This post was guest blogged by Mandy.
I’m not talking “I threw together some bell bottoms and a peasant shirt, pass me the face paint” kind of Halloween stuff. I’m talking the rich, amazing world of professional costuming, specifically, movie costumes. There have been some amazing big-screen concoctions over the years, so I am going to focus on those recognized by the Academy this year.
This year’s Oscar winner was Elizabeth: The Golden Age. Alexandra Byrne is widely considered one of the greats in the field. She has only been lead costume designer for 9 movies in her career, and, besides her win this year, has received Oscar nominations for 3 of them. (The first Elizabeth, Hamlet, and Finding Neverland.) Her other creations have received wild acclaim, and it’s easy to see why. One only has to look at the rich detail involved in the gowns that Cate Blanchett wore and the amazing attention to historical accuracy; the incredible talent it took to make garments of such complexity has rarely been matched since the days these gowns were originally made.
The other nominees included Jacqueline Durand (Atonement), Albert Wolsky (Across the Universe), Marit Allen (La Vie en Rose), and Colleen Atwood (Sweeney Todd). It always amuses me that period pieces seem to be nominated far more often than any other (with the possible exception of fantasy, I don’t know I’ve never done or seen a statistical analysis). While the use of color and perspective by Mr. Wolsky, the almost achingly nostalgic look of La Vie en Rose, and the rich, almost decadent, feel of Ms. Durand’s work make for amazing studies in and of themselves, I honestly think Colleen Atwood was robbed this year.
The costumes of Sweeney Todd… gosh, they are just so nuanced and amazing; I can find something new to admire every time I look at them. Whether it is the arrogant leather clad Beadle, the faded, possessive Judge Turpin, or the almost ridiculously flamboyant Signor Pirelli, Ms. Atwood has really gone the extra mile in her meticulous pursuit of these characters. Sweeney Todd himself is the picture of years of hatred made (in)human. The once celebrated Benjamin Barker, has allowed himself to become, almost literally, unraveled in his quest for vengeance.
Honestly, though, my favorite has to be Mrs. Lovett. Her dark humor, and occasionally her undying optimism, shines through in her wardrobe. One of the best bits, I believe, is in the song “By the Sea,” where they are walking along the beach in bathing suits. The Broadway version of the song has a line, “Oh, I can see us now, in our bathing dresses! You in a nice, rich navy, and me… stripes, perhaps.” Though ultimately cut from the version in the movie, Colleen used it as her inspiration for those suits (though, obviously reversed).
There are so many, many more unsung heroes of the costuming world. You really pick up a lot of the mood of the scene, the personality of the character, from the costumes involved. Instead of just registering it subconsciously, next time you go to a movie, any movie, pay attention to the clothing. It is just as important as the actor in creating the character, just as crucial as the scenery for setting the stage.
Many people worked very hard to make the visions of one person come to life.
Technorati Tags: costumes, sweeney todd, movies, elizabeth golden age, academy awards
