Reviews

I have read Carol (aka The Price of Salt) so for the purpose of this review, it needs to be understood that a film must be limited to a shortened time by the film board so Nagy has omitted the very essence of the book, rather like skimming through a book so missing details. People ask why the film is called Carol? When the book is Price of Salt...in the book Thereze, while living in Chicago for a long time, has a visit from her best friend Danny having finally achieved his degree has been offered a job in Los Angeles and en route he stops by to ask Thereze if she would move there with him, she considers this but declines, it is in this conversation Danny uses the term Salt. Salt is mentioned twice in the book

This film is a version of that story because it is brought to life by Cate Blanchett & husband Andrew Upton. Exquisitely filmed, beautifully directed, and crafted with brilliant performances from the three leads, Cate, Rooney Mara, and Sarah Paulson as always. It is more a work of art using accurate details from the fifties, both in costume, props, music and scenery. It matters not that it differs from the book, it isn't meant to be, however if you enjoyed the film, immerse yourself in the book.

I admit to havng watched the DVD so many times, each time I enjoy it more, it's just that good.

In the end having moved back to New York, needing to return Carols car, and attend a party, where she happens meets a rising star blonde actress who asks her to her suite, she declines and meets Carol to return the car. In the book little is told of Carol, but the film revolves more around Carol, hence the title change and re-released re-naming of the book. The reference to the book being semi-autobiographical is a bit overstated, Highsmith once worked in Bloomingdales dept store during Christmas selling dolls and noticed a woman just like Carol wearing the lush fur coat, golden hair, an air of something special about her. She goes home and writes the outline of a story about her, drawing on personal experience. While ill she reflected on her notes and based the book on just that character, naming her Carol because of Christmas Carol, I have no idea why the husband's name is Hargess! Highsmith had the book published under a pseudonym, Claire Morgan, after which she returned to mysteries and adventure, but doesn't like being a labelled writer.

If you have read the book you may feel cheated by this film, but the supreme casting of Rooney Mara, Cate Blanchett & Sarah Paulson do at least express the story extremely well in brief, surprisingly including one very tastseful scene of sexual nature. Also some of the lines from the book are used exactly as written, like flung out of space...

Best line:Blanchett 'Just when you think it can't get any worse you run out of cigarettes!'

If you have only seen the film and enjoyed it, DO please read the book, which is approx 9 hours of reading, it gives the inside details that will give you a truer insight to this brave 1950s based relationship, back then very illicit. The character Carol goes to great lengths to give Thereze everything, it is an immediately mutual attraction. She even goes to the trouble of buying Thereze her favourite brand of Philip Morris cigarettes for the very many times she stays at Carols house, Abby has separate relationship with Thereze. There is also some humorous insight by Thereze...for example she has been in the car with Carol who seems to always want the windows down, ergo Thereze is always cold, when she is given a late drive home with Abby, the car is open-top sporty flashy cream colour roadster, and her inner thought is 'Another one who like to drive in the open air!' Lastly, or this review will never end...the letter she finally receives is heartbreaking to read.

The whole book is told from Thereze' perspective. When Carol leaves her to fly home there is no Abby, in the book she is left only the car, later some money, and eventually Thereze makes a new life in Chicago.

The key word in saying this film is based on the book is LOOSELY. So loosely that it's inside out, back to front, missing key information. However that is why most screen adaptions are often disappointing to those familiar with the books. I read this before knowing it would become a film and was really excited to learn of the casting. It was difficult to secure funding and distribution so it took a long time to reach the screen.

If you can choose, see the film first, because the books are so much better, that's a book to film standard.

Try listening to the book ▶https://mobile.audible.co.uk/pd/Fiction/Carol-Audiobook/B00O3H1AOG

Either way, this is a beautiful story be it by film or book, or both.

I thought this show had so much potential when it began, am up to episode 8 at the moment, now it just seems not to deliver, it seems to be all over the place..

If this is a possible scenario for an apocalypse, it's not getting anywhere, it seems like they want to use this multi-faceted book to possibly elevate it to a level of creative enigmatic Cult Icon Status?

I gave up on Lost after the 1st season, you need to be invested in these shows to want to watch it to find out more...not less!

I fear the same fate for this, or I'm alone and everyone is raving about it, I did read some enthusiastic posts when it began and kept watching it as a result, the users reviews are often pretty good guides, thank y'all:-)

What is this 'Self titled group- 'The Guilty Remnant Cult' actually trying to achieve? What is their actual Manifesto for a required outcome? Point of agenda? They seek to achieve That No-One must forget...the Town really gets that already. So in order to prevent people forgetting, they are being general nuisances trying to preventing others who can and want to move on accepting some kind of inevitability...

But it seems the Guilty Remnants don't wish for them to do so, to move because to them to move on is to forget, in their opinion.. They selfishly want to bring everyone down to their way of thinking (disregarding the fact that people deal with grief and loss very differently indeed, very much so). It's futile. It could've been quite a great show, if it were faster and let the audience in...maybe..

I like a lot of the characters as well, but I need more....

These people are deluded and need psychiatric help. They're not entertaining, they're irritating,

Joining a Cult. Wearing only White clothes, stopping speaking and starting chain smoking- what sort of message does that send-er..how about a pretty bad one...?..

$40k designer bodies to bury...seriously? Good for a laugh..

I know one is warned about disturbing scenes at the beginning, and given My most favourite show is The American Horror Anthology with a side of Vampire Diaries, I'm good. But not with animals. Personally I got upset when they blamed the dogs.. ( I'm an animal lover so I find scenes like that most upsetting, my fault) but were they really necessary scenes?

As disappointing was the daft scene with the guy in short t-shirt only, exposing himself, while raving at the young pregnant girl, if ever a scene didn't require his nudity to make a point it was that!! (that guys scene, it's gratuitous and not worthy)

Now I understand that they feel the need to blame something, so the dogs were being weird with them and at that time why not it be the dogs could be wiping out millions of people and we're looking to.apportion blame, but the pilot story hook mentioned a Rapture event... which I assumed to be of dinosaur origin when the Sherrifs windscreen was blasted and this weird wailing was coming from under his car...

In episode 4 I began losing interest, hooha about the nativity doll and was the aforementioned scene necessary for the guy to be exposing himself when attacking the pregnant girl? Some people were negative about the nudity in Mildred Pierce, asking if the nudity was necessary and I thought yes absolutely, it added huge intensity to the scenes required to move Mildred (Kate Winslet) to want to strangle Veda (Evan Rachel Wood). In this was a case of why did he have to be exposed, it made no difference to the scene in my opinion..

Then they refer to these random missing people as departed so often, why is the show called The Leftovers? But they aren't so much leftover, more like Left Behind, (but from what we don't know yet) They are bereft and understandably are seeking answers as to where these millions have gone so I'm surprised it's not titled The Departed, The Taken, The Missing, The Lost,...and they refer to having other chapters elsewhere in other States...

Big query >What's with the Smoking?«>How is that relevant?« Why do the self titled 'Guilty Remnant Cult' wear white suits and silence? It's so ridiculous! Why don't they explain? Why o why must they smoke?-I seriously don't get the connection.

I'm curious but not in a edge of the seat suspenseful way, more like an irritated why??

I've done some research about the novel it's based on, the author is one of the shows writers. Maybe he can't/shouldn't write for the show. Adapting scifi to Plays, films and TV isn't easy, a lot gets lost in translation...

BUT, there are worse shows on...this isn't the worst, it's the most frustrating!!

Meanwhile I am continuing to watch in case it recovers and gets interesting...and I find Audio Description helpful..

Sometimes it just takes a while to get there..and HBO are so good, they've given us so many awesome shows these last few years..I'm hanging on...barely..

Maybe it really is literally the leftovers

I have read all the reviews and can only say that I wholeheartedly agree with the people who appreciate the genius that is The American Horror Story Anthology.

Each series it gets better, and is so ultimately rewatchable. The ensemble cast are collectively fantastic inhabiting totally different characters.

They all deserve awards, Jessica Lange deserved hers. She is compelling to watch, sometimes through your fingers as you don't know how scary it will be. That is success.

I read that Lange was initially brought in for a much smaller part, but the creators loved her so much they expanded her entire character as a result.

I enjoy the darkly comic scenes such as Kathy Bates as Madame LaLaurie being yanked around on a collar and lead in the graveyard scene by Angela Basset, sheer genius, I hope they keep going.

It's worth having Netflix just to watch over again, or owning the dvds, either, except pirate copies. This cast and crew produce a quality show that deserves its full loyalties so that they may long continue.

Encore!!!