Tone Description In Far From Heaven

The movie Far from Heaven, directed by Todd Haynes and released in 2002, is an American melodrama that tells the story of Cathy Whitaker and her life that, on the surface, appears to be the perfect image of livelihood in the 1950s, but then, due to complications of racial, sexual and social nature, ends up showing the true colors of the issues prevalent of that time.

With the use of different techniques with lighting and color, Haynes explores gender roles and acceptance of differences in sexuality and race through the eyes of 1950s America without imposing a specific message onto the viewer. By examining two key characters who share a common trait, it is possible to better understand the movie’s intentions. In this case, Sybil, Cathy’s maid and housekeeper, and Raymond Deagan, a colored business owner that builds a relationship with Cathy, are the perfect examples since both share the same ethnicity but belong to different classes.

Raymond, an African American gardener with a love for modern art and poetry, owns his own business which he inherited following his father’s death, and is the widowed father to his eleven year old daughter, Sarah. The two live in a high class, predominately white neighborhood and Raymond enrolls Sarah in a mostly white school, hopeful that the progress made within society so far might allow them to live a peaceful life as long as they keep to themselves.

Sybil is quite similar to Raymond in a number of ways; first of all, she is also a hard-working African American, but her role is less prestigious than Raymond’s since she isn’t associated with a title, she is in fact just a servant of the Whitakers. Nonetheless, Sybil is very dedicated to her job and she executes it without ever drawing attention to herself, seeming to almost disappear in plain sight, from which she quietly does what she is asked to do. She is very affectionate of the kids and, despite being a housekeeper, she is always respectfully asked to do things rather than being given orders like other colored servants throughout the movie. Sybil always uses formal ways of speaking to the Whitakers and uses dialogue that might be considered more in line with the cultural code of the time because of their difference in class. Sybil’s personal life is never shown, consequently depicting her as a tool of the white high class with no depth of character such as interests or hobbies.

On the other hand, in Cathy’s interactions with Raymond, she appears to be the one who is stressing the formalities, referring to him by his last name until he asks her not to. Although she does treat him like an equal, attracting the attention of her social circle which is quick to turn on her for it, she doesn’t invite him to her house party and only agrees to meet him when her schedule changes suddenly, leaving her with nothing else to do. Cathy seems to be torn between her true feelings for Raymond, which brings her to open up to him about her husband’s abuse and issues of her family’s reputation, things that she wasn’t able to confess even to her “closest and dearest” friend Eleanor.

Cybil and Raymond have no real interaction between them, since Cybil only ever talks to fulfill her duties, but she is frequently shown looking through the windows of the mansion, looking curiously at Cathy and Raymond’s interactions with an uneasy expression, concerned with both her Lady’s reputation and the consequences these will have on Raymond himself, which is why she decides, for the first time out of her own emotions, to hide the truth to Cathy about Sarah, Raymond’s daughter, being the girl involved in the bullying at school. This action is crucial to the definition of Cybil’s character, as it is clear that her loyalty does not blindly belong to the Whitakers, but that she really is a complex individual with her own thoughts and who is willing to take action that she thinks is best for both Cathy and Raymond and later decides to tell Cathy the truth, after the couple decides on a divorce.

The transition of Cybil’s growth of depth as a character is foreshadowed when two members of the NAACP show up at the door asking for signatures, and Cathy gives Cybil permission to sign on her behalf. The most significant difference between Raymond and Sybil is their lifestyle, but it could be a call on gender norms as well, the fact that Raymond is a man living in the 1950s might be the reason why he has more freedom and liberty when compared to Cybil, who has less opportunities to start her own business, or to even inherit one from family members so that she might live as freely as he does.

Further analyzing Raymond’s love for art and poetry, an important part of his personality is hidden in the Joan Miró painting at the modern art exposition. The surrealist painting “The Nightingale’s Song at Midnight and the Morning Rain” is part of the Constellations series, the artist described this collection to be a representation of his “desire to flee”. In an interview with John Punyet, Miró’s grandson, he said “They are a door to escape from […] the brutality of nonsense. The Constellations are like saying: my only salvation in this world tragedy is the spirit, the soul that leads me to heaven.”, and Raymond himself describes modern art as “picking up where religious art left off, somehow trying to show you divinity. The modern artist just pares it down to the basic elements of shape and color, but when you look at that Miró, you feel it just the same”. The symbolism and choice of painting indicates the directors’ intention of portraying Raymond as a tormented soul that is fighting an inner battle to set himself free from the judgment and stereotypes surrounding his ethnicity.

Under the mask of the romantic poet lies the truth of his condition, that he is tied to the future just like modern art is tied to simplicity; Raymond relates to the Constellation because the biggest flaw of humanity, through his eyes, can be simply solved by looking at the basic elements of color and shape and realize that white and black are just the fundaments of what, put together, will still create divinity. “Do you think we ever really do see beyond those things, the surface of things?” Cathy asks him when they go out for the last time, “Just beyond the fall of grace / behold that ever shining place,” Raymond responds. “Yes, I do. I don’t really have a choice.” Once again, poetry is used to convey his deepest emotions, a language that seems to be incomprehensible to the white, ironically “artistic” members of the social group Cathy belongs to and very clearly seem to be unable to “see beyond the surface of things.”

As hope leaves, Raymond and Sybil don’t really have a choice, accepting “the limitations imposed on women, or gay people, or people of color, [that] might be shared, or shareable,” Haynes suggests, “but not necessarily equal […] there are contradictions and hierarchies even in the ways we are oppressed.” The film wants to set them free, but it is powerless, just like the title suggests, the reality is “far from heaven”. It is clear by the way the characters are portrayed and the smart use of shadows and colors that Far from Heaven is considered a movie purposely created with the intent of having multiple layers of interpretation. Todd Haynes, director of the movie, replicates the style and visuals of a typical 1950s movie while integrating contemporary complex issues, exanimating class and gender, race and homosexuality.

He does this by using different color palettes for each scene, depicting Cathy's outfits, home and flower garden with vibrant and exciting colors. Cathy is mostly seen in red, which represents her energy, but also her feminine, sensual side, and it is representative of her being very liberal. On the other hand, the color green seems to be used to represent everything that is different from the cultural code of the time. Whenever Frank (Cathy’s husband) is seen in a gay bar, the lights are green, just like the ones present in the predominately black restaurant, locations outside the norm of the upper class white 50s in which the Whitakers should belong to. Another commonly used color is blue rather than black for night time shots, making these scenes more melodramatic and dreamy. Close ups are also avoided to symbolize the distance between the characters, most of all Cathy and Frank.

The usage of images, light and contrast typical of a 1950s movie are used to visually present the public with an idealistic world, incredible sets, costumes and music, but that is when the dialogue enters the scene to contrast this image. Frank’s affair with men, his failure in completing the “conversion therapy”, the drinking and fighting, Cathy’s friendship and attraction to Raymond, crushed by the intolerant and racist views of society, the assault on Sarah, and finally Frank’s refusal to trust or support Cathy when rumors start to circulate about her and Raymond, even though she had been so strong and supportive of him through all of his issues; all of these issues reveal themselves, one after the other, slowly undoing the initial image of the American dream and giving the audience a look behind the beautiful 1950s curtains. Showing the ugliness and imperfections in a showcase of light and colors, all of which movie directors living in that time were too afraid to represent. The ending is tragic, because nothing seems to be resolved and everything is left with a bitterness that contrasts a once bright an optimistic introduction.

The movie Far from Heaven, directed by Todd Haynes and released in 2002, is an American melodrama that tells the story of Cathy Whitaker and her life that, on the surface, appears to be the perfect image of livelihood in the 1950s, but then, due to complications of racial, sexual and social nature, ends up showing the true colors of the issues prevalent of that time. With the use of different techniques with lighting and color, Haynes explores gender roles and acceptance of differences in sexuality and race through the eyes of 1950s America without imposing a specific message onto the viewer. By examining two key characters who share a common trait, it is possible to better understand the movie’s intentions. In this case, Sybil, Cathy’s maid and housekeeper, and Raymond Deagan, a colored business owner that builds a relationship with Cathy, are the perfect examples since both share the same ethnicity but belong to different classes.

Raymond, an African American gardener with a love for modern art and poetry, owns his own business which he inherited following his father’s death, and is the widowed father to his eleven year old daughter, Sarah. The two live in a high class, predominately white neighborhood and Raymond enrolls Sarah in a mostly white school, hopeful that the progress made within society so far might allow them to live a peaceful life as long as they keep to themselves.

Sybil is quite similar to Raymond in a number of ways; first of all, she is also a hard-working African American, but her role is less prestigious than Raymond’s since she isn’t associated with a title, she is in fact just a servant of the Whitakers. Nonetheless, Sybil is very dedicated to her job and she executes it without ever drawing attention to herself, seeming to almost disappear in plain sight, from which she quietly does what she is asked to do. She is very affectionate of the kids and, despite being a housekeeper, she is always respectfully asked to do things rather than being given orders like other colored servants throughout the movie. Sybil always uses formal ways of speaking to the Whitakers and uses dialogue that might be considered more in line with the cultural code of the time because of their difference in class. Sybil’s personal life is never shown, consequently depicting her as a tool of the white high class with no depth of character such as interests or hobbies.

On the other hand, in Cathy’s interactions with Raymond, she appears to be the one who is stressing the formalities, referring to him by his last name until he asks her not to. Although she does treat him like an equal, attracting the attention of her social circle which is quick to turn on her for it, she doesn’t invite him to her house party and only agrees to meet him when her schedule changes suddenly, leaving her with nothing else to do. Cathy seems to be torn between her true feelings for Raymond, which brings her to open up to him about her husband’s abuse and issues of her family’s reputation, things that she wasn’t able to confess even to her “closest and dearest” friend Eleanor.

Cybil and Raymond have no real interaction between them, since Cybil only ever talks to fulfill her duties, but she is frequently shown looking through the windows of the mansion, looking curiously at Cathy and Raymond’s interactions with an uneasy expression, concerned with both her Lady’s reputation and the consequences these will have on Raymond himself, which is why she decides, for the first time out of her own emotions, to hide the truth to Cathy about Sarah, Raymond’s daughter, being the girl involved in the bullying at school. This action is crucial to the definition of Cybil’s character, as it is clear that her loyalty does not blindly belong to the Whitakers, but that she really is a complex individual with her own thoughts and who is willing to take action that she thinks is best for both Cathy and Raymond and later decides to tell Cathy the truth, after the couple decides on a divorce.

The transition of Cybil’s growth of depth as a character is foreshadowed when two members of the NAACP show up at the door asking for signatures, and Cathy gives Cybil permission to sign on her behalf. The most significant difference between Raymond and Sybil is their lifestyle, but it could be a call on gender norms as well, the fact that Raymond is a man living in the 1950s might be the reason why he has more freedom and liberty when compared to Cybil, who has less opportunities to start her own business, or to even inherit one from family members so that she might live as freely as he does.

Further analyzing Raymond’s love for art and poetry, an important part of his personality is hidden in the Joan Miró painting at the modern art exposition. The surrealist painting “The Nightingale’s Song at Midnight and the Morning Rain” is part of the Constellations series, the artist described this collection to be a representation of his “desire to flee”. In an interview with John Punyet, Miró’s grandson, he said “They are a door to escape from […] the brutality of nonsense. The Constellations are like saying: my only salvation in this world tragedy is the spirit, the soul that leads me to heaven.”, and Raymond himself describes modern art as “picking up where religious art left off, somehow trying to show you divinity. The modern artist just pares it down to the basic elements of shape and color, but when you look at that Miró, you feel it just the same”.

The symbolism and choice of painting indicates the directors’ intention of portraying Raymond as a tormented soul that is fighting an inner battle to set himself free from the judgment and stereotypes surrounding his ethnicity. Under the mask of the romantic poet lies the truth of his condition, that he is tied to the future just like modern art is tied to simplicity; Raymond relates to the Constellation because the biggest flaw of humanity, through his eyes, can be simply solved by looking at the basic elements of color and shape and realize that white and black are just the fundaments of what, put together, will still create divinity. “Do you think we ever really do see beyond those things, the surface of things?” Cathy asks him when they go out for the last time, “Just beyond the fall of grace / behold that ever shining place,” Raymond responds. “Yes, I do. I don’t really have a choice.” Once again, poetry is used to convey his deepest emotions, a language that seems to be incomprehensible to the white, ironically “artistic” members of the social group Cathy belongs to and very clearly seem to be unable to “see beyond the surface of things.”

As hope leaves, Raymond and Sybil don’t really have a choice, accepting “the limitations imposed on women, or gay people, or people of color, [that] might be shared, or shareable,” Haynes suggests, “but not necessarily equal […] there are contradictions and hierarchies even in the ways we are oppressed.” The film wants to set them free, but it is powerless, just like the title suggests, the reality is “far from heaven”. It is clear by the way the characters are portrayed and the smart use of shadows and colors that Far from Heaven is considered a movie purposely created with the intent of having multiple layers of interpretation. Todd Haynes, director of the movie, replicates the style and visuals of a typical 1950s movie while integrating contemporary complex issues, exanimating class and gender, race and homosexuality. He does this by using different color palettes for each scene, depicting Cathy's outfits, home and flower garden with vibrant and exciting colors.

Cathy is mostly seen in red, which represents her energy, but also her feminine, sensual side, and it is representative of her being very liberal. On the other hand, the color green seems to be used to represent everything that is different from the cultural code of the time. Whenever Frank (Cathy’s husband) is seen in a gay bar, the lights are green, just like the ones present in the predominately black restaurant, locations outside the norm of the upper class white 50s in which the Whitakers should belong to. Another commonly used color is blue rather than black for night time shots, making these scenes more melodramatic and dreamy. Close ups are also avoided to symbolize the distance between the characters, most of all Cathy and Frank.

The usage of images, light and contrast typical of a 1950s movie are used to visually present the public with an idealistic world, incredible sets, costumes and music, but that is when the dialogue enters the scene to contrast this image. Frank’s affair with men, his failure in completing the “conversion therapy”, the drinking and fighting, Cathy’s friendship and attraction to Raymond, crushed by the intolerant and racist views of society, the assault on Sarah, and finally Frank’s refusal to trust or support Cathy when rumors start to circulate about her and Raymond, even though she had been so strong and supportive of him through all of his issues; all of these issues reveal themselves, one after the other, slowly undoing the initial image of the American dream and giving the audience a look behind the beautiful 1950s curtains. Showing the ugliness and imperfections in a showcase of light and colors, all of which movie directors living in that time were too afraid to represent. The ending is tragic, because nothing seems to be resolved and everything is left with a bitterness that contrasts a once bright an optimistic introduction.