A decades-long journey to capture a forbidden 1950s romance on the silver screen
In short: Development on Carol began in 1997, yet the film faced nearly two decades of hurdles. From financing struggles to shifting directors, the project was stalled by industry trepidation over its two female leads. It finally premiered in 2015, becoming a critical triumph that redefined the portrayal of lesbian identity in cinema.
The film is an adaptation of Patricia Highsmith’s 1952 novel, originally titled The Price of Salt. Highsmith, who wrote the book under the pseudonym Claire Morgan, based the story on a chance encounter with a woman in a mink coat while working at a New York department store. Screenwriter Phyllis Nagy, a friend of the author, began the first draft in 1997. Nagy faced significant resistance from financiers who were uncomfortable with a story centering on two women that refused to rely on the typical dramatic clichés of guilt or tragedy.
Director Todd Haynes joined the project in 2013 after a series of previous directors, including Kenneth Branagh and Stephen Frears, had departed. Haynes and Nagy collaborated to strip away the novel’s intense, subjective narration, opting instead for a visual language of restraint. They drew inspiration from the postwar photography of artists like Vivian Maier and Saul Leiter to capture a specific, slightly spoiled palette. The film was shot on Super 16 mm film in Cincinnati, Ohio, which producers chose for its preserved 1950s aesthetic and favorable tax incentives.
At its core, the film explores the impossible choice between authentic identity and motherhood. Carol, played by Cate Blanchett, faces a custody battle where her sexuality is weaponized against her by her husband, Harge. The narrative rejects the idea that Carol should feel broken by her circumstances; instead, it frames her decisions as a matter of survival. By the time the final 118-minute cut was completed, the film had moved beyond the agenda-driven tropes of its era, offering a nuanced look at a connection that exists entirely outside the male gaze.
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- Summary by Intellect · source: Carol (film)
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