Before Greta Gerwig and Margot Robbie captured the zeitgeist with their Warner Bros-backed Barbie, the popular doll was the subject of a much darker indie pic directed by Todd Haynes. Titled Supers…
Before Greta Gerwig and Margot Robbie captured the zeitgeist with their Warner Bros-backedSuperstar: The Karen Carpenter Story , the experimental pic used archival material, dramatized talking heads, and, most importantly, stop-motion animation featuring Barbie dolls to tell singer Karen Carpenter’s rapid journey from obscurity to pop stardom and her untimely death due to anorexia-related-complications.
Vachon isn’t listed as a producer on the pic but receives a “Special Thanks” from the filmmakers and she told the audience in Karlovy Vary that Barbie’s parent company Mattel paid a visit to their office when the film was released but Haynes was able to trick his way out of any legal bother over the use of the doll.
The 43-minute pic went on to enjoy a successful run in the downtown New York experimental film circuit and played at several international festivals, including Toronto, but has been withdrawn from circulation since the early 1990s after Richard Carpenter, Karen’s brother, and longtime collaborator, filed a lawsuit against Haynes, which the director lost. Haynes made the film as an MFA student at Bard College and used many of Carpenter’s songs in the film without obtaining permission.
“It pops up on Youtube all the time. It’s kind of like Whac-A-Mole. It pops up and gets taken down. Pops up again and gets taken down, so you can almost certainly find it. And now it’s been restored. There’s a wonderful version that keeps popping up and it’s the true director’s cut.”
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Ryan Gosling Struggles to Follow Kids' Barbie BackstoriesRyan Gosling and Eva Mendes’ daughters, Esmeralda and Amada, love to play with their Barbies — but Dad isn’t always welcome at their Dreamhouse. 😂
Read more »
‘Barbie’ movie banned in Vietnam over scene including disputed mapWarner Bros’ highly-anticipated “Barbie” movie has been banned in Vietnam.
Read more »
'Barbie' Gets 4-Movie Special DVD Collection Ahead of Live-Action DebutBarbie Gets 4-Movie Special DVD Collection Ahead of Live-Action Debut
Read more »
Vietnam bans 'Barbie' movie over South China Sea mapVietnam has banned Warner Bros' highly-anticipated film 'Barbie' from domestic distribution over a scene featuring a map that shows China's unilaterally claimed territory in the South China Sea, state media reported on Monday.
Read more »
‘Barbie’ movie banned in Vietnam over map of disputed South China SeaVietnam has banned the highly-anticipated 'Barbie' movie from domestic distribution over a scene featuring a map that shows China’s unilaterally claimed territory in the South China Sea, state media reports.
Read more »
‘Barbie’ Movie Dragged into Diplomatic Mega-SpatThe upcoming Barbie movie starring Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling has been banned from domestic distribution in Vietnam.
Read more »