Friday, October 28, 2016

Costume Dramas of Golden Hollywood

 
Costumes, like everything else involved in filmmaking, are extremely important to movies. Without them, viewers would have to try to imagine them (like imagining sets in a play). As you can see, it would be very difficult to envision the tone of a film without them. Therefore, Hollywood has long spent lavish amounts of money of costumes, whether they are fantastical or gritty and realistic, glamorous or ordinary.

Rhett is definitely not in costume!

Costumes are especially important in Period films. It would be very difficult to imagine an Elizabethan setting if the actors were dressed in jeans and t-shirts! Or think of Gone With the Wind without all of those hoop-skirted dresses! Costumes also help the actor to get into their character and therefore act more convincingly, especially in a time they are not familiar with. It can also be plain fun, as Greer Garson recalls:
I think all of us have often thought how interesting it would be to live in a different age and time. Imagination at best is a poor substitute for reality. My role as Miss Bennett (Pride and Prejudice, 1940) was one of the happiest I ever played. In the charming feminine costumes of the period. working on sets authentically re-creating Old English homes, schooled in the modes and manners for the period, and surrounded by the proper atmosphere - gallant gentlemen, candlelight, carriages and pianofortes - it was possible to believe that I was Elizabeth [Bennett] while the cameras turned, and each night after work it was like stepping out of one world into another. I always hated to take off the colorful costumes and put on slacks, feeling something like Cinderella after the ball.
Why Larry! How dare you suggest my costume isn't authentic!

Because movies are so popular, what we see in the movies is convincingly real and sometimes the line between fact and fiction becomes blurred. Especially with costumes, "Hollywood usually offers its audience an elaborate and excessive vision of the past, filtering history through rose-colored glasses... to create the effect of a different time."

That being said, Hollywood gets many aspects of period costumes correct, but oftentimes it is mixed in a little with modern trends to be more easily identifiable with the movie-going public. Fabrics, silhouettes, undergarments, make-up, and hair styles were frequently, and sometimes purposefully,  changed for a modern look with an authentic feel, making the viewer feel like they had just seen something of historical fact yet at the same time be able to relate completely with the characters. They could also incorporate the looks seen easily into their wardrobes, as these patterns from 1939 show (released by Hollywood of course):


With period films from the Classic Hollywood era, one can still always tell what decade the it was actually made in, even if you aren't familiar with the main actors. A 1930s period film looks like a 1930s period film, just like one from the 1960s looks like it was made in the 1960s.

The fabric is wrong. The makeup is wrong. But it feels right.

Some actors and actresses strove for authenticity however. Bette Davis famously shaved her hairline to play Queen Elizabeth I not once, but twice! Even then, she wasn't allowed to shave it back as far as she wanted for fear it would alienate the movie-going public.


Nowadays, Hollywood and other film-makers are much more careful with getting the details right. For example, the popular BBC television drama Downton Abbey had a historical advisor on the set at all times to make sure that every detail was as authentic as possible. Even such small items as a letter seen for only a split second were handwritten in the style of the period. The celebrated costumes were sometimes actual 1920s items or had pieces taken from a gown falling apart and refashioned into a wearable piece using only materials that would have been available at the time. Some dresses were so delicate that they fell apart soon after filming! The makeup was even authentic, with just a little powder to even out skin tones. Here is a short video about the costumes, hair and makeup on the show (Warning: gives away plotlines). Here's another really short one.


If you are interested in pursuing this topic further, Hollywood and History: Costume Design in Film by Edward Maeder is an excellent book. It was a companion piece to an exhibition hosted by the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. The chapters include Historical Dress in Films, Hair and Makeup, and their impact on fashion.

       

This post is for the Characters in Costume Blogfest hosted by Christina Wehner and Into the Writer Lea. Be sure to check out all of the other "form-fitting" posts ;)


18 comments:

  1. Oh, how envious I feel of Greer Garson in that dress! :) That's a great point about how 1930s costume dramas look like the 1930s! I had not realized just how far they had worked on Downton Abbey to make it authentic, though, even using original clothes. Do you think modern movies are more accurate, too, or if it's more likely to be the TV series that strive for authenticity?

    That sounds like a fascinating book, too.

    So very glad you could join us!

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    1. I haven't seen a lot of modern costume dramas but I think it's probably some are more authentic then others - mainly on makeup. I feel like costumes are always period correct.

      Thanks so much for hosting! And you should definitely seek out that book!

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    2. I do know that in "Becoming Jane" (2009?) that Anne Hathaway's costumes as Jane Austen aren't period correct. They put her in the style most associated with her books, with the empire waists, while others in the cast are wearing what would have been appropriate for the time the movie was set in.

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  2. This is one of my biggest "pet peeves" when dealing with historical fictions and films. I love the genre, but it bugs me when they mix modern into the original time period, so even though I enjoy Greer Garson's Pride and Prejudice, I can't help but note that the costumes are nothing like the original Litzy would've worn--being at least three or four decades afterwards, if anything. :-) And even some modern films and television shows can do this. The recent Doctor Thorne felt "off" in the way the hero's mother huffed and puffed, flopped into chairs and rolled her eyes. Not the sort of behavior a corset and hoop should inspire, based on experience. I haven't decided if she was trying to show how, even then, a woman might relax behind closed doors (which one could, certainly, as corsets weren't uncomfortable or prohibitive) or if she just couldn't lose her modern mannerisms.

    Thank you for sharing this! I'm so enjoying reading everyone's posts.

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    1. Thanks for reading! It does lead to people feeling like they know what it was like to live in a certain era and what they are really knowing is the Hollywood version. I love looking at vintage patterns because I know they are true representations of the times.

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  3. Excellent post - I remember once thinking that many classic film costumes seemed like, "the middle ages as viewed through the 1930's" or "the 1920's as viewed through the 1960's".

    It's nice to see more modern productions striving harder to create authentic period costumes - it's less distracting. But on the other hand it is find sometimes to see how "period" clothing was reinvented by the era in which a period movie as being made.

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    1. Exactly! It would be fun to do a comparison of say, the Middle Ages according to the 1930s, 40s, etc.

      It's amazing the detail that is put into some costumes that are only seen for a few seconds sometimes, and sometimes not even the whole outfit is seen! I really did appreciate how Downton Abbey stressed the "no-makeup" look and their natural beauty was able to show.

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  4. Sorry - mean to say "it is fun sometimes to see..."

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  5. I enjoyed your post. It is true that period films of the 30s, 40s, and 50s dressed and applied make-up from their perspective of film making and not for the authentic presentation of the storyline's settings. I used to let it bother me; but, now I let it go and enjoy the story...

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    1. Yeah, it doesn't really bother me either :)

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  6. Enjoyed your post - thank you! I think that's why I've always preferred the BBC adaptations of classics to the Hollywood ones - the care they have always taken to get the costumes right. And yet even with them you can still often tell the decade it was made, by the make-up chiefly, and also things like the shape of the eyebrows. And of course, they are always totally clean with freshly washed hair and glowing complexions, which I doubt was the case for any but the wealthiest back in those days. Especially the hair-washing in the days before hairdryers...

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    1. I never even thought of clean hair and complexions!

      Thanks for reading!

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  7. Wow loved this! It was most informative and interesting. Thanks you :)

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  8. I've never been bothered by period costumes in old movies. To me, movies aren't supposed to be real life so why should they entirely adhere to it? Plus, it's interesting to see the mixture of time periods. 1920's in the 1960's? Sign me up!

    Interesting post, Phyl!

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    1. Yeah they don't really bother me either :) Thanks for reading!!

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  9. Fascinating post! I too have noticed the modern flare to period pieces. 1960s westerns where women still have 60s hair and make up come to mind. But it hasn't ever turned me off to a movie though I always appreciate when a movie or show like Downton Abbey get it so right. Enjoyable read!

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    1. Women's hair in 60s or 70s westerns is the only thing that ever bothers me but, like you said, I'll still watch the movie. Glad you enjoyed my post!

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