Superstar: The Karen Carpenter Story

[blueroses]

Posted: 11/20/07 at 10:52pm

Oh my God! A friend of mine just told me about this movie (he had seen the bootleg). This clip looks hilarious (check out the Richard doll). Have any of you actually seen the whole thing?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XrAA6VMIPb0

[Roscoe]

Posted: 11/20/07 at 10:54pm

Yes, I've seen it several times. Surprisingly good movie, and oddly moving, not the laugh riot you seem to be expecting.

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 11/20/07 at 10:54pm

I actually saw an illegal showing in a theater. And believe it or not, it's much more harrowing than hilarious.

And then the director went on to such great heights!

[MargoChanning]

Posted: 11/20/07 at 10:54pm

I have a copy from years ago. A fascinating film.

[blueroses]

Posted: 11/20/07 at 10:55pm

The use of Barbies just struck me as being funny. I'd love to see the whole thing.

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 11/20/07 at 11:03pm

After a while you start to feel really bad for those Barbies.

Posted: 11/20/07 at 11:04pm

i have a copy too.
it will make you cry, much more than any live action film would.

besides the dolls, the whole way The Carpenter's music is used is so sensitive & well done.

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 11/20/07 at 11:07pm

Of course, it was the unlicensed use of that music that spurred Richard Carpenter to get the injunction against the movie.

[Roscoe]

Posted: 11/20/07 at 11:09pm

There's also the one icky little moment where Karen asks Richard what would happen if people found out about HIS private life.

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 11/20/07 at 11:11pm

Yeahhhhhh, and that Ken Doll looked kinda shocked when she brought it up.

Posted: 11/20/07 at 11:12pm

"all you ever have is salad & iced tea!"

[blueroses]

Posted: 11/20/07 at 11:29pm

A Google search turned up the whole film, in case anyone else wants to see it:

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=622130510713940545

[PalJoey]

Posted: 11/20/07 at 11:30pm

I first saw this in a living room in a share in the Pines in the early 90s. My housemates, who had been going to Fire Island since before AIDS--my dog and I were the babies in the house-- used to get high and screen 16mm prints of camp classics like All About Eve and Queen of Outer Space.

Some nights Daisy would announce before dinner, "It's Baubles, Bangles and Beads Night!"--and he would bring out a big jewelry case filled with cheap costume jewelry, and everyone would have to sit at the dinner table wearing bracelets or big clip-on earrings or tiaras.

One night someone knew someone who knew someone who had a print of Superstar and they showed that instead of a camp classic. It was astonishing. I was a little too high to pay close attention, but hours later, as I walked from the Pavilion to the Meat Rack, the images were still with me.

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 11/20/07 at 11:31pm

High on life?

[TulitaPepsi]

Posted: 11/21/07 at 12:16am

A very great and disturbing film.

It wasn't just Richard Carpenter who was incensed about the film. If I'm not mistaken, Herb Alpert took legal action against both the unauthorized use of the A&M records logo and his depiction as the simister "Mr. A&M" who setrs Karen off on her way to fame and eventual death.

[blueroses]

Posted: 11/21/07 at 1:15am

Whoa. Disturbing is right, Tulita. And kinda trippy! And definitely moving.

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 11/21/07 at 10:05am

I saw it back in the mid-90s along with Street of Crocodiles and rather bizarre banned Looney Toons shorts. It was something of an herbal evening. We weren't high on Life, but then I've never smoked cereal before ("I don't want to try it! You try it!"). I love how the older characters had wrinkles drawn on the dolls' faces with what was probably a Flair felt-tip pen (anyone remember those commercials?). The Dionne Warwick doll was fabulous. And while the film was mostly camp, it was still rather unsettling. Especially those bottles of Epicac flashing on the screen.

[CJR]

Posted: 11/21/07 at 10:39am

I have the whole thing on video somewhere.... I'd actually totally forgotten about it till you posted this!!!!

[Roscoe]

Posted: 11/21/07 at 11:39am

Yeah, I still have my old bootleg too. I recently put it on a DVD, just to preserve it.