MovieChat Forums > The Day of the Locust (1975) Discussion > Love dear KAREN as FAYE...BUT...

Love dear KAREN as FAYE...BUT...

posted 11 years ago by nycruise-1
4 replies | jump to latest

I saw this movie when it first came out.

The plot, the action, the stars, and KAREN.

It made an indelible impression on me that I then forwarded to many a female relative and gay male friend.

They all LOVED this movie and KAREN!

HOWEVER...

When you go back to the literary source for this movie, you realize Karen was too old for the part.

Various threads on this messageboard have discussed Karen's appropriateness for the role along with alternative casting choices.

Let me say: after seeing what Karen did with the role, I found her unforgettable.

HOWEVER...

For all the speculation about who would have properly served the novella's character as written by Nathaniel West, I recall hearing somewhere that Sissy Spacek probably would have been a better choice.

When I heard that, I was like "WHOA!!! What a totally different - but appropriate(?) - take on FAYE!"

"Don't call me 'honey', mac."
"Don't call me 'mac'... HONEY!"

[–] peteykins666 11 years ago

I really agree with this post. Karen Black's performance as Faye is touching, but through no fault of her own, the characterization is somewhat faulty. The Faye Greener of the novel is harder, less "daffy" and more calculating. Talk about a thankless role in a movie filled with thankless roles! William Atherton must have been thinking, "What, exactly, does my character DO in this film?"

[–] 11 years ago

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[–] spookyrat1 9 years ago

Talk about a thankless role in a movie filled with thankless roles!

Almost an understatement of gigantic proportions.🐭

[–] Edward_de_Vere 10 years ago

Schlesinger took a number of liberties with several of the characters.

For instance, having Adore as an androgynous, cross-dressing freak was entirely Schlesinger's invention. In the novel, Adore is a wannabe Buster Brown rather than an aspiring Shirley Temple.

Donald Sutherland was also all wrong for the part of the hulking Homer.

I actually didn't mind Schlesinger casting a thirty-something actress as Faye, however. Having a grown woman act like a spoiled teenage brat makes for an even more repellent and off-putting character than if she were a teenager (as in the book).