Far From Heaven
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Movie Reviews of Far From Heaven
Movie Review: Close To Perfect
Summary: 5 Stars
Watching a movie is thought of as a disposable experience, to paraphrase Eric Dolphy, "You watch it, then it's gone". Thus, the decision to purchase a copy is based on a perception of extraordinary quality; the assumption is you'll watch it more than once. Most films fail this test; Far From Heaven passes it dramatically.
This jewel dazzles on every level, conception, directing, cinematography, acting, relevance, and heart. In conception it is a stylistic homage to the melodramatic films of the 1950s, and to its eternal credit, is played straight, completely without irony. Director Todd Haynes, fond of fishing in some very dark water, exercises admirable restraint here and respect for his source material. The cinematography is simply breathtaking, this movie is consistently gorgeous eye candy from start to finish. When autumn leaves fall in the idealized Connecticut back yard, they are not merely autumn leaves, they are the most perfect autumn leaves ever. Julianne Moore's beauty fits well in this context, and her wardrobe and mannerisms say everything about the alleged "perfection" of her life. The innocent way she inhabits this mythical landscape causes viewers to forget that she's acting, which is the definition of acting.
Her secretly tormented husband is played by Dennis Quaid. Quaid is consistently workmanlike with many good performances to his credit, but here he is like a tennis player who, for some unknown reason, is playing far above what is normally his best game. Dennis Haysbert, now familiar to millions as President Palmer on Fox's 24, knows far more than Mrs. Whitaker about the cruelty lurking behind American society's cheerful mask. The social suicide facing all these key players, and the internal pain they must confront, is discussed in whispers behind closed doors. This will lull some viewers into the mistaken belief that Far From Heaven is a "period piece" reflecting a repressed age now mercifully outgrown. Haynes is actually making the opposite point, the difference exists only in degree, not essence.
These people seem to live in the world of Henry James, where social class can be determined by how you hold your teacup. Today, we imagine ourselves more free and tolerant because we use the ugly epithets brazenly. But the darkness we carry around inside undermines our humanity in precisely the same way; just like these people we fear and flee from the content, clinging desperately to the veneer. Truly a brilliant film.
Movie Review: Subtley profound
Summary: 5 Stars
It'ss true the plot of Far From Heaven is very simple, and even contrived and unrealistic at times. Many of the criticisms here is that it somehow feels inauthentic or that it's simply trying to reproduce the look and feel of movies of the 1950's. It's true, as one reviewer pointed out, that a wealthy white woman would have never gone to a racially mixed club with a black man in "real life," and this is exactly the point of the movie. This movies addresses, with brilliant subtlety, that movies are indeed completely contrived and unrealistic. All movies. As the set designer notes in one of the bonus features of the DVD, "Todd Haynes wanted a set that looked like a set, not a real house." The staginess, too perfect cinematography, and occasionally forced dialogue of Far From Heaven are always letting us know that we are watching something completely invented and unreal.Somehow all the actors, and really everything in the movie, walk a fine line between camp melodrama and searing emotion. The movie is so carefully controlled and acted, that when genuine anger and pain rise to the surface, it is quite shocking and sad. Moore somehow is melodramatic and real at the same time, and Quaid and Haysbert do excellent jobs, one not being the person who he really is, and the other his opposite.
And yet the movie still addresses deep and divisive social issues with heartwrenching realism. Some may dismiss the racial and gay issues as passé, but are they really? There are still plenty of people cheating on their spouses because they've never been able to fully accept who they are, and interracial relationships are still slowly coming into acceptance in most places, not to mention of other race and class issues that are still quite prevalent. (And to the reviewer that suggested that gay men may still prefer "the secret life": No.)
This is a complex, heartfelt, and wonderful film. If, after you first watch it, you think, "Huh? Did I miss the movie?", have a look at the extras that come with this DVD. You'll learn a lot of things about filmmaking, and you'll learn that Haynes has done something great and important here. Many people speak of the 1950's with great nostalgia. Haynes's film shows that, one, much of this nostalgia really came from movies, not real life, and two, a seemingly simple and clear-cut life is really just a cover for a complicated, messy, and confusing one.
Movie Review: An absolute Masterpiece!
Summary: 5 Stars
For those who think there are no great movies being made today, I urge you to look no further than Far From Heaven. The film is a journey to the era of the "melodrama" and the "weepy," which is really a reinvention of sorts of the Joan Crawford or Bette Davis women's picture, although it is more commonly associated with the Douglas Sirk pictures.The great thing about Far From Heaven is it never tells you what to think, but it tells you what to think about. For example, the film never takes an outright stand for or against themes such as racism and homosexuality, but through the catharsis of the story it helps the audience learn and make up their own minds.
My reaction to the film was it was comparing the intolerance and racism of the 50s towards African Americans to the intolerance often felt today and in recent times toward homosexuals. A theme throughout the movie, although never obviously expressed (but expressed through the story), is that it is never wrong to love. Whether you love interracially or even the same sex, love is love (and I believe Dennis Quaid said that in an interview).
Not only does Far From Heaven have one of the most original and creative stories in a long time, but it is a film that also contains brilliant acting, cinematography, and a wistful, breathtaking score.
The acting by Julianne Moore could almost be considered legendary. There has not been acting like this since the days of Joan or Bette, where the heart is worn so perfectly and vulnerably on the sleeve in the face of love and persecution. If Nicole Kidman hadn't given an equally genius performance as Virginia Woolf the same year, Julianne Moore would have won the Oscar. Dennis Quaid is also memorable and heartbraking as the man who falls in love in an anti-homosexual society that falsely believes that his love is a disease.
Best part of this film, among so many unforgettable moments, is the heartbreaking end. The music swells beautifully, the shots of the departing train and falling leaves evoke emotion, and the closeup of Julianne's face with all of her heart and sadness is just grand. A masterful film that perhaps will be remembered as one of the best films of its time, someday when people look back for relevant and timeless cinematic art.
Movie Review: A stunning combo
Summary: 5 Stars
I would like to believe that somewhere down the line the combo of Todd Haynes and Julianne Moore will be mentioned as one of the stunning collaborations in film. Haynes is one of the most innovative directors, sometimes saddled to concepts that tend to overshadow the fact that he, like William Wyler, should be directing women's pictures. And I think an argument can be made for me being one of our most luminescent performers. This film, shot in the luscious pallete of Douglas Sirk, glows brightly.ok, whatever. I wanted to try to open this with some sort of stylistic thing. Some people are satisfied with style over content, and I must admit, if the content is some "I"m out for revenge-my brother got killed by the mob, and by the way, I"m a character played by the Rock" I"m all for setting it in post apocalyptic Vegas as directed by Quentin Tarantino. Style sometimes makes all the difference....
the style of this movie is amazing. But it is not all. Haynes tells stories of passion unanswered...people reigned in by conventions, and society. I believe that the style of this movie helps tell that tale. We only see glimpses of modern devices. The film, told in 50's style, cuts away before we see everything. In this way, the characters are restrained, and our imaginations are set loose.
Long ago I heard Ronald Reagan(oh my god, I"m going to agree with Ronald Reagan) say that movies of his era were summed up by a man and a woman going into a room, and the door closed, and you pieced it together in your mind. This is that sort of movie. I loved it.
And finally, the story is not overtly earthshaking, it is the fifties and we know that interacial love was taboo, as was homosexuality.....but when taken as a symbolic language for the oppression people still feel, it is a remarkable work. Moore gives one of the most restrained performances of great depth I have ever seen. Dennis Quaid, who I often think is a little over the top, works well in this. Patricia Clarkson is fantastic, as is Dennis Haysbert. The work is fantastic throughout.
So this is a unique film where style helps content to the max. I highly recommend the vision and the film.
Movie Review: Exquisite.
Summary: 5 Stars
Todd Haynes's "Far From Heaven," a semi-replica of Douglas Sirk's classic 1954 "All That Heaven Allows," surpasses its predecessor with stunning grace. The film not only broadens the accusation of society's attitudes toward social issues (by adding the factors of homosexuality and interracial relationships), it also achieves something else very important from its audiences: empathy.Suburban Connecticut, circa 1957. Cathy Whitaker (played by the impeccable Julianne Moore) has a seemingly perfect life until her husband, Frank (Dennis Quaid), struggles with his sexuality and she finds solace in her black gardener, Raymond Deagan (Dennis Haysbert). She must deal with her inner demons as she cares for her children, her friends, and her social status.
In the making of this film, director Haynes had choices to make: either to convert the melodramatic style of the original film into today's style of moviemaking and to touch upon the social issue with familiar revolutionary pretensions, or to retain the melodramatic style of filmmaking and to allow the film to make its own statement through the subtleties of its story. Haynes chose the latter, and it was a very wise choice.
The film is made in the style of a 1950s melodrama, but sincerely refrains from poking fun at the genre. The consistency of the exquisite cinematography by Edward Lachman and the magnificently emotional musical score by Elmer Bernstein are among the elements that beautifully add to Haynes's excellent screenplay. The true sincerity of the film, however, comes from an utterly brilliant performance by Julianne Moore, who is in practially every scene. Her purposefully stilted dialogue and seemingly fake emotion (which hit a sour note with some film critics) reflects the restrictions that are imposed by this particular genre, and they further offer a critique of the cultural expectations which the film sets out to expose. Subtleties such as this are constant throughout, and though there is no social impact present in the film's plot, the film manages to make a statement which is far more sincere than it would have been otherwise. A deeply moving masterpiece.