Her heavenly voice was stilled much too soon, but Karen Carpenter gave the world some beautiful music along the way. Karen's melodious voice burst through the middle-of-the road arrangements that her brother, Richard, and the record producers tossed her way. Even many of the songs, a few written by Richard, were moon-in-June type selections; yet Karen rose above the fluff and soared with her own special style of singing. Karen's situation is similar in many ways to that of Jackie Wilson, a performer much admired by the King himself, Elvis. Jackie Wilson's producers surrounded him with syrupy strings, bland choral backing, and at times popcorn lyrics, but he was able to break free from these musical shackles by effectively using his magnificent voice and style.
Since Richard supervised this official biography of his sister, we believe what we see. The psychologist who confronts the family with Karen's eating disorder makes it plan where the problems lay. Richard was the big brother looking after his little sister, sometimes to the detriment of his own career. The family was overprotective of the baby sister to the point of virtually controlling her life and smothering her with their domination. The producers bring it all home by choosing Nurse Ratched to play Karen's mother, who thinks giving Quaaludes to her son is not the same as hooking him on drugs.
If you are a Carpenters fan, then you'll love the soundtrack to the film. All the good stuff is here, sung by Karen herself. Cynthia Gibb makes the viewer believe that she is Karen Carpenter. She not only looks the part but lip-syncs perfectly. How she appears to lose so much weight during the film is amazing. Mitchell Anderson portrays Richard Carpenter just as effectively. He too has the looks and gives the viewer a sense of seeking his own stardom without getting in his sister's way. He seems content being in Karen's shadow.
The imagery of the drums adds effect to the drama by indicating that they were Karen's security blanket (that term is even used). Once she emerges from the drums to take center stage, she is indeed on the top of the world, a place where she feels uncomfortable and vulnerable. Her super stardom, added to the stress already present in her life, led to her fall, which was truly a loss for all of us.
Since Richard supervised this official biography of his sister, we believe what we see. The psychologist who confronts the family with Karen's eating disorder makes it plan where the problems lay. Richard was the big brother looking after his little sister, sometimes to the detriment of his own career. The family was overprotective of the baby sister to the point of virtually controlling her life and smothering her with their domination. The producers bring it all home by choosing Nurse Ratched to play Karen's mother, who thinks giving Quaaludes to her son is not the same as hooking him on drugs.
If you are a Carpenters fan, then you'll love the soundtrack to the film. All the good stuff is here, sung by Karen herself. Cynthia Gibb makes the viewer believe that she is Karen Carpenter. She not only looks the part but lip-syncs perfectly. How she appears to lose so much weight during the film is amazing. Mitchell Anderson portrays Richard Carpenter just as effectively. He too has the looks and gives the viewer a sense of seeking his own stardom without getting in his sister's way. He seems content being in Karen's shadow.
The imagery of the drums adds effect to the drama by indicating that they were Karen's security blanket (that term is even used). Once she emerges from the drums to take center stage, she is indeed on the top of the world, a place where she feels uncomfortable and vulnerable. Her super stardom, added to the stress already present in her life, led to her fall, which was truly a loss for all of us.