MovieChat Forums > Nashville Discussion > Isn't Karen Black a bit wretched (?)

Isn't Karen Black a bit wretched (?)


Her character's fine and contributes to the tension, but I don't buy her at all as a popular singer. It's all very...quavery.

Her mid-range is clear and alright, but the low notes are guttural and peter out and the high notes are utterly weak, with her even resorting to unsupported falsetto. This is one of the performers who could have really benefited from songs being tailored specifically to their range, rather than just being given free reign to invent their own stuff willy-nilly.

I hate that she's given multiple numbers...her singing just makes me tune out. But I guess Altman was starstruck.

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I agree that Karen ' s songs do not really convince me that she's supposed to be this top country singer. Most of the songs in this movie are not really all that "country", though. They seem much more folksy, including the Oscar - winning "I'm Easy", which is definitely consistent with the mood of 1975.

However, I think that Karen Black actually has a beautiful, amazingly evocative singing voice. I am not schooled in technique, so I can't speak to that, but I think in any case "wretched" is a pretty strong word. Miss Black is my all-time favorite actress, and I'm not sure if there is any bias here or not. But she gets a chance to sing in "Can She Bake A Cherry Pie?" and "The Pyx" and to me she is an undeniable (if not admittedly idiosyncratic) singing talent. I respond very strongly (in a good way!) to her singing.

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Barbara Jean is the only true Country singer in the movie and she has the best voice of any of them.

"Life is like a box of Krispy Kreme donuts".

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Barbara Jean is the only true Country singer in the movie and she has the best voice of any of them.


I'd agree. Blakely was a singer/songwriter before this film. She had not acted before, but she clearly overcame that hurdle. Her songs are generally better than the rest in the film, including, in my opinion, "I'm Easy". My personal favorite is "Dues". It might have been nominated for an Oscar, but was previously written and recorded by Blakely herself. This great film should have been a major breakout for Blakely, but her career did not seem to go very far afterward.

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This is very much the point. Karen Black's character, Connie White, is meant to be mediocre. Her songs are not good, and her singing is not meant to be good either. Through her character and also through Haven Hamilton, Altman is commenting on the commercialization of the industry, and how what is meant to be a very down-to-earth genre of music is because increasingly removed from its once strong sense of values.

Most importantly, Connie White is meant to be the opposite of Ronee Blakley's character, Barbara Jean. Barbara Jean sings from the heart--she's seen as a truly innocent and kind figure. She's the opposite of Connie, who is shown to be arrogant and cruel. Connie and Haven have the look and the style of country music, but Barbara Jean (and, at the end, Barbara Harris' character too) actually has the soul of country music. And Altman highlights this by having Connie be intentionally mediocre. And while she is successful, you get the sense that she has been somewhat manufactured--the audience reaction to her is nothing compared to the reverence with which they hold Barbara Jean.

Now, if you found this choice distracting and couldn't suspend your disbelief, then clearly the choice wasn't effective for you and that's totally fine. But I thought perhaps this might explain more of why Altman had Karen Black sing the way she did.

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Craig + Hutch:

I guess "wretched" is maybe too strong a word.

I can buy that Connie is supposed to be a limited performer, but I think the point (if that was the intention) would have been made better if we heard her first on the radio or something in an earlier scene, where the singing sounded smooth and professional, and then this were contrasted with how she sounded in person.

Because....musical stars are made to sound pretty good, even if it takes a lot of post-recording polish in the editing bays. I can't think of any popular stars who actually sound fairly inept. Who would be an example of a country star who actually has borderline shaky ability?

I admire Karen Black as a performer. I just think her singing in this is sub-par....and even with that was the point, they didn't need two musical numbers to make it.



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Very well said, Craig!

Karen sang in Five Easy Pieces and i was astounded at how great her voice was. She was clearly singing sub-par on purpose.

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For sure.

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Brilliantly explained.

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