 Carrie & #1 tormentor, Chris. |
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When we watch Carrie, it's hard not to think of the "outcasts" in school. Maybe we felt like we were always on the verge of being an outcast, no matter how popular or unpopular one was. Based from Stephen King's best seller, Carrie, King has his regular story of an outcast who can soon take no more mockery and explodes back with outlandish revenge.
What is strangely more interesting about Carrie is the fact that the outcast, (protagonist, & later, antagonist)…is a girl. Outcasts are usually portrayed as boys in stories and movies. And the boys get wailed on. Yet having the outcast be a girl just makes things more interesting & rare upon viewing, and certainly more real. Yet Carrie's domestic life with her religious-fanatic mother was the true horror in this movie.  Upon close viewing, I felt like Carrie's mother heaved all of her her own stuffed yet indulged guilt upon her daughter. Thus, she saw her daughter as anything but a person; Carrie was a constant, living sin in the mother's eyes. A person Carrie was, however. In the shadows, watching Carrie beg and cry for her mother to love her, while Carrie's mother stands above her, hand in the air pointing to "God," and shelving out defeating condemnation to Carrie, then turning her mightiness to a sweet smile may look over the top. Yet somehow I felt like it was oddly mythic and symbolic of how unforgiveness of one's self (the mother) can turn us into monsters and begin to destroy the ones around us. It was sad.
The drama and acting are, of course, played up with sometimes impressive fervor and stylish direction given these issues. Sure Carrie herself has some supernatural powers, but that sensationalism, though interesting, takes a back seat. Carrie is classified as a horror film, but it really isn't. It's mostly a tough drama about being abandoned by your family and the world. Further, while feeling insecure, and having the world sense that insecurity, and instead of trying to help you, the world pierces in on your defeated identity and humiliates your being with strange, frothing cruelty. That is what the film is about. Being alone with someone's foot on your throat. And unfortunately, though that seems mellow dramatic, there is something all too real about those attitudes in society regarding anyone who's different.
A rare, and refreshing moment of encouragement. Watching talented Sissy Spacek portray Carrie, we see that Carrie's actually quiet & never hurt anyone, & even a tiny light in her begins clarify a seed of self-worth and identity given a little grace from another(...famed for "Memory.")
Picture Carrie's film transfer is one of the worst for utilizing DVD's, but at the same time, it's one of the best ways you'll see - at present - this movie compared to laser or VHS. Many scene's shadows were hazy, or blueish, green and looked poorly filmed, to be honest. Yet some scenes had rich blacks dead on and that was great. Also, some scenes were extremely clear; these seemed to be close-ups in daylight with the person not moving for a few moments (Carrie in the library looking through the card catelog). The DVD showed exceptional clarity here. Fleshtones usually looked fine. The shadows, the poor contrast, and artifacts (scratches on film) were just not good; bottom line, the film looks like it hasn't been stored well and aches to be digitally remastered.... Audio Yet MGM remastered the sound first before the picture....hmmmm. (I'm guessing that's cheaper). The sound was pretty good. Dialoge virtually ignored any panning, but big deal. The soundtrack & score made use of score with Digital Dolby 5.1, and opened up my viewing room at times with good drama. But it was unpredictable when it would be utilized. Not much bass though, but sometimes. The thing is, Carrie seemed to be a nice person, and was never very threatening until people practically had their foot on her throat. Guess nice people are targets, eh? Alone.  |
