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Thursday 19 November 2015
With precision and power, Todd Haynes captures ‘Carol’
JAKE COYLE In this Nov. 16, 2015 photo, director Todd Haynes poses for a portrait in New York to promote his evolutions in a career to see
AP Film Writer latest film, “Carol.” him grow as a moviemaker
NEW YORK (AP) — Sub- with every new movie,”
tle and gorgeous, Todd Associated Press says Kent Jones, director of
Haynes’ period romance the New York Film Festival
“Carol” swells and stag- onym in 1952. Mara plays ements like Carter Burwell’s that cloak inner turmoil. His at Lincoln Center, which
gers with the tremors of an is running a retrospective
unexpected love. The set- a young department-store sumptuous score and the first film, “Superstar: The Kar- of Haynes. “I thought with
ting (1950s New York) and ‘Mildred Pierce,’ Todd took
the characters (played clerk named Therese who’s camera’s keen attention to en Carpenter Story,” about a huge, huge leap forward
by Cate Blanchett and — and the same with ‘Car-
Rooney Mara), may seem drawn into a relationship slight but meaningful ges- the singer, was made with ol.’ I think ‘Carol’ is just ab-
remote to some, but few solutely the most nuanced,
won’t recognize the film’s with Blanchett’s Carol, tures (a glance, a hand on modified Barbie dolls. His subtle, most beautiful film
dreamy undulations of he’s ever made.”
emotion — including the an elegant, experienced a shoulder), show Haynes first feature, “Poison” — a Christine Vachon, Haynes’
director, himself. longtime producer, says its
“It so has put me back into woman whose marriage is in full command of his film- series of tales about homo- Haynes’ obsession for detail
the mind of a much young- that distinguishes him.
er me when I, unfortunate- crumbling. making. “He primes the sexuality — was labeled “Every single thing in the
ly, filled up many journals frame is there for a reason,
worth of meticulous obser- Their romance unfolds like canvas really meticulously. pornography before its that draws you in, that aug-
vation and analysis and re- ments the emotionality,”
counting of residual events a crime, hidden from view You can feel the textures release but became a says Vachon. “Whether
that would occur in the it’s the color of the couch
company of that person,” amid the male-dominated and the atmospheres build- touchstone of what was or the music or the per-
Haynes said in a recent formance of the actor,
interview. “What’s funny midtown of ‘50s New York. ing up and accruing during called New Queer Cinema. the construction of every-
is what a solitary predica- thing you see and hear is
ment you find yourself in.” Men often clutter the frame filming,” says Blanchett, In “Safe” he explored the so beautiful rendered and
That the 54-year-old, thought out.”
Portland, Oregon-based in “Carol” — the closed- who also starred in his 2007 life of a San Fernando Val- At the center of virtually
Haynes was, from the start, all of his films have been
a careful chronicler of pas- minded or oblivious im- Bob Dylan drama “I’m Not ley homemaker (Julianne knockout performances by
sions should come as little women, a trademark he’s
surprise. In his six feature pediments of a time that There.” ‘’He would come in Moore) and in “Velvet proud of. But he’s also frus-
films and the HBO miniseries trated by Hollywood’s per-
“Mildred Pierce,” Haynes shunned homosexuality. and he would just smooth Goldmine” dove into 1970s petual “amnesia” that films
has grown into a master of about women are neces-
melodrama with a knack “There are all kinds of ob- a hair. He’s quite painterly glam-rock. sary and successful.
for lushly textured films that “It’s always sort of like: ‘Oh
summon earlier eras with structions and they’re about the way he assem- “Carol” marks his sec- wow, there’s an audience
precision and power. out there for this! We had
“Carol,” which has already built into so many frames bles the whole thing. It feels ond ‘50s-set film after “Far no idea!’” says Haynes,
been feted at the Cannes who’ll next make Brian Sel-
Film Festival and been of the film,” says Haynes. like it’s got Todd’s hands all From Heaven,” the Oscar- znick’s “Wonderstruck” with
ranked among the ex- Moore. “And yet the same
pected Oscar contenders, “It makes you think about over it.” The Los Angeles- nominated, Douglas Sirk- revelation seems to kick in
is adapted from a Patricia every time. It doesn’t seem
Highsmith novel originally looking and who’s looking born Haynes, who studied inspired melodrama about to produce a pattern of
published as “The Price commitment to producing
of Salt” under a pseud- at whom and the frustra- semiotics as an undergrad a Connecticut housewife similar kinds of work.”q
tion of not getting to what at Brown University, has reg- (Moore, again) whose hus-
you want.” ularly been drawn to stories band is gay.
Such details, mixed with el- with gleaming surfaces “It’s been one of the great
‘Hotels of North America’ offers insights into aloneness
This book cover image re- KIM CURTIS also span a life — loneliness, gnant “nationally recog- sex — Morse, more impor-
leased by Little, Brown and Associated Press alcoholism, extramarital nized” RateYourLodging. tantly, reveals his loneliness.
Company shows “Hotels It’s tough to categorize Rick affairs, a failed marriage, com reviewer, Morse. He’s a victim of the modern
of North America,” by Rick Moody’s latest literary gem a new love and a young While Morse spends con- affliction of being overly
Moody. as a novel. In fact, it may daughter left behind by di- siderable time doling out connected and woefully
be best not to categorize it vorce. practical tips for the weary disconnected at the same
Associated Press at all. traveler in search of a good time.
“Hotels of North America” is Readers more comfortable night’s sleep — “Do not
a fictional collection of on- with linear narratives, tra- carry keys near your key- Moody, himself, sums it up
line hotel reviews written by ditional character devel- card ... Demagnetization best in a clever afterward
a paunchy, middle-aged, opment and carefully un- is a fact of life,” explaining to Morse’s collected re-
occasional motivational spooled plots may find “Ho- how bed-and-breakfast views that he says he was
speaker named Reginald tels” tough-going at first. inns are marred by “throw persuaded to write for a
Edward Morse. The reviews But dedication is rewarded pillow abuse” and debat- paltry $300: “It is a collec-
span more than two years here by Moody’s, at times, ing whether hotel sex is in- tion of writings about what
and cross the country. They hilarious, pathetic and poi- herently better than home it means to be alone.”q
