Classic Movie Monday: Carrie

Welcome to Classic Movie Monday. Every Monday, I watch a film at least 25 years old that I have never seen before. I will then write my comments on the film, telling you what I thought of it. This is an attempt to beef up my classic film knowledge as well as highlight some forgotten gems of Hollywood's heyday. So without further ado...

Carrie
Released: Novemebr 3, 1976
Directed by: Brian De Palma
Starring: Sissy Spacek, Piper Laurie, & Betty Buckley

Plot in a Nutshell:
Carrie White has telekinetic abilities. Suffering humiliation and ridicule from her class mates and scornful admonishments from her mother at home, Carrie is about to snap on them all.

What I thought:
I'm having a difficult time deciding whether or not casting Sissy Spacek in this part was a good thing or bad. Carrie is constantly berated by her peers and harsh-fully scorned at by her mother. She is pushed down by all those around her. I express confusion because I don't know how anybody could possibly hate her.

The character, Carrie, is drenched in revulsion and disgust by virtually everyone she comes across. The students laugh at her when she speaks, ridicule her when she is in pain, and curse her when she makes a mistake. I know this takes place in high school, and kids, especially teens can be particularly cruel, but give me a break. The abuse she gets is beyond ridiculous, bordering on absurdity.

Carrie White is nothing but sweet. Horribly misguided by her domineering mother, she has been raised to be very subservient and passive. School kids love to verbally beat on her. They laugh at her when she doesn't know what menstruation is, pelting her with tampons and pads. The characters make Carrie feel like scum, and it is completely undeserving. There is good reason for this cruelty though. Not on a basic story level but on a structural one. You need the audience to see her put down, you need to see her in the lowest moments. After an hours of mistreatment, the final half hour of payback and payoff is much more earned, and as an audience, you feel much more vindicated.

Brian De Palma expertly crafts this story, dragging us on an emotional coaster. Even though every person in the movie hates this poor girl, he makes you fall in love with her. A large part is Spacek's subdued performance, but it is De Palma that seals the deal. Pulling no punches, he'll figuratively drag Carrie through the dirt, then later give her some happy moments of pride and joy. Just before all hell breaks loose in the finale, he allows Carrie to be in the spotlight in the best sequence of the film. She walks so smooth and gracefully, the camera slowly moving with her: she is radiant with happiness. Taking her place on stage, in front of everyone, the crowd cheers for her. She looks out at the crowd smiling, laughing: she is accepted. Then, when the rug is ripped from underneath her, she becomes emotionally devastated and mentally unstable. The most beautiful moment in her life is stolen from her in a cruel prank.

This film demonstrates an exceptional ability to play with the audience. It's a great compliment to the film that I was able to experience all the emotions Carrie was feeling. However, I still have a hard time seeing the hatred the other characters see. I don't get why they feel the need to go to such elaborate lengths simply to humiliate someone. I don't understand in films like this, where the bullies are beyond reality. In film-land, all a bully cares about is making others feel bad and it is usually only one person. They fixate and do everything they can to make that person miserable. Concocting schemes and plots to bring about humiliation. It is unrealistic and I hate it. It's this point that knocks the film down for me.

Carrie is described as a horror film. If you see this film, don't expect a slasher, a gore fest, or even a violent film. This isn't a horror film in the way the term means today. It is a different type of scary feeling. This is about the horror of being exposed, being publicly disgraced, ridiculed amongst the people you are trying to impress. These are fears people feel every day, it's nice to see them explored in a film.

It's taken me some time to appreciate this film. Immediately after finishing it, I felt disappointment. I was expecting a lot more on the creepy/spooky/scary front. Instead what I got was a great film about the fears of high school and of acceptance. Carrie's horror doesn't involve chainsaws, ghouls, marionettes, or masked killers, rather, genuine fears of being disliked, public ridicule, and peer acceptance. I really enjoyed it.

Bottom Line:
Made with great craftsmanship by Brian De Palma, performed excellently by Sissy Spacek, the film is a great tale about our personal horrors.

B+

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