Amazon.com: This uniquely beautiful film--from one of the smartest and most idiosyncratic of contemporary directors, Todd Haynes (Safe, Velvet Goldmine)--takes the lush 1950s visual style of so-called women's pictures (particularly those of Douglas Sirk, director of Imitation of Life and Magnificent Obsession) to tell a story that mixes both sexual and racial prejudice. Julianne Moore, an amazing fusion of vulnerability and will power, plays a housewife whose husband (Dennis Quaid) has a secret gay life. When she finds solace in the company of a black gardener (Dennis Haysbert), rumors and peer pressure destroy any chance she has at happiness. It's astonishing how a movie with such a stylized veneer can be so emotionally compelling; the cast and filmmakers have such an impeccable command of the look and feel of the genre that every moment is simultaneously artificial and deeply felt. Far from Heaven is ingenious and completely engrossing. --Bret Fetzer
Far from true but, a beautiful movie anyway I don't think, in reality, that the 50's era was all that innocent. After all, homosexuals and negroes have always been with us. Like, June Cleaver cleaned her TV house wearing pearls and a skirt, stocking, heels, and a neat sweater set and perfectly styled hair with pearl earrings. Have you every seen your mother clean all dressed up? Of course not, because it's make believe. Like the movies, or anything for that matter. It's all a facade. But, that's why we used to go to the movies, to get away from reality, were the people are pretty and dressed nice and are polite to each other, throw in some melodrama and you got some good popcorn munching entertainment. And the handsome black man in this movie had his own business, was well dressed, well spoken, a widower, with a young daughter. He was probably lonely, missing his wife, and he meets a lovely, well spoken white women, who is also lonely, missing her husband. They have similiar interests, he pays attention to her, maybe going to the all black lounge was a bad idea, they should have gotten something to go instead. They could have been more discreet, but then, we wouldn't have the melodrama. Loved the fashions from that era, women actually looked like woman. Loved the cars, too. Just take this for what it is, not social commentary, just pure entertainment. Don't over analyze, just enjoy.
Far From Heaven An excellent, well acted movie. Women will probably enjoy this more than men...I know I will keep watching it every so often over the years...
a fabulously filmed story from the beginning of the movie you are drawn into the over-the-top colorful world of suburbia 1950's. i know the director& designers deliberately parodied the technicolor movie genres of the time period but their interpretation just blew me away. juilianna moore and dennis quaid were remarkable in creating their characters for whom i felt both sympathy & shared frustration. the only drawback to the whole film for me was the treatment of the children,mostly by their mother. while i understand the 'seen not heard' concept & the fact that the wife was trying to protect her husband from any household upset, i think these kids would probably have spent most of their adult lives in therapy due to the total lack of emotional empathy given to them by both of their parents. that having been said, this movie is still one of my top 10 all time favourites.
Disappointing It's "Leave it to Beaver" with Ward as a closeted gay man and June in love with her black gardener. Julianne Moore's character is so stereotypically 1950s perfect housewife, that for the first 30 minutes I wasn't sure if the film was supposed to be a comedy. Moore's character is impeccable, with a 20 inch waist and stellar hostessing skills. She makes June Cleaver look like Roseanne Connor. In fact, the film is almost completely centered around the wife. I was hoping for a film that delved more deeply into the world of a closeted family man in the 1950s. For those of us living in the 21st century it's hard to imagine what that could be like. It failed to live up to my expectations. At first the film provides an extra treat--the movie portrays an unexpected interracial relationship between the wife and the black gardener (played by the Allstate Insurance guy). What could be more interesting--a film set in the 1950s that takes on two taboo storylines? As the wife's story unfolded I was hoping to see how her life and the life of her gay husband weave together. Unfortunately, the filmmakers fall short. The gay storyline comes to a dead halt once the wife and the gardener establish a "friendship." Instead of interlacing the storylines of the husband's relationship with another man and the wife's relationship with a black man, we get only the wife's story. The husband virtually disappears from screen. In fact, at the end of the film, the husband is seen in a romantic and committed relationship with another man, although we have no idea where they met or how he was able to handle such a transition in his life, especially in 1957. The film is only 100 minutes, so there was ample time for the filmmakers to have juxtaposed the two storylines. Although the film is well acted and interesting, I was disappointed for the wasted effort. I would rather watch reruns of "Leave it to Beaver" than see this film again.
Easy to overlook On first glance this film does seem like it is borrowing too heavily or is some sort of vanity piece. Having seen this piece a few years ago and upon repeat viewing (very recently) I really had a much, much deeper appreciation. Of note were how the "characters" were stuck living up to society's expectations and how that really came to be at odds with who they were as people. This DVD is definitely worth owning, especially for that cold winter day when you want to relax with the television and enjoy a hot chocolate.
Anything Goes Trivia
Trevor
Megaton Man
