Haynes reveals different side of 1950s in “˜Heaven’

Todd Haynes has been on the fringe of Hollywood, but never quite
in the spotlight. Credit that to his idiosyncratic movies, which
include the stylish and experimental films “Safe,” a
portrait of a housewife who might be allergic to society, and
“Velvet Goldmine,” a bombastic picture of the 1970s
glam-rock scene.

Now comes “Far From Heaven,” which will likely
become his most popular movie. Starring Julianne Moore and Dennis
Quaid, the film opens Friday and depicts a belated coming-of-age
for a 1950s housewife, played by Moore, in a Connecticut suburb.
The film is a throwback to the 1950s melodramas.

“I knew I wanted to make a film that would emotionally
grab you, and I knew I was doing a bunch of things that would have
hindered that since we were exploring an outmoded style of
storytelling,” Haynes said. “They’re a lot of red
flags that go up when people encounter melodrama or a soap
opera.”

The way to reconcile this potential problem, which could cause
audiences to snicker and make their way to the back exits rather
than reach for another Kleenex, is in the compelling nature of the
themes the movie brings up. In “Heaven,” Haynes tackles
issues of sex roles, sexual orientation and race with boldness.

“We like to think that we’ve moved on from the
’50s more than we actually have,” Haynes said.
“The movie “˜Pleasantville’ is a good example of
that attitude, and I’m taking the opposite tact.”

There is notable artificiality to “Heaven,” but
Haynes sees that as a central theme of filmmaking itself.

“I think when you set out to be real, you’ll always
fail,” said Haynes. “For a while, the hand-held camera
was supposed to be more real or gritty. Naturalistic acting also
has almost everything to do with the method style in the Marlon
Brando-James Dean style of film performance. But there’s
nothing real about cinema. And if you start out knowing that, you
can achieve a surprising reality.”

In a continuation of his preference for artifice, Haynes’
next project is set to be a biopic of Bob Dylan in the same way
that “Being John Malkovich” was a biopic of John
Malkovich.

“It’s a very untraditional biography movie where
there’ll be a cluster of characters which are all Bob Dylan
and of course none of them are Bob Dylan,” Haynes said.
“It should be really fun, not at all a
head-scratcher.”

It’s certainly unorthodox, and Haynes basks in his unusual
technique and sensibilities; at least he’s doing what he
wants to do and if his work happens to be accepted by critics or
the mainstream audience, well, that’s just a by-product.

“I’ve never made a film that was not a film I wanted
to make,” Haynes said. “I’ve been very lucky that
way. Any criticism has been secondary because I’m doing what
I want to do.”