring a black-and-white overhead view of someone, possibly Harold, administering an over-the-knee spanking to a bare-bottomed adult Karen. The meaning of this segment is never discussed, leaving it to the viewer's imagination - it may be an actual event, a representation of Karen's self-loathing regarding her inability to be the "perfect" child, or a representation of the self-discipline involved with her anorexia.
. It later emerged that Haynes never obtained music licensing
from either Richard Carpenter or the Carpenters' label, A&M Records
, for the numerous songs used in the film. Richard Carpenter sued Haynes for failing to obtain the clearances and won. As a result of the lawsuit, all copies of the film were to have been recalled and destroyed. The Museum of Modern Art
retains a copy of this film but has agreed with the Carpenter estate not to exhibit it.
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
about the life of Karen Carpenter
Karen Carpenter
Karen Anne Carpenter was an American singer and drummer. She and her brother, Richard, formed the 1970s duo The Carpenters. She was a drummer of exceptional skill, but she is best remembered for her vocal performances of idealistic romantic ballads of true love...
. It was directed by Todd Haynes
Todd Haynes
Todd Haynes is an American independent film director and screenwriter. He is best known for his feature films Superstar: The Karen Carpenter Story, Poison, Velvet Goldmine, Safe, and the Academy Award-nominated Far from Heaven and I'm Not There.- Style and themes :The writes that "Haynes is...
and released in 1987. It was withdrawn from circulation in 1990 after Haynes lost a copyright infringement
Copyright infringement
Copyright infringement is the unauthorized or prohibited use of works under copyright, infringing the copyright holder's exclusive rights, such as the right to reproduce or perform the copyrighted work, or to make derivative works.- "Piracy" :...
lawsuit
Lawsuit
A lawsuit or "suit in law" is a civil action brought in a court of law in which a plaintiff, a party who claims to have incurred loss as a result of a defendant's actions, demands a legal or equitable remedy. The defendant is required to respond to the plaintiff's complaint...
filed by Karen's brother and musical collaborator, Richard Carpenter
Richard Carpenter (musician)
Richard Lynn Carpenter is an American pop musician, best known as one half of the brother/sister duo The Carpenters, along with his sister Karen Carpenter. He was a producer, arranger, pianist and keyboardist, and occasional lyricist, as well as joining with Karen on harmony...
. The title of the film is derived from "Superstar", their 1971 hit song.
Plot
The film covers Karen CarpenterKaren Carpenter
Karen Anne Carpenter was an American singer and drummer. She and her brother, Richard, formed the 1970s duo The Carpenters. She was a drummer of exceptional skill, but she is best remembered for her vocal performances of idealistic romantic ballads of true love...
from the time of her "discovery" in 1966 to her untimely death by cardiac arrest
Cardiac arrest
Cardiac arrest, is the cessation of normal circulation of the blood due to failure of the heart to contract effectively...
(secondary to anorexia nervosa
Anorexia nervosa
Anorexia nervosa is an eating disorder characterized by refusal to maintain a healthy body weight and an obsessive fear of gaining weight. Although commonly called "anorexia", that term on its own denotes any symptomatic loss of appetite and is not strictly accurate...
) in 1983. The movie begins with a quasi-first person
First-person narrative
First-person point of view is a narrative mode where a story is narrated by one character at a time, speaking for and about themselves. First-person narrative may be singular, plural or multiple as well as being an authoritative, reliable or deceptive "voice" and represents point of view in the...
recap of her mother Agnes Carpenter discovering Karen's body in her parents' Downey
Downey
-Schools:*Downey High School*Thomas Downey High SchoolOr a company:*W. & D. Downey, photographic studio-Surname Downey:*Aaron Downey, NHL forward*Brian Downey *Brian Downey *Bruce Downey*Glen Downey , Canadian children's author...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
home on February 4, 1983, and then returns by flashback to 1966. The story touches on major points in Karen's life from 1966 on:
- the duo's signing with record label A&MA&M RecordsA&M Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group that operates under the mantle of its Interscope-Geffen-A&M division.-Beginnings:...
- their initial success and subsequent decline
- Karen's development of anorexia nervosaAnorexia nervosaAnorexia nervosa is an eating disorder characterized by refusal to maintain a healthy body weight and an obsessive fear of gaining weight. Although commonly called "anorexia", that term on its own denotes any symptomatic loss of appetite and is not strictly accurate...
(spurred by an infamous review which described the well-proportioned Karen as "chubby") - her on-stage collapse in Las VegasLas Vegas metropolitan areaThe Las Vegas Valley is the heart of the Las Vegas-Paradise, NV MSA also known as the Las Vegas–Paradise–Henderson MSA which includes all of Clark County, Nevada, and is a metropolitan area in the southern part of the U.S. state of Nevada. The Valley is defined by the Las Vegas Valley landform, a ...
- her search for treatment for her anorexia nervosa
- her attempt to restart her career
- a claim that she gradually developed a reliance on syrup of ipecacSyrup of ipecacSyrup of ipecac , commonly referred to as ipecac, is derived from the dried rhizome and roots of the ipecacuanha plant, and is a well known emetic .-Preparation:...
(a product which, unbeknownst to her, destroyed her heart and led to her cardiac arrest).
An unusual facet of the film was that, instead of actors, almost all parts were played by modified Barbie
Barbie
Barbie is a fashion doll manufactured by the American toy-company Mattel, Inc. and launched in March 1959. American businesswoman Ruth Handler is credited with the creation of the doll using a German doll called Bild Lilli as her inspiration....
dolls. In particular, Haynes detailed Karen Carpenter'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, recording studios - including minute details such as labels on wine bottles and Ex-Lax boxes. Interspersed with the story were documentary
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
-style segments detailing the times in which Karen Carpenter lived and also detailing anorexia; these segments were seen as dry and melodramatic parodies
Parody
A parody , in current usage, is an imitative work created to mock, comment on, or trivialise an original work, its subject, author, style, or some other target, by means of humorous, satiric or ironic imitation...
of the documentary genre. The underlying soundtrack included many popular hits of the day, including songs by Gilbert O'Sullivan
Gilbert O'Sullivan
Gilbert O'Sullivan is an Irish-English singer-songwriter, best known for his early 1970s hits "Alone Again ", "Clair" and "Get Down". The music magazine, Record Mirror, voted him the No...
, Elton John
Elton John
Sir Elton Hercules John, CBE, Hon DMus is an English rock singer-songwriter, composer, pianist and occasional actor...
, Leon Russell
Leon Russell
Claude Russell Bridges , known professionally as Leon Russell, is an American musician and songwriter, who has recorded as a session musician, sideman, and maintained a solo career in music....
and the Carpenters
The Carpenters
Carpenters were an American vocal and instrumental duo, consisting of sister Karen and brother Richard Carpenter. The Carpenters were the #1 selling American music act of the 1970s. Though often referred to by the public as "The Carpenters", the duo's official name on authorized recordings and...
themselves.
The tone of the film was sympathetic to Karen, especially as regards her anorexia, but much of that sympathy was gained by making the other characters as unsympathetic as possible. Karen's parents, Harold and Agnes, were portrayed as overly controlling, attempting to keep Karen living at home even after she turned twenty-five; Agnes, in addition, 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
Herb Alpert
Herbert "Herb" Alpert is an American musician most associated with the group variously known as Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass, Herb Alpert's Tijuana Brass, or TJB. He is also a recording industry executive — he is the "A" of A&M Records...
was intercut with stock footage of Vietnam war scenes. Richard Carpenter was portrayed as a rampant perfectionist
Perfectionism (psychology)
Perfectionism, in psychology, is a belief that a state of completeness and flawlessness can and should be attained. In its pathological form, perfectionism is a belief that work or output that is anything less than perfect is unacceptable...
who frequently sided with his parents against Karen, and was also depicted as 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 and "ruining their careers", causing her to break down in tears. Haynes even insinuated during a fight between Richard and Karen that Richard was homosexual - which, if it had been reported to the public in the 1970s, would have destroyed the Carpenters' "clean-cut" image and the group's career.
Haynes' treatment of the film was quite dark; his choice of black captions often blended in with the scene, rendering them unreadable. Additionally, Haynes worked spanking
Spanking
Spanking refers to the act of striking the buttocks of another person to cause temporary pain without producing physical injury. It generally involves one person striking the buttocks of another person with an open hand. When an open hand is used, spanking is referred to in some countries as...
(a common theme in his works) into the film with a repeated segment featuring a black-and-white overhead view of someone, possibly Harold, administering an over-the-knee spanking to a bare-bottomed adult Karen. The meaning of this segment is never discussed, leaving it to the viewer's imagination - it may be an actual event, a representation of Karen's self-loathing regarding her inability to be the "perfect" child, or a representation of the self-discipline involved with her anorexia.
Response
Upon its release, the film was a minor art hit, and was shown at several film festivals. However, shortly thereafter, Richard Carpenter viewed the film and became irate with the film's portrayal of his family, in particular because the film insinuated Richard was gayGay
Gay is a word that refers to a homosexual person, especially a homosexual male. For homosexual women the specific term is "lesbian"....
. It later emerged that Haynes never obtained music licensing
Music licensing
Music licensing is the licensed use of copyrighted music. Music licensing is intended to ensure that the creators of musical works get paid for their work. A purchaser of recorded music owns the media on which the music is stored, not the music itself...
from either Richard Carpenter or the Carpenters' label, A&M Records
A&M Records
A&M Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group that operates under the mantle of its Interscope-Geffen-A&M division.-Beginnings:...
, for the numerous songs used in the film. Richard Carpenter sued Haynes for failing to obtain the clearances and won. As a result of the lawsuit, all copies of the film were to have been recalled and destroyed. The Museum of Modern Art
Museum of Modern Art
The Museum of Modern Art is an art museum in Midtown Manhattan in New York City, on 53rd Street, between Fifth and Sixth Avenues. It has been important in developing and collecting modernist art, and is often identified as the most influential museum of modern art in the world...
retains a copy of this film but has agreed with the Carpenter estate not to exhibit it.
Songs featured in the movie
In order:- Superstar – The Carpenters (Beginning credits)
- I'll Never Fall In Love AgainI'll Never Fall in Love Again"I'll Never Fall In Love Again" is a popular song by composer Burt Bacharach and lyricist Hal David. Originally written for the 1968 musical Promises, Promises, it soon became one of Bacharach and David's most enduring songs. It was nominated for Song of the Year in the 1969 Grammy awards...
– Dionne WarwickDionne WarwickDionne Warwick is an American singer, actress and TV show host, who became a United Nations Global Ambassador for the Food and Agriculture Organization, and a United States Ambassador of Health....
(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 - Love Unlimited Orchestra
- 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 & Tennille (scene when naked body parts are shown)
- Don't Go Breaking My Heart – Elton John with Kiki Dee (Karen's housewarming party)
- 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)
- A Song For You