Her Head in Films

Todd Haynes's 'Far From Heaven' (2002)

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In this episode, I explore Todd Haynes's 2002 film, "Far From Heaven." It's an homage to 1950s melodramas and stars Julianne Moore as Cathy Whitaker, a Connecticut housewife who develops a deep connection to her African American gardener (Dennis Haysbert) while her marriage starts to crumble when her husband (Dennis Quaid) starts struggling with his repressed homosexuality. I talk about melodrama, woman's films, Douglas Sirk, Rainer Werner Fassbinder, how the film looks at race, sexuality, and gender, and much more! Spoilers are in this episode.

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Original logo by Dhiyanah Hassan

Full Show Notes:

  • My episode on Birth
  • Douglas Sirk films: All That Heaven Allows, Written on the Wind,
    • Magnificent Obsession, Imitation of Life
  • Frida by Julie Taymor
  • The Hours by Stephen Daldry
  • Melodrama
  • Woman's film
  • Rainer Werner Fassbinder
  • Ali: Fear Eats the Soul by Fassbinder
  • My Safe episode
  • "Shallow" by Lady Gaga
  • "Hey Jupiter" by Tori Amos
  • My episode on Brief Encounter
  • Carol by Todd Haynes

    • All My Sources

    • Todd Haynes: Interviews (Conversations with Filmmakers Series), edited by Julia Leyda
    • Todd Haynes: From Fassbinder to Sirk and Back (A 2003 interview with the Criterion Collection)
    • Todd Haynes interview with BBC
    • Julianne Moore interview with Film Monthly
    • Douglas Sirk interview with Film Comment
    • Richard Brody - "Douglas Sirk's Glorious Cinema of Outsiders" (The New Yorker)
      • ...more
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