Superstar: The Karen Carpenter Story (1987)
| Title | Superstar: The Karen Carpenter Story |
| Year | 1987 |
| Country | USA |
| Genre | Documentary (Animation) |
| Collection | Dance and Music |
| Run Time | 43 min |
| Director |
Superstar: The Karen Carpenter Story (1987) is an American experimental short biographical film that chronicles the last 17 years of singer Karen Carpenter’s life. It follows her journey from her ‘discovery’ in 1966, through her meteoric rise to fame, and ultimately to her tragic death due to anorexia. The story begins on February 4, 1983 in Karen’s childhood home in Downey, California where her mother, Agnes Carpenter, finds her body in a closet. Through flashbacks, we see key moments in Karen’s life such as signing with A&M records, experiencing success and then decline with her brother Richard as part of the duo The Carpenters, developing anorexia nervosa, getting married to Thomas Burris, collapsing on stage in Las Vegas, seeking treatment for her eating disorder, and attempting to revive her career. Ultimately, it is speculated that Karen’s reliance on syrup of ipecac (unbeknownst to her) was a contributing factor in her cardiac arrest and untimely death.
A unique aspect of the film is the use of modified Barbie dolls instead of traditional actors. Director Todd Haynes portrayed Karen’s deteriorating anorexia by delicately altering the features of the ‘Karen’ doll. The sets were accurately scaled to fit the dolls, including settings such as the Carpenter family home and Karen’s apartment. Even small details like labels on wine bottles and Ex-Lax boxes were appropriately sized. Throughout the film, snippets of documentary-style footage provide background information about anorexia and Karen Carpenter’s era. These clips are also accompanied by distorted flashes, meant to disrupt the flow of the story and poke fun at typical documentary techniques.
Date of download: 2015-11-11T17:22:34+00:00
Superstar: The Karen Carpenter Story (1987) is an American experimental short biographical film that chronicles the last 17 years of singer Karen Carpenter’s life. It follows her journey from her ‘discovery’ in 1966, through her meteoric rise to fame, and ultimately to her tragic death due to anorexia. The story begins on February 4, 1983 in Karen’s childhood home in Downey, California where her mother, Agnes Carpenter, finds her body in a closet. Through flashbacks, we see key moments in Karen’s life such as signing with A&M records, experiencing success and then decline with her brother Richard as part of the duo The Carpenters, developing anorexia nervosa, getting married to Thomas Burris, collapsing on stage in Las Vegas, seeking treatment for her eating disorder, and attempting to revive her career. Ultimately, it is speculated that Karen’s reliance on syrup of ipecac (unbeknownst to her) was a contributing factor in her cardiac arrest and untimely death.
A unique aspect of the film is the use of modified Barbie dolls instead of traditional actors. Director Todd Haynes portrayed Karen’s deteriorating anorexia by delicately altering the features of the ‘Karen’ doll. The sets were accurately scaled to fit the dolls, including settings such as the Carpenter family home and Karen’s apartment. Even small details like labels on wine bottles and Ex-Lax boxes were appropriately sized. Throughout the film, snippets of documentary-style footage provide background information about anorexia and Karen Carpenter’s era. These clips are also accompanied by distorted flashes, meant to disrupt the flow of the story and poke fun at typical documentary techniques.