Superstar: The Karen Carpenter Story is a 43 minute film regarding the life of pop vocalist Karen Carpenter. It was directed by Todd Haynes and released in 1987. It was later withdrawn from circulation after Haynes lost a lawsuit filed by Karen's brother and musical collaborator, Richard Carpenter.
The film covers Karen's life from the time of her "discovery" by her brother in 1966 to her untimely death by cardiac arrest (secondary to anorexia nervosa and bulimia) in 1983. The movie begins with a quasi-first person recap of Agnes Carpenter discovering Karen's body in her parents' Downey, California home on February 4, 1983, and then returns by flashback to 1966. The story touches on major points in Karen's life from 1966 on:
- the duo's signing with record label A&M
- their initial success and subsequent decline
- Karen's development of anorexia nervosa (spurred by an infamous review which described the well-proportioned Karen as "chubby")
- her on-stage collapse in Las Vegas
- her search for treatment for her anorexia nervosa
- her attempt to restart her career
- her gradually developing reliance on syrup of ipecac (a product which, unbeknowst to her, destroyed her heart and led to her cardiac arrest).
An unusual facet of the film was that, instead of actors, almost all parts were played by modified Barbie dolls. In particular, Haynes detailed Karen Carpenter's worsening anorexia by subtly whittling away at the face and arms of the "Karen" Barbie doll. Also included is a fantastic soundtrack of the Carpenters music. |
