Carrie

In 1952, a film of Theodore Dreiser's novel Sister Carrie was made under the title Carrie; for that film, see: Sister Carrie. For the digital library see Carrie (digital library).

Carrie (1974) was Stephen King's first published novel.

Plot

Spoiler warning: Plot or ending details follow.

The book uses fictional documents to frame the story of Carrie White, a teenager from Chamberlin, Maine, who has been bullied at home for years by her vindictive Christian fundamentalist mother.

She does not fare much better at her school, Thomas Ewin High School; at the beginning of the novel, she has her first period while showering after her physical education class. Carrie who is terrified has no concept of menstruation; her mother never spoke to her about it, and she has been a social outcast throughout high school. But the thought that this could be Carrie's first period never occurs to her classmates; instead of sympathizing with the frightened Carrie, they use it as an opportunity to taunt her, throwing tampons and sanitary napkins at her instead of helping. Gym teacher Miss Desjardin sees what is going on and immediately wants the other girls barred from attending the upcoming school prom as punishment.

However, Carrie gradually discovers that she has telekinetic powers. Carrie tries to keep these powers under control, even though she is continually pressed to the limit.

Meanwhile, Sue Snell one of the girls who had earlier teased Carrie begins to feel remorseful for her participation in the locker room antics, takes pity on her and offers to become her friend. With prom fast approaching, Sue sets Carrie up with her boyfriend, Tommy Ross (the class hunk).

However, Chris Hargenson (the girl who hates Carrie and helped instigate the earlier episode in the showers) is incensed that she is unable to attend prom. For revenge, she and her boyfriend, Billy, decide to rig the election for prom queen, then hatch a subsequent plan to humiliate her in front of the prom-goers.

It's a plan that Chris will soon regret. After drenching Carrie and Tommy in pig's blood, Carrie is finally pushed over the edge. Perceiving everyone to be laughing at her (not everyone was), she finally demonstrates the full effect of her telekinetic powers, wreaking her revenge on her terrified classmates.

After causing a massive fire that destroys Ewin High School and trapping almost everyone inside, Carrie gets revenge on Billy and Chris (who had fled). Then, after burning virtually the entire downtown Chamberlin, returns home to confront her mother, killing her by inducing cardiac arrest. Carrie later causes her house to implode, resulting in her own death.

The novel also includes fictional news accounts detailing the town's destruction, the aftermath, "interviews" from survivors and transcripts from court proceedings concerning the investigation.

Carrie draws strong parallels between the onset of the title character's adolesence, especially her menstruation and sexuality, and her psychic powers.

Movie and musical adaptations

Brian de Palma directed a film version of Carrie in 1976 with Sissy Spacek as Carrie. Amy Irving, William Katt, Betty Buckley, Piper Laurie, Nancy Allen and John Travolta are also featured. A much-belated and poorly-received sequel appeared in 1999; it featured another girl with telekinetic powers (who is eventually revealed to have shared a father with Carrie), but the overall plot was painfully similar to the first story. A TV movie remake was released in 2002, but the 1976 version is widely regarded as superior in both technique and fidelity to the source material.

A 1988 Broadway musical, starring Betty Buckley, Linzi Hateley, and Darlene Love closed after only five performances and 16 previews. An English pop opera filtered through Greek tragedy, the show was such a notorious turkey it provided the title to Ken Mandelbaum's survey of theatrical disasters, Not Since Carrie: Forty Years of Broadway Musical Flops.

ISBN numbers

  • ISBN 0606008233 (prebound, 1975)
  • ISBN 0385086954 (hardcover, 1990)
  • ISBN 1567800572 (paperback, 1992)
  • ISBN 0816156883 (library binding, 1994, Large Type Edition)
  • ISBN 8401499666 (hardcover, 1999)
  • ISBN 0671039733 (paperback, 2000)
  • ISBN 0606205942 (prebound, 2001)
  • ISBN 0609810901 (paperback, 2001)
  • ISBN 0671039725 (paperback, 2002)
  • ISBN 8401498880 (hardcover)
  • ISBN 0743470605 (mass market paperback)

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An English pop opera filtered through Greek tragedy, the show was such a notorious turkey it provided the title to Ken Mandelbaum's survey of theatrical disasters, Not Since Carrie: Forty Years of Broadway Musical Flops. This has only incited more calls for the statue to be removed as it now appears that the Gibson/Wallace figure is imprisoned; an irony, considering that the statue bears the word "Freedom" on the plinth. A 1988 Broadway musical, starring Betty Buckley, Linzi Hateley, and Darlene Love closed after only five performances and 16 previews. After repairs were made, the statue was encased in a cage at night to prevent further vandalism. A much-belated and poorly-received sequel appeared in 1999; it featured another girl with telekinetic powers (who is eventually revealed to have shared a father with Carrie), but the overall plot was painfully similar to the first story. A TV movie remake was released in 2002, but the 1976 version is widely regarded as superior in both technique and fidelity to the source material. In 1998 the statue was vandalised by someone who smashed the face in with a hammer. Amy Irving, William Katt, Betty Buckley, Piper Laurie, Nancy Allen and John Travolta are also featured. The statue, which includes the word "Braveheart" on Wallace's shield, was the cause of much controversy and one local resident stated that it was wrong to "desecrate the main memorial to Wallace with a lump of crap".

Brian de Palma directed a film version of Carrie in 1976 with Sissy Spacek as Carrie. In 1997 a statue of Gibson as "William Wallace" was placed in the car-park of the Wallace Monument near Stirling, Scotland. Carrie draws strong parallels between the onset of the title character's adolesence, especially her menstruation and sexuality, and her psychic powers. For a historical treatment of events see the William Wallace entry. The novel also includes fictional news accounts detailing the town's destruction, the aftermath, "interviews" from survivors and transcripts from court proceedings concerning the investigation. Some noted critiques include:. Carrie later causes her house to implode, resulting in her own death. Modifications to the sequence of events create dramatic juxtapositions, allowing different lines in the story to appear to occur simultaneously.

Then, after burning virtually the entire downtown Chamberlin, returns home to confront her mother, killing her by inducing cardiac arrest. The anachronistic kilts and blue makeup worn by the Scots make the rebels more visually distinctive, the incomplete armor and missing helmets allow viewers to recognize the actors, and changes to characters and names make the story easier to follow. After causing a massive fire that destroys Ewin High School and trapping almost everyone inside, Carrie gets revenge on Billy and Chris (who had fled). Some of the "inaccuracies" in Braveheart may be motivated by artistic reasons. Perceiving everyone to be laughing at her (not everyone was), she finally demonstrates the full effect of her telekinetic powers, wreaking her revenge on her terrified classmates. However, due to the intense level of detail in costuming, makeup and special effects, audiences may incorrectly assume that the production is intended to be historically accurate. After drenching Carrie and Tommy in pig's blood, Carrie is finally pushed over the edge. Braveheart is a work of fiction which draws inspiration from real historical events.

It's a plan that Chris will soon regret.
. For revenge, she and her boyfriend, Billy, decide to rig the election for prom queen, then hatch a subsequent plan to humiliate her in front of the prom-goers. Nominated:. However, Chris Hargenson (the girl who hates Carrie and helped instigate the earlier episode in the showers) is incensed that she is unable to attend prom. The film won numerous awards including the 1995 Academy Award for:. With prom fast approaching, Sue sets Carrie up with her boyfriend, Tommy Ross (the class hunk). Mel Gibson played Wallace and also directed the film.

Meanwhile, Sue Snell one of the girls who had earlier teased Carrie begins to feel remorseful for her participation in the locker room antics, takes pity on her and offers to become her friend. Braveheart is an American motion picture released in 1995 that was very loosely based on the life of William Wallace, a major Scottish hero. However, Carrie gradually discovers that she has telekinetic powers. Carrie tries to keep these powers under control, even though she is continually pressed to the limit. This changed after the unexpected death of Alexander III in 1288 and when Edward I who was asked to resolve the dispute to the Scottish crown used it to revive English claims of overlordship. Gym teacher Miss Desjardin sees what is going on and immediately wants the other girls barred from attending the upcoming school prom as punishment. Ironically the 13th century was one of the few centuries when Anglo-Scottish relations were relatively peaceful. But the thought that this could be Carrie's first period never occurs to her classmates; instead of sympathizing with the frightened Carrie, they use it as an opportunity to taunt her, throwing tampons and sanitary napkins at her instead of helping. In his speech before the battle of Stirling Bridge, Mel Gibson's Wallace alludes to a 100 years of tyranny.

Carrie who is terrified has no concept of menstruation; her mother never spoke to her about it, and she has been a social outcast throughout high school. Wallace was hunted down when the Scots were forced to surrender in 1305. She does not fare much better at her school, Thomas Ewin High School; at the beginning of the novel, she has her first period while showering after her physical education class. The Scottish war effort collapsed a few years later because of the defeat of their French allies by the Flemish at Coutrai in 1304. The book uses fictional documents to frame the story of Carrie White, a teenager from Chamberlin, Maine, who has been bullied at home for years by her vindictive Christian fundamentalist mother. He did eventually switch sides but that was a few years later and as a result of a dispute with the Comyns (not depicted in the film) who supported the Balliol claim to the throne. Carrie (1974) was Stephen King's first published novel. Bruce did not betray Wallace at Falkirk.

ISBN 0743470605 (mass market paperback). There is no historical record of this though Bruce himself contracted a disease before his death that has sometimes been alleged to be leprosy. ISBN 8401498880 (hardcover). The movie depicts Robert the Bruce's father (who also had the same) name as a leper. ISBN 0671039725 (paperback, 2002). The reality of William Wallace's capture and execution was far worse than shown in the film. ISBN 0609810901 (paperback, 2001). Braveheart suggests Wallace supported the Bruce claim to the Scottish throne; however, Wallace supported the Balliol claim while Bruce was convinced of his father's rightful succession.

ISBN 0606205942 (prebound, 2001). The then-future King Robert the Bruce is described as "Earl of Bruce", but actually, his title before becoming king was Earl of Carrick. ISBN 0671039733 (paperback, 2000). The argument escalated into a fight, resulting in Wallace killing the soldiers. ISBN 8401499666 (hardcover, 1999). Wallace's long-standing hatred for the English may not have been because of his wife's death, according to one legend it was because two English soldiers challenged Wallace over some fish he had caught. ISBN 0816156883 (library binding, 1994, Large Type Edition). She was indeed supposedly killed by the English sheriff of Lanark in May 1297, although it appears this was a reprisal by the English since Wallace was already revolting against them.

ISBN 1567800572 (paperback, 1992). Wallace is reputed to have had a wife named Marian Braidfoot (apparently her name was changed to Murron in the film so audiences would not confuse her with Maid Marian from the Robin Hood stories). ISBN 0385086954 (hardcover, 1990). There is some controversy about the jus prima noctis (also known as the droit de seigneur), the supposed right of a Lord to deflower virgins in his territory, but it certainly did not exist in either England or Scotland during this period. ISBN 0606008233 (prebound, 1975). A sword which is claimed to have belonged to Wallace (although this is disputed) exists in Scotland, it is significantly simpler. The sword carried by Gibson is a 16th century Scottish claymore.

In fact, Bruce had already been fighting a guerrilla campaign against the English for 8 years. Near the end, the film implies that Bannockburn was a spontaneous battle. The film implies that Wallace's rebellion took place against a background of a fairly lengthy English occupation of Scotland. Actually they had only invaded Scotland the year before (1296) and the mass hanging of Scottish nobles which Wallace witnessed as a boy never happened. They did not take kindly to such intentions, even if they did not actually switch sides.

Edward I intended to use them as the first wave of attack and ssentially as schiltron fodder. The Celtic soldiers who did display some rebellious tendencies were the Welsh, who had been conquered about a decade earlier. The Irish forces were hired mercenaries who, from all accounts, fought well for Edward I. The film shows Irish conscripts switching sides and joining Wallace's forces at the Battle of Falkirk.

This implies his first wife Eleanor of Castile was his only spouse. Edward I's second wife, Margaret, whom he married in 1299 is absent from the film, although the span of history covered in the production includes this year. Curiously, the fight shown in the film is more like the Battle of Bannockburn 17 years later, with English cavalry charging Scottish schiltrons and being repulsed. (It is rumoured that Gibson told a Scottish local the bridge was removed as it got in the way, and the local replied "that's what the English found" [1] (http://www.fanaticus.org/DBA/battles/stirlingbraveheart.html).) The film also makes no mention of Andrew de Moray, Wallace's companion-in-arms and a major contributor at this battle.

The actual conflict was more of an ambush of the English as they attempted to cross a river. The Battle of Stirling Bridge, the first skirmish in the film, was filmed without a bridge. Although most historians agree that Edward was a homosexual, many complained that the film presented demeaning stereotypes toward Edward. Gibson was critiqued for his portrayal of Isabella's future husband, Edward II of England.

(Note this idea may derive from the play The Wallace by Sydney Goodsir Smith.). Historically, the real Isabella was only a child still living in France at this time, and furthermore, was never a Princess of Wales. The film implies she is pregnant at the time of Wallace's execution, possibly carrying the future Edward III of England. Braveheart's plot includes an affair between William Wallace and the character Princess Isabelle, based upon Isabella of France.

David Gant - Chief Justice/Executioner. Martin Dunne - Lord Dolecroft. Martin Dempsey - Drinker No 1. Peter Hanly - Prince Edward.

John Kavanagh - Craig. Jimmy Keogh - Drinker No 2. Angus MacFadyen - Robert the Bruce. Mal Whyte - Jailor.

Brian Cox - Argyle Wallace. David McKay - Young Soldier. James Cosmo - Campbell. Malcolm Tierney - Magistrate.

Sandy Nelson - John Wallace. Sean Lawlor - Malcolm Wallace. Jeanne Marine - Nicolette. Gerard McSorley - Cheltham.

John Murtagh - Lochlan. Robert Paterson - Priest No 2. Alan Tall - Elder Stewart. Rupert Vansittart - Lord Bottoms.

Donal Gibson - Stewart. James Robinson - Young William. Julie Austin - Mrs Morrison. Tommy Flanagan - Morrison.

Barry McGovern - King's Advisor No 2. Peter Mullan - Veteran. Martin Murphy - Lord Talmadge. Alex Norton - Bride's Father.

Niall O'Brien - English General No 2. David O'Hara - Stephen. Ralph Riach - Priest No 1. Joe Savino - Chief Assassin.

Tam White - MacGregor. Sean McGinley - MacClannough. Phil Kelly - Farmer. Bernard Horsfall - Balliol.

Liam Carney - Sean. Michael Byrne - Smythe. Alun Armstrong - Mornay. Ian Bannen - Robert the Bruce's leprous father.

Brendan Gleeson - Hamish. Catherine McCormack - Murron. Patrick McGoohan - King Edward I. Sophie Marceau - Princess Isabelle.

Mel Gibson - William Wallace. Costume Design. Film Editing. Makeup.

Best Cinematography. Direction, Mel Gibson. Best Picture.