Far From Heaven
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Movie Reviews of Far From Heaven
Movie Review: Heavenly...
Summary: 5 Stars
For me, it is hard to review this film. There is a lot about it that touches me deeply and actually brings me to a place that is hard for me to accept. That said, the film is one of the most complete films I've ever seen, maybe THE most complete. What I mean by that is that the film has every element down to a science, from the sets to the score to the cinematography to the acting to the dialog; everything perfectly fitting within the stylistic vision direction Todd Haynes creates here. When I say stylized I should probably clear up what I mean. This is far from a visually overwhelming spectacle in the vein of Hollywood epics but is stylized in that it is a visually stunning recreation of a time and place.
It is authentic in every sense of the word.
In Haynes' telling of the tragic tale of the Whitaker family, the 50's are brought to roaring life, albeit a quiet roar. With subtle textures that provoke powerful emotions, Haynes strings his actors, and the audience, along through each thoughtfully constructed frame.
Cathy and Frank Whitaker have a seemingly perfect life. Frank is a hardworking businessman who provides for his family better than most. He is likable and respected and loving. Cathy takes care of her children impeccably, making sure that she never neglects her home or her husband; and talk about hospitable. What seems so lovely on the surface is about to come to a crashing halt when Frank's secret life (involving men) is uncovered and Cathy is presented with a troubling choice. As she struggles to accept (and change) her husband she strikes up a friendship with Raymond, an African American gardener who comforts her and makes her feel a warmth her husband has stolen from her. The community is less than enthused about Cathy's choices, even her best friend and confidant Eleanor refuses to understand what Cathy is going through.
Haynes brilliantly captures a society that doesn't quite know how to accept what it cannot bring itself to understand.
The film is propelled forward by some brilliant performances, especially from Quaid and Moore.
Julianne Moore is often toted as the rightful owner of the 2002 Lead Actress Oscar. She lost that night to Nicole Kidman in a performance that was mere gimmick as far as I'm concerned (and I really love Kidman, but not in that film). For me, 2002 is all about Diane Lane, but Julianne Moore is absolutely stunning as Cathy, a true revelation. Her style of acting lends itself perfectly to this type of film. I have always said that Moore is a very mannered actress. She can appear very theatrical which can lead her performances to feel stiff and unnatural. In this type of a film, those unnatural mannerisms bleed such truth into her character's emotional struggling. She appears desperate to contain herself, prim and proper like she is expected to be, yet her fragility is seen as her body shakes with every word. She is mesmerizing as she attempts to make her voice heard without overstepping her boundaries; conveying a sense of self entitlement even when it is expected that she have none.
For me though, this film is all about Dennis Quaid. His riveting portrayal of a man condemned by his own emotions is just stunning to watch. Some have complained that he never really allows us to see why he was such a well loved man to begin with, but the film really uses his character to point out the major flaws in society at that time. Nice or not, Frank was a caretaker, a provider and a handsome man. He had wealth, charm and intellect. He was a prime catch, and so he was regarded as well liked despite his apparent flaws. He is perceived as one thing even though his very presence contradicts it. It should also be stated that the film opens at the beginning of an unraveling so-to-speak, with Frank's secret on the verge of exposure and his emotional rollercoaster reaching it's pitfall point. Quaid is just extremely captivating, moving and so invested in this performance that one nearly quivers as he delivers his heartbroken lines.
His final decision is gut wrenching for so many reasons.
The supporting cast (Quaid is supporting as well, since this is Cathy's story through and through) is miraculous, especially Patricia Clarkson, who embodies the term `supporting actress' beautifully. She has only a few scenes, but she captures a woman with a deeper sense of structure than the film lets on. There is a story behind her shattering words, even if that story is never fully explored (how dare Cathy find an out in her marriage when women like Eleanor are stuck eternally in there's). Dennis Haysbert is also very well used here, his earthy demeanor really embellishing his character's draw factor. You can't help but cozy up to him, just as Cathy does.
The film is a beautifully rendered social commentary on the controversies that surrounded a time period and that still bleed into our way of thinking today. By tackling themes such as infidelity, homosexuality and racism with such strength and apparent fearlessness, Todd Haynes created a masterpiece of modern cinema that bares a soul as old as its protagonist.
Movie Review: A solemn triumph of sagacity and artistic filmmaking
Summary: 5 Stars
Both sagacious and poignant, this homage to Douglas Sirk's film noir/women movies of the 1950's delivers an emotionally-powerful story both successfully and allegorically. The filmmaking and subject matter of Far from Heaven are expertly displayed in the exact, old-fashioned style as Sirk's movies, while being a stylish film with a relevant, perceptive message. Sirk's films were about postcard-perfect lives with dark and very human underlying secrets. Far from Heaven is the exact same type of movie, but one that is capable of transcending the cinematic melodramas of the 50's.Taking place in Connecticut of the late 1950's, Far from Heaven centers around a female protagonist named Cathy Whitaker (Julianne Moore). Cathy is introduced to us as a perfectly polished, ideal housewife of the 1950's. She is well respected by her peers, well groomed, and loves her family. However, her life begins to shatter once she discovers that her husband Frank (Dennis Quaid) is a homosexual who has casual affairs with men that he meets on the street and in back-alley gay bars. Frank himself doesn't approve of his behavior, and he and Cathy come to the conclusion that he should see a psychiatrist by the name of Dr. Bowman (James Rebhorn).
Cathy finds escape from her life's imperfections by socializing with her gardener, Raymond Deagan (Dennis Haysbert). Raymond is a charming, handsome, and intelligent black man who has a passion for seeing color, or more specifically, whatever is on the surface of things. Cathy wishes to continue her relationship with the loving Raymond, but finds that difficult when her gossipy, bigot peers begin to think that she and Raymond are having a sexual affair. Cathy's life becomes excruciating, as her friends and neighbors of the racist area in which she lives discover more and more truth to what seemed to be a paradise-esque lifestyle in which she lived.
Far from Heaven is the ultimate antipode to the other great period movie of 2002, Chicago. Rob Marshall's musical Chicago was entertaining, bold, brassy, and the sort of film that people see to simply have a fun time (and, of course, there's nothing wrong with that). Far from Heaven, on the other hand, is a solemn film that is message-laden and abstemious. It is a thinking-person's masterpiece.
The performances of Moore, Quaid, and Haysbert are all masterfully delivered. The way in which Moore displays the character of Cathy makes her performance one of the year's best. She is able to let the audience know that the kind-hearted Cathy is actually masking her troubles with her façade that everything is perfect and in control without stating so. Quaid, who normally plays characters of great masculinity, is astonishing as the homosexual Frank. He is convincing, and is able to show the character's inability to mend his problems while instead bottling them up inside to the point of unbearable angst with great skill. Haysbert is charismatic as Raymond, and does not try to make the character a hero but instead succeeds in making him a symbol of discovering the true colors of people's lives (perhaps the "Deagan" of his name symbolizes his "digging in" of Cathy's actual feelings).
The filmmaking of the movie is exquisite. Sandy Powell's authentic costume design, Mark Friedberg's sumptuous production design, Elmer Bernstein's wonderful score, and Edward Lachman's gorgeous cinematography all capture the cinematic feel of 1950's films, and the overall feel of the movie's messages with proficiency. In fact, the A-list collaborators also showcase color to the point where they seem to understand that this movie about how we must express feelings that we actually wish to hide must itself be textured with rich color and an aura of expression.
Todd Haynes, who directed and wrote the screenplay to Far from Heaven, is certainly one of the most promising directors of our time. Haynes handled everything about this movie with great ability and maturity. Not once did Haynes dilute the themes of homoeroticism to an exploitative degree, nor did he ever become sanctimonious in stating the film's messages. Haynes told the movie in a stylistically old-fashioned manner of storytelling, and meritoriously so.
The film, although it takes place in the 1950's, is quite relevant to the society of the present day. Not everyone will enjoy the often-depressing tone of the film, but they will admire its depth and wisdom. It's the sort of movie that you watch to contemplate afterward, and this film will have anyone thinking about it once they are finished watching it.
Movie Review: Imitation Written Close to Heaven
Summary: 5 Stars
My three favorite films from early teen years were: 'Written On The Wind', 'All That Heaven Allows', and 'Imitation of Life'. I loved all I saw, heard, and felt from, in, and about these films. What I didn't know at the time was that were all the products of the masterful Douglas Sirk.It was not necessary for me to hear Todd Haynes' interesting and reflective commentary on this DVD to know that his film 'Far From Heaven' pays homage not to the real-life 1950s, at least not any life I was living at the time, but rather to the beautiful work of Douglas Sirk and his melodramas. Films that totally removed us from our routine lives and plunged us into the fairytale romantic world of people with beautiful faces, complex personal problems, thwarted love affairs, stunning wardrobes, lush landscapes, and immaculate homes, lives all lived fabulously surrounded by a background of sweeping, majestically emotional musical scores.
Speaking of the music, Elmer Bernstein re-created the sound of the scores from the above mentioned films with such accuracy in 'Far From Heaven' it is difficult to believe he was not responsible for any of the original scores of my three favorite Sirk films; with the soundtrack of 'Written on the Wind' (released on 45 EP) being my favorite soundtrack for years to come. Has there ever been a greater musical film moment than that portrayed by the seductive Dorothy Malone (in her Oscar-winning role of Marylee Hadley) when she storms into her room, slams the door, blasts out a mambo/type jazz tune on the phonograph and dances alone, casting off her inhibitions and torrid desires?
It is my belief, though of course I can't prove it or even know it with absolute certainty, that many reviewers of this film may have never viewed the original Sirk films which inspired 'Far From Heaven', probably certainly not in their original era. Those reviewers speaking negatively of Quaid's stoic, wooden performance were perhaps not intimately familiar with performances by John Gavin or Rock Hudson. Certainly, the naiveté portrayed by Juliette Moore's character was the most closely reality-based truth about the 50s in this film. Not one mother in any family of my friends at that time could even drive a car. Younger viewers, born well after the 1955, have both lived very different lives than those of us born and reared before 1963 and certainly have been raised on a completely different type of Hollywood film style. It is difficult to say whether we are better served by film styles that are either more intelligent or more jaded, depending upon one's point of view. Certainly they are more action-oriented than the more thoughtful, slower moving films of the 1950's.
The one jarring note I felt in 'Far From Heaven' was the single curse word (in the use of the 'f' word). While that word is a staple of today's standard vocabulary (including my own personally), and is often barely even consciously heard by many movie-goers in the context of today's films (or our lives for that matter); I found it disorientingly out of place in this film. Haynes addressed this issue in his commentary and indicated the intent was to 'jar' the audience, which in my case - he did. However, given the otherwise flawless dedication to recreating the work of Douglas Sirk, it was amazing how this one word stood out as inappropriate for the time, the character, and the genre. This is not a moral judgment by any stretch, words are words. Rather my notice of this particular use of this word was more like a reminder of how well-structured films can transport us so completely from our real lives into the world of their creation. For someone who views the variety of films I do, as often as I do, this was an astonishing recognition, mostly for just how unaware I still was of the power of films, even after all this time and exposure.
I purchased this DVD at a bargain rate and more than got my money's worth in pleasure and memories. The extras, of which there are several, were interesting and informative. If you are a serious fan or student of 'film', this is a modern day treat which will transport you to more innocent days and a decidedly different film style that you might see in the theater today.
If you were a fan of the movies of the 50's, do not let the reviews of those who are not familiar with the originals deter you from securing this film at any price and of allowing yourself to take a magnificent journey filled with heavenly pleasure back into the world of the movies we loved.
Movie Review: A Cosmetic Facade Cracked by Ugly Realtiy
Summary: 5 Stars
With FAR FROM HEAVEN, writer-director Todd Haynes meticulously recreates the look and conventions of 1950s "domestic drama"--and then subverts it. Like all domestic drama heroines, Cathy Whittaker (Julianne Moore) is a glamorous woman, and the film finds her married to Frank (Dennis Quaid), a rising executive in television sales. They are the perfect 1950s family: they are upwardly mobile, have two children (a boy and a girl, of course), live in an expensive home in an expensive residential district. One evening, Cathy unexpectedly opens a door--and discovers that Frank is unfaithful to her.If this were a Douglas Sirk film starring Lana Turner, Cathy would have found Frank in the arms of another woman and done battle with her to save her marriage. But Frank is in the arms of another man, something that falls completely outside Cathy's frame of reference. Desperate to save her marriage, she encourages Frank to see a psychiatrist; unable to confide in her friends lest she provoke a scandal, she finds solace in the company of her gardener. But he is black--and when their largely innocent friendship is discovered it provokes the very scandal she feared.
The themes of homosexuality and racism are merely the most obvious way in which Haynes subverts the genre. More interestingly, Haynes essentially presents us with characters trapped between the stereotypes of 1950s domestic drama and hard reality, and the result is often quite surreal. Time and again the characters respond to harsh reality by resorting to the high-flown dialogue and awkward dollops of social consciousness typical of the genre--and time and again the nature of the film works to highlight how ridiculously unnatural this response is. As the film progresses, it becomes increasingly claustrophobic in feel, and while none can deny that it is homage in form, it becomes metaphor in fact, satirizing and condemning both the artificial social codes of the past and present. Moreover, it works to undercut our selective memory of the 1950s, which we prefer to recall as "Happy Days" but which saw the House Un-American Committee, The Cold War, and the beginnings of everything from racial integration, the gay rights movement, and feminism--and in the face of such issues role models like Lana Turner in her evening gown and Donna Reed with her pearls crack and shatter.
The cast is superlative here. Julianne Moore, whose career has been building for the past several years, clearly demonstrates that she is now in the same league with the greatest screen actresses of her generation, playing the role of Cathy Whittaker on so many levels that it has the effect of an emotional Rubik's Cube. Dennis Quaid, best known for playing mischievously macho "bad boy" characters, gives an extremely unexpected and highly charged performance as husband Frank, and both are excellently supported. The script captures every grotesque nuance of the 1950s domestic drama while neatly undermining it at every turn, and the production staff has done a remarkable job of recreating the visual style involved. The cinematography and score are incredibly beautiful, and the director's approach to the project is less homage than it is critical evaluation of those who enjoy such artificial constructs both then and now, both on the screen and off. It is an extraordinary feat, and quite possibly one of the best movies of the past ten years. The DVD package is quite interesting, with three solid documentaries and a good director's commentary.
FAR FROM HEAVEN will not be to every one's taste, not by a long shot. Many who liked the 1950s "domestic drama" genre--and many who don't--will not be able to make the leap of perception that Haynes requires, won't be able to shift gears to look at the work with the objectivity necessary. But it is powerful stuff, and I recommend it all the same.
--GFT (Amazon Reviewer)--
Movie Review: Close to Heaven
Summary: 5 Stars
With 201 reviews online, I am not about to summarize this film. But for those who say they "hated it," it is clear that they have no clue what Todd Haynes was trying to do. It is a very stylized film meant to evoke certain films from the 1950s, and if you watch all the extra features on the DVD, you will understand that is what the goal is. The difference, which makes this film absolutely stone cold brilliant, is that Haynes does what filmmakers in the 1950s could not do: address homosexuality. Anyone who is gay or sensitive to gay people will quickly grasp that many films in the 1950s had "veiled" themes, and that some of them could have been gay love stories or had gay themes, had the times allowed. Haynes shows what may have really been going on in the "Donna Reed" world of Cathy Whitaker, behind closed doors, so to speak.
The acting of the leads and the supporting cast is stellar, and Julianne Moore, in particular, conveys emotions in such an incredible way that it is impossible not to feel connected to her. When she admits to her best friend Eleanor that she feels the only person she can talk to is the black gardener, and that she feels somehow "alive" -- you can almost see a woman who has felt true, honest human affection for the first time in her adult life.
Other reviews commented on the bad camera shots/angles/what not -- I don't know what they're talking about. It is clear that everything in this film was thought out in minute detail and there was a deep love for the period, for the specific films being emulated, and that even the composer, the brilliant Elmer Bernstein, felt connected to the film, from his mesmerizing score, to his insightful comments that he offers on the DVD.
One of the tragedies of being young is not having lived through certain things, and yet making the assumptions that something is dumb, cliche, stupid, or any other sort of bizarre commentary that I have read about this film. I lived in this era, I saw these movies, those colors were in my house, and people said those things -- because movies influence us in ways that we cannot even begin to imagine.
This movie is not perfect; there are a couple of scenes, which, if watched too many times, border on the hysterically funny -- but even those have to be considered in light of the whole undertaking, which is absolutely brilliantly conceived.
I think that Dennis Quaid, who seemed uncomfortable discussing his part in the DVD extras (maybe he didn't want to give away the "secret"), was superb. Knowing men from that era, I can recognize the look in his face, and his posture, his clothes, everything about him said "closet case." He was fantastic. I find it odd that everyone is making a hysterical big deal out of the male-male kiss in "Alexander" -- and yet, look at Dennis -- he went for it. He is totally believable, and when their relationship really starts to fall apart, it's tragic -- two people living a lie, keeping up appearances, for what? This is one of the messages, if there were any, that I got. And the other is where Dennis Haysbert, as the gardener, has a moment with Julianne Moore in front of the theater -- an incredibly honest moment which he says a few things that make so much sense -- and yet, all around them was a world of fear, a white world with white people, all living in some fantasyland that they were the only people in it, and that black people were somehow "extras" or "atmosphere people" that showed up and did the dirty work, and were then bussed out of town at night.
Todd Haynes wanted to express these and other things within the very specific and stylized framework of certain 50s' films, and I think he did so with absolute, total brilliance.