7 films with amazing costumes, received the Oscar
'06.02.2020'
Source: apostrophe
The painstaking work of costume designers has made these films cult, writes apostrophe.
In 2020, the Oscar for Best Costume Design nominated the crime drama The Irishman, the tragicomedy Jojo the Rabbit, the thriller The Joker, the drama Little Women, and the comedy drama Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. Their action takes place at different times, and the designers did a great job to make the appearance of the characters as consistent with the era and the mood of the picture. While the members of the American Film Academy are deciding who will receive the coveted statuette on February 9, let us recall the films in which costumes have become a separate work of art.
"Roman Holiday" (1954)
Over the course of her 54-year career, costume designer Edith Head has received 35 Oscar nominations, 8 of which have won. She has had the occasion to dress the most famous Hollywood divas, including Marilyn Monroe, Grace Kelly and Elizabeth Taylor. But the greatest fame was brought by Head's work with Audrey Hepburn, whose outfits in the melodrama "Roman Holiday" became the standard of femininity and elegance. Until now, a snow-white shirt, a bright neckerchief and a long flared skirt, combined with Roman sandals, remain timeless classics of women's fashion.
"Cleopatra" (1963)
Cleopatra starring Elizabeth Taylor is considered the most expensive film of its time (about $ 484 million in current inflation). Its production nearly drove 20th Century Fox into bankruptcy, but the drama about the Egyptian queen has left its mark on fashion history forever. For 3 hours of screen time, Taylor changed a record 65 costumes designed by Irene Charaff, Vittorio Nino Novarese and Reni Conley. They should be thanked for the enduring popularity of maxi dresses, snake bracelets and rings, geometric haircuts and bright Taylor-style makeup.
On the subject: Not only Moscow Doesn’t Believe in Tears: Soviet and Russian films that won an Oscar
"My Fair Lady" (1964)
The costumes for the musical film “Pygmalion” by Bernard Shaw were designed by legendary costume and set designer Cecil Beaton, who was inducted into the 1970 International Most Stylish People Hall of Fame. Beaton has done a great job of portraying the transformation of the grubby flower girl Eliza Doolittle (Audrey Hepburn) into a pompous socialite. Her floral and ribbon-embellished dresses and whimsical wide-brimmed hats are still striking in their extravagance, and Lady Gaga's famous stylized photoshoot for the January 2012 issue of Vanity Fair is proof of this.
"Star Wars. Episode IV: A New Hope "(1978)
Today, the costumes of Princess Leia, Darth Vader and Imperial stormtroopers will surprise no one: their images are so replicated that even Ukrainian politicians exploit them. Credit goes to saga creator George Lucas, concept artist Ralph McCurry and John Mollo, who went from being a historical film consultant to a costume designer for a space western, “one of whose characters is a trash can”. Thus, he designed the famous Darth Vader costume from a monastic robe, a motorcycle suit, a German military helmet and a gas mask. One of Mollo's biggest challenges was creating loads of exotic aliens, and when he won his first Oscar he joked that the Star Wars costumes were "not really so much suits as plumbing and car parts."
Titanic (1998)
On account of the designer Deborah Lee Scott - more than 45 paintings, but it was "Titanic" that brought her the coveted "Oscar". In order to come up with stunning outfits in which the heroine Kate Winslet and other first-class passengers flaunt, the artist had to study a mountain of literature on Edwardian fashion from the beginning of the XNUMXth century.
“The director did not dictate what the costumes should be, but he paid attention to the details. For example, when Keith steps over the railing, you can hear a slight clink of beads. He noticed these details in clothes, used them and created the right atmosphere with them, ”- said Scott.
It is curious that the famous lilac dress, in which Rosa escapes from the disaster of the ship, had to be sewn several times: due to filming in salt water, the outfit quickly lost its cinematic look.
On the subject: Olivia Coleman's story: how the former cleaning lady won an Oscar for the role of queen
"Marie Antoinette" (2006)
The costumes for Sofia Coppola's film were designed by three-time Oscar winner Milena Canonero. During the preliminary preparation stage, the director handed the artist a box of pastel-colored macaroon cookies and asked her to use them as a palette. In an interview, Canonero said that in her magnificent outfits, she tried to convey the essence of the era, but did not reproduce it exactly.
“You always have to look for a new way of looking at things. I have simplified the very heavy 18th century decor. I wanted the costumes to be believable, but more stylized, she said in an interview. “In those days, all the ladies of the court were covered in lace because it was a way to show how rich you are. They had a lot more jewelry than me. ”
Despite the "simplified" Rococo style, Kanonero's work won an Oscar, and Kirsten Dunst's 60 breathtaking outfits are still striking in their beauty.
Phantom Thread (2018)
Designer Mark Bridges and his team created more than 50 costumes for the film about the brilliant couturier Reynolds Woodcock and his muse, including wedding dresses, evening dresses and casual clothes. The picture takes place in the 50s, and to convey the spirit of the era, Bridges was granted access to the famous dresses exhibited at the London Victoria and Albert Museum, including works by Givenchy, Balmein, Ballensiag, Charles Frederick Worth, Victor Stiebel and Norman Hartnell.
Besides the design, the film also shows the process of making clothes. Because of this, the team had to sew outfits throughout the entire filming process, right up to the very end. “It was a constant state of creation and fitting and finishing,” the artist recalled.
As a result, what is happening in the film and on the set is really intertwined with a "ghost thread": all the outfits were made by hand, including embroidery and beading, and up to 30 people could work on one dress at a time.
