User:Strugglebussing/sandbox

Themes & Analysis

Far From Heaven focuses on several important controversial issues of the mid-twentieth century, including Racism, Miscegenation, as well as Homophobia, presenting these issues through the Mise-en-scène of a 1950s style Melodrama. Utilizing the nostalgic mechanisms of a polished melodrama, Far From Heaven challenges the typical sanguine nature of the genre in an effort to highlight the central conflicts of its main characters, Cathy and Frank Whitaker, while also simultaneously shattering the wholesome image of American life during this time period, which is typically looked back upon fondly in American culture. Todd Haynes, the director of Far From Heaven, employs these tactics and others such as lighting and music to highlight these pivotal developments, and to further not only the plot of the story, but to create a sensory experience for the audience that lulls them into what appears to portray an idealized version of 1950s suburban American family life, but proves to be far from it.

Racism and Miscegenation

Throughout the film, one of the central conflicts faced by Cathy Whitaker, Far From Heaven's main protagonist, comes from her attraction towards Raymond Deagan, the son of her recently deceased gardener, and how it develops in the face of her estrangement from her husband, Frank Whitaker, as he deals with his developing homosexual tendencies. Set in 1957 Hartford, Connecticut, the times are reflected right away in the first scene Raymond makes an appearance tending to his father's former duties as the Whitaker's gardner. While Cathy is being interviewed for a society circular in her living room, she notices Raymond mulling around in her yard, and immediately becomes frightened and very threatened by the prospect of an unfamiliar colored man in her yard. While her interviewer, Mrs. Leacock, immediately jumps to suggesting calling the police, Cathy walks outside to confront him, and learns the circumstances of the situation and how he came to be there, apologizing for her assumptions, demonstrating her capacity to see beyond his race and show sympathy for the loss of his father. This is an action that is observed closely by Mrs. Leacock through the window, and ultimately makes its way into her article profiling Cathy and her "kindness to negroes".

Presenting this particular issue so early on in the film, there is a clear contrast drawn between Hartford's suburban autumnal idyllic setting, and the reality of the social order that dominates everyday life of the Whitakers and the people in their lives. As Frank's difficulties continue to develop, Cathy finds great solace in befriending Raymond, and ultimately comes to develop feelings for him as a result. These feelings however prove to be a huge social taboo in this time period, and are met with anger and prejudice in affluent New England. It is in this struggle that one of the central themes of Far From Heaven come to the forefront, and is continually reintroduced through segregational policies of the era. Over the course of the film, we observe not only Cathy and Raymond's interactions being highly scrutinized by the different members of their own respective communities, but also examples of Jim Crow practices that are commonplace during this era, such as being unable to sit next to each other at a local lunch counter, and even in Miami where when a young african-american boy jumps into the hotel pool where Cathy and Frank are vacationing, not only is the boy swiftly removed from the pool, but the white guests who were swimming at the time rapidly exit the pool area in disgust, mortified that the water and surrounding area has been shared, and therefore tainted by someone of color.