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The movie Carol vs. the Price of Salt Carol

posted 8 years ago by beautyever-73150
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After reading The Price of Salt I noticed that the Carol in the movie is much nicer than Highsmith's Carol. There were moments in the book where Carol came across like the Grace Kelly from hell. She's a complex character in a difficult situation,and since the story isn't told from her point of view the reader (at least I didn't) doesn't get a sense of what's going on in her head. Even with the slight difference in the character I still think Cate Blanchett did a remarkable job bringing Carol to life on screen.

[–] teeveejeevee 8 years ago

The novel is not only written in the third-person, but the story is entirely -- and only -- from Therese's point of view. We know what Carol says to Therese, but we never know what Carol is thinking and we don't know what Carol feels. So what Therese "hears" can also be influenced by her own emotions. If Carol seems harsh or sounds harsh at times, it's because that's what Therese sees and hears.

We don't really ever know what's going on inside Carol's mind. The only time the reader is exposed to Carol's thoughts and what she feels is in the letter she writes to Therese after she's forced to return to New York.

Which is why I firmly maintain that Phyllis Nagy's script is extraordinary. She turned Carol into a concrete character, and gave her depth.

[–] Jes' Sayin' (5978) a year ago

This is what usually happens in movies because actors try to symphathize with their characters and end up softening them.