Carrie (1976)
July 8th 2010 15:53
Carrie - A film by Brian DePalma
Carrie, released in 1976, stars Sissy Spacek in one of the iconic performances of the decade. While Carrie may appear dated in places, it’s final impact builds, to create a motion picture that is truly remarkable. Carrie sweeps you away, parts of it are clunky and even hokey during it’s establishing scenes but it’s intrigue and characters affect you more deeply than you might have, at first been aware of. This sudden emotional anchor of Carrie puts you under a spell that’s hard to resist. The directing by Brian Depalma (Carlito's Way, Mission Impossible, Scarface) is pedestrian in some places, but funnily enough causes the final act of it’s horror tragedy to be all the more effective – and also devastating, as it roguishly sweeps the rug out from under us. Not only was Carrie the prototype for a whole new sub-genre of films like The Virgin Suicides or May, but it is also so rich in sub text, that you could write an entire review focusing solely on it’s under currents of themes and social commentary – which includes, giving the big finger to the judgements of Christianity.
Beautiful dress Carrie, be careful not to get any spills on it
Like many other genre films of the seventies, such as Vanishing Point or Bullet Train, Carrie boldly defies the narrow holdings of it’s genre boundaries. It heads upwards, constantly in a hysteria of dramatic fever and black comedy, reaching heights that shouldn’t work, but get away scot free. Carrie is too heavy handed to actually be scary (although there are one or two moments that go for the jugular and nail it’s mark), the film is more interested in the style and visuals of classic horror more than the scares. Carrie is a coming of age film, a drama, in the most traditional sense but it’s visuals and flirtation with the supernatural (which is blended in just right) lends itself to the label of horror. Carrie also, at it’s core has a soft spot, generous doses of tenderness and warmth, which increase the range of emotions necessary to make it a resonant and memorable film, rather than just a scary one.
Intimately portrayed, we first encounter Carrie at school sports, her lack of ability cause the girls to lose their volley ball game, which she gets pushed and abused over. Relegated to loner status, Carrie moves through High school in isolation. This is followed by a scene in the girls change room which includes an odd, over-abundance of young nubile flesh. Carrie has her first period and is terrified, as she has no idea what is happening, the other girls torment and mock her, in the shower room, making fun of her irrational fear. Her tough, benevolent gym teacher, Miss Collins (Betty Buckley – Wyatt Earp, The Happening), snaps Carrie out of her panic and takes in interest in this Mousy, freckled girl, who barely ever shows her face through her long golden hair. Carrie comes home to an absolute nightmare of a mother, a crazy, bible bashing zealot, played violently over the top here by Piper Laurie (The Hustler, Twin Peaks, The Crossing Guard), the film portrays her mother as the one dimensional pinnacle of evil. She locks Carrie in a closet, a shrine to Jesus and makes Carrie prey for her soul now that she is a woman.
As the prom approaches, Sue, a popular girl, played by Amy Irving (Traffic, Who Framed Roger Rabbit, Fievel Goes West) takes sympathy on Carrie, asking her handsome boyfriend to take Carrie to the prom. On the other side of that is the ultimate high school ‘mean girl’, the too popular for her own good, Chris, played by 70’s Depalma regular Nancy Allen (Robocop, Dressed To Kill, The Last Detail), who plans to play a hideously malicious prank on Carrie that she will never forget, during her night at the prom, with a little help for the lovable douche, Billy, played by John Travolta (Pulp Fiction, Saturday Night Fever), in a role he provides some really enjoyable comedy relief with. What none of these four know is that Carrie has been developing telekinetic abilities, the power to move tangible objects with your mind. This mixture of religious abuse at home and high school misery for this outcast could be a dangerous mixture for everyone around her. Carrie is eerie in how new layers of immediate social commentary have emerged in the wake of high school shootings in the States, I’m not saying the character of Carrie White does this at the end, certainly not, but there is much you could look into regarding what runs underneath the film.
Sissy Spacek (JFK, North Country, Bad Lands), creates a captivating and beautifully realized performance as Carrie, she knows when to move past the Mousy qualities and she reveals Carrie’s arc with such depth and poignance, there are scenes that she plays that are so moving, we witness a woman’s emotional awakening, and you could even say that Spacek’s acting in Carrie is as influential as the movie itself, which spawned not only similar films but similar ways of how to play that kind a character. There are actually a number of cracking actor’s showcase at work. There’s so much happening with Sissy Spacek’s acting here and it’s so delicately crafted and subtle that you might not immediately appreciate it in the beginning as you do by the end. Betty Buckley, who plays Carrie’s teacher does some knock out acting, there’s an outright acrobatic element to what she’s doing, she’s just so powerful in some of her scenes, charisma pours out of her, still filled with nuance, Buckley’s acting is almost a show off piece it sticks out so impressively. John Travolta as Billy, is hilarious in this, he’s so dumb that it’s endearing, he has such a unique way of playing what is probably a one note character and he gets so much out of his small part too, Travolta oozes appeal here. Piper Laurie, who plays Carrie’s mother, is thoroughly vile, but I found her character to be too over the top for her to do anything else with, she basically comes across as a one dimensional villain. There are flashes of balance that appear in what she does, but all her finer grace notes are drowned by too many broad strokes of playing that psycho bitch who you just hate so much.
The musical score by Pinno Donagio, who regularly scores Depalma’s films is perhaps his best ever, it’s truly a beautiful piece and it’s used at just the right moment too, as we’re getting swept away with the character. Brian Depalma has done a solid job here, there are a couple of cracks that show up here in this somewhat dated look of a post card in time. Depalma has always been hit and miss, and while some of his directing here is a small mess in places, he really does deliver the goods by the end. That final act is really something that stays with you long after you’ve watched it, elevating it in emotional significance and with a good dose of themes to leave us chewing on. Carrie’s finale has a lot to say about those who preach about sin and the utterly inhumane notion of consigning an individual to hell. Carrie is heart breaking in all it’s final power and we experience so many different thoughts and emotions when watching it. Carrie was based on the Novel by Stephen King, who has had some real duds made out of his books, Carrie is one of the best cinematic adaptations of any of King’s novels.
Enjoy the theme music by Pinno Donagio.
The trailer for Carrie – WARNING contains big spoilers.
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Comment by Matt Shea
Comment by David O'Connell
20/20 Filmsight
Screen Fanatic
Comment by ShaunK
Screen Adventure
That whole section with splits screens, it is glorious but my God he just milks that, dragging out to such an extreme. That score is beautiful, giving the film it's heart and sissy Spacek, this is still he crowning work. If she's done anything better than this then I havnt seen it.
Oh yes - I forgot about the score for Dont Look Now, it's a gem.
Matt - thanks bud. That final moment where she snaps really brings the whole film together. I wasnt as surprised by it though. What did surprise me was that final scene with the mother.
Comment by JohnDoe
Film & TV on DVD
Fantastic use of split screen rivaled only by Rules of Attraction IMO. Sissy is great and that opening locker scene still delivers a surprising emotional yank.
Travolta as the prick without a brain is still amusing too.