Chorus.Fm Weekly Movie Club • Page 2

Not really, the user streaming wouldn't have to download anything illegally or anything at all except the app itself. It's possible the person you're streaming from might've obtained that media from a torrent. From the perspective of a user it's really no different than any other streaming service.

 

Rewatching this is going to make me miss my ex, we watched this together she used to do a very funny "oohh Caarol" impression. But ill do it, because i believe in this club.

 

I hadn't seen Carol since it came out, when I watched it twice, but it rings very true about repression in a way I didn't think Haynes did as well in Far From Heaven, his other melodrama. Blanchett is getting to a point in her career where she is so revered that directors are letting her do too much but here she is perfectly subdued.

It does deserve a mention for one of the silliest names in all of cinema, with Coach Taylor playing the husband "Harge Aird".

 

Carol is inarguably well-made (the score in particular is beautiful) but I'm yet to see a Hanyes that didn't feel a little emotionally removed to me. Thankfully Blanchett lets you see into the cracks a bit more than in Blue Jasmine or Tar (both great performances, too), which helps.

 

Carols still got it.
What did everyone think of the male gaze with this all male director, cinematographer, editor and how did it compare to Protrait of a Lady on Fire?

been learning to draw

 

Are we doing separate threads for each movie or keeping this as the general thread? I need to carve out some time to watch Carol this week. I have my pick ready to go for next week.

 

I would also like to do this with albums if anyone wants to partake. Maybe an artist a week would be a bit more engaging?

 

I'm never fully sure exactly what is meant by male gaze sometimes. I would (generally) interpret it as either seeing a female focused narrative unfold through the viewpoint of a male character, for example if Hage was the main character here, not Carol / Therese.

Or it would be if the film contains scenes sexualising the female characters unrealistically, for the benefit of a male audience watching - like an 80s horror movie skinny dipping or shower scene.

I wouldn't say that Carol falls into either of these traps, but obviously I'm not an expert on this, so I would be interested in hearing anybody who is more informed than me!

 

Male gaze generally means a male point-of-view. For example, in a male-female sex scene, a male gaze would objectify the female body while not emphasizing or even partially obscuring the male.

It is something that inevitably comes up when straight male directors make films about lesbians. As much as everyone celebrates Mulholland Dr., I always think that the sex scene feels like it veers into that territory. Carol never really feels that way, though. Haynes is gay and it informs his understanding of the social stigma the characters go through. The brief nudity is more sensual than titillating.

 

Same thread. We all already know you are picking either Spring Breakers, Everybody Wants Some, or Dazed and Confused.

 

from my not great understanding theres generally 3 perspectives of male gaze, behind the camera, men on screen, and men in the audience. I was more interested the behind the camera one and the idea of the of comparing these 2 films and if there is any technical differences in the way a lesbian film sexualises its focus. I didnt notice any, but some of the theory ive read claims(i have no sources lol) that if its made by a man it always has male gaze (also didnt now Hayes was gay).

My male gaze broke verisimilitude during the sex scene because the camera was contanstly on a razors edge to making sure to only show one participants nips.

 

The nudity vs. not nude angle is the business side of movies rearing its head. Some actors will do nude scenes and others won't. It is definitely noticeable in nude scenes with multiple actors.

 

I'm actually going with one I haven't seen before!

 

Any coments on the age/power imblance? Im generally pretty lax about it but if it had been a straight movie with Matt Damon leaving the motel during the night and she woke up with Ben sitting the chair, that would of been weird.

Edit: I guess its one of the themes that Therese learns to stand up to social pressure/Carol. Once, breifly.

 

Carol can promise her a life she couldn't get access to otherwise, and while I don't think there's anything particularly untoward about it, there's certainly a maternal and dependency aspect between the two of them, especially with Carol losing access to her own child.

The financial imbalance, again tapping into the maternal aspect of their relationship, is also something Carol is very aware of. She buys Therese a new camera and films, as well as treating her on their road trip, restaurants, and getting her out of the monotony of her job at the shop, and the tepid relationship she's in. They're not treated as equals in the relationship, Carol takes care of Therese.

 

Finally got around to watching this, and quite loved it. Shout out to this suggestion finally getting me off my butt to watch this obviously stunning film; I’m already eager to revisit it during the holidays.

Loved all the stuff with the glances between characters, and Therese as a photographer (who initially doesn’t want to capture humans because it feels like an invasion of privacy), and all the ways that shots were framed. And, that the painful climax of the film was an investigator secretly making a tape of Therese & Carol’s night together, which is such a terrible perversion of that. (Also, Carol’s need to be honest on-the-record about her and Therese.)

Weird imo that the points that were discussed here were male gaze & age gap, lol.

 

To me Carol is a very agreeable film to everyone who would watch it, which is fine but makes for dull conversation. The talking points are a strech in the context of only Carol but i hoped we could get a more out of them comparing it to other films that handle them differently.

 

Shit I was so busy all week I never watched this

 

Hm. I don’t think I agree with this assessment. To me, this was a fundamentally queer film (and not simply because it revolved around a couple women falling in love), which deeply informs all of the glances and shot framing (through glass, etc.) and whatnot.

I was skimming some online writing about the film to help put my thoughts in order, and I loved the comparison I saw a couple places to filmmaking under the Hays Code. There’s a specific queerness to these women trying to find themselves and each other in the midst of a “morality clause” that forces them to repress and beat around the bush.

It’s also there in that contrast between Therese having to grow into photographing people, which she sees as an invasion she’s not entitled to, and the vile act of recording her night with Carol that she’s subjected to. And, it’s also there in the role the older Carol has to take in leading Therese into this love she wants but doesn’t have the confidence or knowledge to pursue. It’s not just about a love story, but a story about finding one’s queerness and living with in within a context that doesn’t find it (or you) acceptable.

(It’s beautiful through this lens that Abby not only isn’t a jealous ex-lover, but is specifically willing to help Therese get home to such an extent that she does.)

 

Watching this, I found myself thinking about the manga series Even Though We’re Adults, by Takako Shimura (who also made Wandering Son). The story begins with a teacher going to a bar and hitting it off with another woman, before revealing that she has a husband; it then follows these characters as they navigate their lives in the aftermath and implications of that connection. A lot of similar themes, in my opinion. And, it’s also just very, very good comics storytelling worth recommending to anyone curious to try a manga out.

 

These are good points! would you care to post the articles on the hays code?

I when say agreeable to everyone who would watch, im talking people who choose to watch a queer period drama know that that are going to watch repression and finding queerness, those are the staples and that Carol executes them well technically and themematicaly. It lacked something exceptional to make it stand out in its lane, Broke Back did it 10yrs earlier, the writing/dad speech scene in Call me by Your Name that i rewatch on youtube all the time, the longing shots/cinematography in Portrait of a lady on Fire are a step above.

 

I'd watched it before but watched it again. Definitely like it better but I'm a total slut for Todd Haynes aesthetically, especially when he does 50s stuff. Cate Blanchett is obviously amazing but I feel like the supporting cast (Kyle Chandler, John Magaro, Sarah Paulson) are also incredibly solid but I guess overall I'm not a huge Rooney Mara fan.

Also Todd Haynes and Hays Code stuff is an element of Far From Heaven too, which also does the same as this but trying with an interracial relationship. Definitely a good companion piece for modern movies trying to make a 50s movie

 

Watching now

 

Pretty good

 

Reminder: @OhTheWater your pick is tomorrow. @youll be fine your pick is on Monday the 24th.