FILMCLUB Guide to: Hollywood Costume

Key Stage Target:

KS2

KS3

KS4

Curriculum Links:

English

Drama

Art & Design

Design and Technology

Post 16 History

Media Studies

Introduction Costume is an integral part of film. No matter in what era a film is set, the audience has to suspend disbelief to feel that the characters are real and had a life before the story began. To help us believe in the unique individuals in the script, everything about them must ring true – including their clothes and accessories (which, just like ours, are part of their identity and memory). The costume designer and actor must work together to find the truth of that character – to find out who they are and what they would wear. When a designer gets it right, that costume can become iconic – known by film audiences around the world who would instantly recognise that costume as belonging to a particular character. The brown leather jacket, hat and whip that transformed Harrison Ford into Indiana Jones, for instance, will always bring that role to mind. All films – whether they are period, fantasy or modern - require costume research. Designers look to art, literature, photography, history, nature, music, childhood memories and other films - anything in the world around them - for inspiration. For each production costume designers compile a scrapbook of photos, historic text, hair and make-up styles, sketches, fabric swatches and any visual reference that they can find. This designer’s ‘bible’ is shared with all the key creative collaborators - the director, actor, cinematographer and production designer, and the hair and make-up artists. It’s only in recent decades that the importance of the costume designer in cinema has been recognised by the industry and the public – in the silent era, designers were not usually mentioned in the credits at all. Once a movie was completed the costumes were considered of no further use and many were neglected or vanished. Dorothy’s iconic gingham dress and ruby red slippers from ‘30s classic The Wizard of Oz is, for instance, one of the only costumes to survive from that time.

The Hollywood Costume exhibition showing at the Victoria & Albert Museum in London from 20 October 2012 to 27 January 2013, curated by Hollywood costume designer Deborah Nadoolman Landis, celebrates how important costumes have been since the earliest films in cinema’s storytelling process. Inspired by the exhibition and FILMCLUB’s love of costume, this resource is aimed to introduce FILMCLUB members to the glorious world of costume design through some of film history’s most evocative outfits. The costumes highlighted in this resource are on display in the Hollywood Costume exhibition. The films in this resource are: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

The Wizard of Oz (1939) (U) 7+, 101mins Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) (PG) 7+, 115mins Addams Family Values (1993) (PG) 7+, 90mins Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (2001) (PG) 7+, 152mins Blade Runner (1982) (15) 16+, 117mins Pirates of the Caribbean - On Stranger Tides (2011) (12) 11+, 130mins Titanic (1997) (12) 11+, 186mins The Birds (1963) (15) 14+, 119mins

More on Costumes: Go to FILMCLUB to watch fascinating interviews with costume designers and actors about costume, including FILMCLUB’s special webcast and report based on the Hollywood Costume exhibition: http://www.filmclub.org/behind-the-scenes/category/6 Get access to all these films and more, plus download additional resources when you join FILMCLUB: FILMCLUB is an education charity which helps schools set up and run film clubs for pupils to watch, review, discuss and learn through a curated catalogue of films from across the world and from over 100 years of cinema. Free to all state schools, FILMCLUB provides weekly screenings, online reviewing, monthly webcasts, industry events and hands--on support to engage, challenge and open new avenues for informal learning. Teachers receive the support they need to introduce pupils to the world of film, creating a memorable experience with proven academic benefit. Now even easier to join through online start up sessions! To join FILMCLUB please visit: www.filmclub.org or call 0207 288 4520 for more information. Follow us on Twitter @filmclubuk and on Facebook www.facebook.com/filmclubuk

FILMCLUB Guide to: Hollywood Costume The Wizard of Oz (1939) (U) 7+, 101mins What’s this film about? A timeless family musical and one of cinema’s much loved productions, The Wizard of Oz sees young Dorothy Gale (wearing one of film history’s most famous costumes) longing to escape black-and-white drudgery on a Kansas farm, for a life ‘Somewhere Over The Rainbow’. During a dramatic tornado her wish comes true as she and her dog Toto are carried off into the sky. Suddenly in the world of Oz, life is Technicolor bedazzlement. In a bid to return to Kansas Dorothy’s new friends Tin Man, Scarecrow and Cowardly Lion help her fend off the Wicked Witch to reach the Emerald City and the wonderful but neverseen Wizard of Oz. Costume: Blue and white gingham pinafore worn by Judy Garland as Dorothy Costume designer: Adrian

MGM/The Kobal Collection

“Few people in an audience watching a great screen production realise the importance of any gown worn by the feminine star. The may notice that it is attractive, that they would like to have copied it, that it is becoming but the fact that it was definitely planned to mirror some definite mood, to be as much a part of the play as the lines of the scenery, seldom occurs to them. But that most assuredly is true.” Adrian Trivia • ‘Adrian’ was the professional name of Adrian Greenberg, who worked in Hollywood from the silent era to the early 1950s and is considered to be one of the great costume designers for film • Adrian made a total of 3,210 individual costume sketches for The Wizard of Oz • In addition to The Wizard of Oz, Adrian worked on many films during his career including Marie Antoinette (1938), The Women (1939), Anna Karenina (1935) and The Philadelphia Story (1940) • Adrian designed for over 250 films during his career, and worked with some of the biggest female stars of the day including Greta Garbo, Jean Harlow, Katherine Hepburn and Joan Crawford

Discussion questions 1. In what ways does Dorothy change her appearance when she arrives in Oz? 2. Why are the ruby slippers Dorothy wears important? Why do you think Adrian designed them to sparkle? 3. The Wizard of Oz was made more than 70 years ago. In what ways does it look different from films made today? What do you think a modern farm-girl Dorothy would wear? Next steps • Design a costume for one of the characters in The Wizard of Oz. Maybe even Toto? • Watch some other films the same costume designer has designed for – can you spot any similarities in style or are they vastly different for each project? • Get your students’ voices heard by joining FILMCLUB and writing film reviews at www.filmclub.org - and don’t forget to include what your opinions were on the costumes in the film!

FILMCLUB Guide to: Hollywood Costume Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) (PG) 7+, 115mins What’s this film about? Crazed Nazis, sword-waving Egyptians and a pit of slithering poisonous snakes are some of the colourful characters and trials that famed archaeologist and adventurer Indiana Jones encounters in his quest to find the Ark of the Convenant, said to contain the holy Ten Commandments. Set in the 1930s, Raiders of the Lost Ark is a breathtaking adventure packed with eye-popping special effects and gut-busting comedy, courtesy of Indy and his trusty companions. The character (and his immediately recognisable silhouette) remains one of the most popular in film history. Costume: Jacket, shirt, hat, trousers, shoes whip and accessories worn by Harrison Ford as Indiana Jones Costume designer: Deborah Nadoolman Landis

MGM/The Kobal Collection

“Directors are in charge of every single thing in a movie. What we (costume designers) do is facilitate - we help the director create these authentic people. They’re fictional people but we help bring these people to life.” Deborah Nadoolman Landis Trivia • Did you know that Harrison Ford wasn’t the first choice for Indiana Jones? It was actor Tom Selleck, but he pulled out to take another role (in Magnum PI) – Nadoolman had to re-size each of the 12 duplicate costumes already made! • The character of Indy had a distinctive silhouette through the use of a fedora hat, but the hat also served a practical purpose – it hid the actor’s face sufficiently allowing doubles to perform the more dangerous stunts seamlessly • Nadoolman designed costumes for many films and videos, including The Blues Brothers (1980), Burke and Hare (2010) and Michael Jackson’s iconic 1983 Thriller video, and was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Costume Design for Coming to America (1988) • Nadoolman has written and edited a number of books including: Dressed: A Century of Hollywood Costume Design and is the senior curator of the Hollywood Costume exhibition at the V&A

Discussion questions 1. Indiana Jones is an archaeology professor and an action hero. How do his clothes reflect this? 2. There were 12 identical costumes made for Indy - why do you think actors have more than one of the same costume? 3. What other action heroines and heroes can you think of and what do they wear? If you were an action hero, what would you wear? Next steps • Design a costume for your favourite action hero or a new action hero you’d like to see! • Watch some other films the same costume designer has designed for – can you spot any similarities in style or are they vastly different for each project? • Get your students’ voices heard by joining FILMCLUB and writing film reviews at www.filmclub.org - and don’t forget to include what your opinions were on the costumes in the film!

FILMCLUB Guide to: Hollywood Costume Addams Family Values (1993) (PG) 7+, 90mins What’s this film about? Sometimes, you have to look a little closer to find out how a family really works. Take the Addams Family - on the surface, they’re a collection of ghouls and oddballs who would probably scare you witless if you were ever to find yourself visiting their rambling mansion. There’s Wednesday and Pugsley the two spooky children, the equally creepy Grandma, terrifying Uncle Fester, dad Gomez and mum Morticia - and Cousin It, who the less we say about the better. All of them are enough to chill your blood - but in fact, they’re a loving and big-hearted bunch, as is proven in this great gothic comedy adapted from a much-loved television series, which follows the first 1991 Addams Family movie. Costume: Morticia Addams (Anjelica Huston) full-length black dress seen throughout the film Costume designer: Theoni V. Aldredge “You don’t take over a show ... What you do is enhance it, because the costumes are there to serve a producer’s vision, a director’s viewpoint and, most importantly, an actor’s comfort. To me, good design is design you’re not aware of.” Theoni V. Aldredge said in The New York Times Trivia • Aldredge had many film credits to her name including Ghost Busters (1984), Annie (1982) and Moonstruck (1987) • Aldredge received the Oscar and a BAFTA Award for the costumes in The Great Gatsby in 1974 • In addition to film Aldredge was also one of the most honoured costume designers of the American theatre having worked on iconic musicals including A Chorus Line and 42nd Street

Discussion questions 1. How would you describe Morticia Addams? What are some situations that show us what kind of person she is, and how do her clothes reflect this? 2. Look at the costumes for the whole of the Addams family – what are the similarities? And how do they also reflect the individual characters? 3. Can you think of any other films with spooky characters? What kind of set and costume design do they have? Think of the kind of houses, the colours, the clothing the characters wear Next steps • Design your own costume for one of the Addams Family members! • Watch some other films the same costume designer has designed for – can you spot any similarities in style or are they vastly different for each project? • Get your students’ voices heard by joining FILMCLUB and writing film reviews at www.filmclub.org - and don’t forget to include what your opinions were on the costumes in the film!

FILMCLUB Guide to: Hollywood Costume Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (2001) (PG) 7+, 152mins What’s this film about? The first in a series of seven magical adventures with schoolboy wizard Harry Potter. Harry lives a miserable life with his mean aunt and uncle in the suburbs - but everything changes when a letter invites him to enroll in Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, a place of winding corridors, haunted forests and lightning-fast games of Quidditch. Little does he know it, but Harry is already a celebrity in the wizarding community, having encountered the evil villain Voldermort as a baby - and once he teams up with new friends Hermione and Ron, the trio set out to stop the precious Philosopher’s Stone from falling into the wrong hands. Costume: Harry Potter’s (Daniel Radcliffe) Gryffindor school uniform and cloak Costume designer: Judianna Makovsky “I designed the first Harry Potter — and you don’t want to disappoint the fans. Things change when you do a film, but you try the best — I try the best I can to be respectful of the material and the characters. I mean, it’s mostly about the characters, and even if you can’t do every detail that’s in a book, you want to get the essence of that character across.” Judianna Makovsky said in New York Magazine Trivia • Judianna has also designed the costumes for The Hunger Games (2012), X-Men: The Last Stand (2006) and National Treasure (2004) • She has been nominated three times for an Academy Award for her work on Pleasantville (1998), Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (2001) and Seabiscuit (2003) • Did you know, that throughout the whole series of Harry Potter over 25,000 items of clothing were used – including over 600 school uniforms that were created during the ten years of filming! • The scenes with the largest number of cast and extras to dress were the battle scenes in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, with 400 Death Eaters and Snatchers and the Great Hall scenes with 400 children and teachers present

Discussion questions 1. What kind of person is Harry? What are some examples that show his character and how does what he wears reflect this? 2. Can you think of any other films featuring witches or wizards? What did they wear? 3. Harry Potter’s school uniform has a Hogwarts crest. If you were to design a personal crest for yourself, what would be on it? 4. The film is adapted from the book – do you think the costumes in the film are the same as they have been described or different? Next steps • Design a new school uniform costume for Harry Potter and friends • For further insight on the costumes for Harry Potter watch FILMCLUB’s in-school visit with Costume Designer Jany Temime who designed for all the Potter films since Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004). http://www.filmclub.org/behind-the-scenes/category/6 • Watch some other films the same costume designer has designed for – can you spot any similarities in style or are they vastly different for each project? • Get your students’ voices heard by joining FILMCLUB and writing film reviews at www.filmclub.org - and don’t forget to include what your opinions were on the costumes in the film!

FILMCLUB Guide to: Hollywood Costume Pirates of the Caribbean - On Stranger Tides (2011) (12) 11+, 130mins What’s this film about? Johnny Depp reprises his role as Captain Jack Sparrow for more swashbuckling japes in the fourth installment of the film series famously adapted from a Disneyland ride. This time, Captain Jack is searching for the fountain of youth. As if that wasn’t difficult enough, he has competition in the shape of the ferocious Blackbeard (played by Ian McShane), and his crafty daughter, played by Penelope Cruz. There is also the hazardous business of getting a tear from a mermaid, which may not sound too challenging, but these are a particularly deadly (and brilliantly rendered) type of mermaid. Costume: Captain Jack Sparrow’s (Johnny Depp) coat, shirt, breeches, boots, hat, accessories Costume designer: Penny Rose

MGM/The Kobal Collection

“The actor’s involvement is paramount to me… We’ve added some trinkets over time and a new waistcoat, which we think Jack stole from a Spanish ship. He’s added a shrunken head, which he tells me is his mother! As an actor, he is acutely aware of his clothes and stepping into the costume is stepping into the character.” Penny Rose on working with Johnny Depp Trivia • For the role Depp drew on a number of cultural references for Captain Jack including Looney Tunes character ‘Pepe Le Pew’, and had four of his teeth capped with gold and a fake tattoo of a sparrow on his right arm • On Pirates Penny designed costumes for each actor and hundreds of extras – including Penelope Cruz (who plays Angelica Teach) who was pregnant throughout filming. When it started becoming obvious, the wardrobe department started having difficulty hiding it, so asked Penelope’s younger sister Monica to double for her in the long-shot scenes that were proving tricky to film without Penelope’s ‘baby bump’ being seen! • Penny has designed all the costumes for each of the four Pirates of the Caribbean films, and also designed for Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time (2010), St Trinian’s (2007), Entrapment (1999), Evita (1996) and Mission: Impossible (1996)

Discussion questions 1. What kind of man is Captain Jack Sparrow, and how does his outfit show this? 2. How would you describe the world in Pirates of the Caribbean, and how do the set and costumes help create its atmosphere? 3. Johnny Depp has become known for playing eccentric characters. What are some of his other famous roles, and their costumes? Next steps • Design your own Captain Jack Sparrow costume – and think about the small touches to build on the characters eccentricities (like the shrunken head!) • Watch some other films the same costume designer has designed for – can you spot any similarities in style or are they vastly different for each project? • Get your students’ voices heard by joining FILMCLUB and writing film reviews at www.filmclub.org - and don’t forget to include what your opinions were on the costumes in the film!

FILMCLUB Guide to: Hollywood Costume Blade Runner (1982) (15) 16+, 117mins What’s this film about? This groundbreaking sci-fi classic has been a favourite of both critics and film fans ever since it first came out in 1982. In a rainy and neon-lit Los Angeles of the future, Rick Deckard (played by Harrison Ford) works as a “blade runner” - a cop whose sole job is to hunt down and terminate four robots in human form known as “replicants”. However, the replicants, who have learned to cherish life, will do anything to save themselves. What follows is both a film about the meaning of life, and an action-packed thriller full of suspense that will keep you glued firmly to the screen. Costume: Rachael’s (Sean Young) 40s-inspired power suit Costume designer: Michael Kaplan and Charles Knode “After reading the script, we definitely felt that Blade Runner was of that film noir genre, and we looked back to the films of the 1940s for inspiration… I wanted to create a futuristic heroine who was believable in the future, but with her feet firmly planted in film noir past.” Michael Kaplan, AnOther Magazine Trivia • Michael Kaplan has designed costumes for over 40 feature films including The Sorcerer’s Apprentice (2010), Star Trek (2009), I Am Legend (2007) and Armageddon (1998) • Other films that Charles Knode has designed for include Braveheart (1995), Legend (1985), Life of Brian (1979) and The Hound of the Baskervilles (1978) • Michael and Charles won the BAFTA Award for their work on Blade Runner. Charles also won a BAFTA Award for his designs for Braveheart (1995)

Discussion questions 1. Blade Runner fits into the sci-fi and film noir genres. How are its atmosphere and costumes typical of futuristic films? Of moody crime films? 2. Sean Young’s character is a ‘replicant’ – a robot. Can you think of other films in which humans play robots? What do they look like? 3. The design of Blade Runner is often praised. Do you think it looks dated? Why or why not? What might the ‘replicants’ look like, if the film were made today? Next steps • Rachael’s costume was 1940’s inspired but designed in the 1980’s, so had a mixture of both influences. Design a costume for Rachael using 1940’s as inspiration mixed with today’s influences • Watch some other films the same costume designer has designed for – can you spot any similarities in style or are they vastly different for each project? • Get your students’ voices heard by joining FILMCLUB and writing film reviews at www.filmclub.org - and don’t forget to include what your opinions were on the costumes in the film!

FILMCLUB Guide to: Hollywood Costume Titanic (1997) (12) 11+, 186mins What’s this film about? In April 1912, the largest and most luxurious passenger ship in history set sail on its first-ever voyage from Southampton to New York - only to hit an iceberg just four days later and sink in the frozen waters of the Atlantic. This tragic story is at the centre of Titanic (the name of the ship itself) - and the movie is almost as huge and awe-inspiring as its subject, focusing on an illicit on-board romance between poor stowaway Jack Dawson and the wealthy Rose DeWitt Bukater. The film, which went on to break every box-office record, was incredibly hard to make, especially for the costume department, which faced the challenge of hundreds of stunt people in period outfits jumping into water. Costume: Jack’s (Leonardo DiCaprio) steerage boarding outfit and Rose’s (Kate Winslet) First Class pin-stripe boarding outfit Costume designer: Deborah L. Scott

MGM/The Kobal Collection

“This was a period of great formality. People of wealth changed their wardrobe four and five times a day. Their clothes were so elaborate that personal maids and valets were absolutely necessary. The clothes were incredibly beautiful and detailed.” Deborah L. Scott Trivia • Titanic contains over 100 speaking parts and over 1000 extras, all of whom needed to be dressed in lavish period costume, from first class to steerage – every single costume was designed by Deborah • The bill for all of the costumes in the film came to staggering $8.4 million dollars • Deborah won the Academy Award for Best Costume Design for Titanic in 1997 • One the first big films she designed costumes for was Back To The Future in 1985. Since then she has designed for Legends of the Fall (1994), Minority Report (2002), Transformers (2007), Avatar (2009) and her next project is The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (2014)

Discussion questions 1. Jack and Rose are from very different social classes. How do we see this in the clothes they wear? 2. Every female actor on the set wore a corset, even if they were extras that were barely able to be seen. Why do think they did this? 3. The scene in which Ruth (Rose’s mother) is tying Rose’s corset symbolises Ruth “tightening both the laces and the confines of Rose’s gilded cage” – taking away her freedom. Are there any other symbolic moments in the film that involve costume? Next steps • Do some research on clothes worn in 1912 and design a costume for Rose or Jack • Watch some other films the same costume designer has designed for – can you spot any similarities in style or are they vastly different for each project? • Get your students’ voices heard by joining FILMCLUB and writing film reviews at www.filmclub.org - and don’t forget to include what your opinions were on the costumes in the film!

FILMCLUB Guide to: Hollywood Costume The Birds (1963) (15) 14+, 119mins What’s this film about? Beautiful Melanie Daniels is a spoilt, mischievous socialite who pursues a hunky lawyer to his remote coastal Californian hometown with romance in mind. However, shortly after she arrives, Melanie is attacked by a seagull - and this is just the start of a mysterious series of savage attacks by an increasing number of birds. The Birds, based on a Daphne du Maurier story, was director Alfred Hitchcock’s follow-up to his notorious shocker Psycho (1960) - this time generating its chills through a slow, subtle build of dread. Costume designer Edith Head – whose long Hollywood career saw her garner more Oscar nominations than any other woman in history – had a very successful working relationship with Hitchcock, helping him realise his vision on some of his most enduring classics. Costume: Melanie Daniel’s (Tippi Hedren) moss-green jacket and matching sleeveless dress Costume designer: Edith Head “Unless there is a story reason for a colour, we keep the colours muted, because Hitchcock believes they can detract from an important action scene. He uses colour, actually, almost like an artist, preferring soft greens and cool colours for certain moods.” Edith Head Trivia • During the course of her career, Head received eight Academy Awards for Best Costume Design and was nominated a total of 35 times – the most for any costume designer ever! • She began designing costumes for silent films, commencing with The Wanderer in 1925 and collaborated often with director Alfred Hitchcock, encompassing 11 films between 1946 and 1976, including Rear Window (1954), To Catch a Thief (1955), Vertigo (1958) and The Birds (1963) • Head designed for many of Hollywood’s Golden era actresses including Elizabeth Taylor, Doris Day, Bette Davis, Ginger Rogers, Ingrid Bergman, Mae West, Katherine Hepburn, Sophia Loren, Rita Hayworth and Marlene Dietrich to name a few

Discussion questions 1. What kind of woman is Melanie? How is this reflected in her appearance? 2. Did you notice the costumes other characters were wearing? They may look like the fashion of the time but what makes them more than that? 3. Hitchcock kept the colours in the film muted – how did this effect the costumes and the characters that wore them? Next steps • Design a costume for Melanie Daniels as if The Birds was set in modern day MGM/The Kobal Collection • Watch some other films the same costume designer has designed for – can you spot any similarities in style or are they vastly different for each project? • Get your students’ voices heard by joining FILMCLUB and writing film reviews at www.filmclub.org - and don’t forget to include what your opinions were on the costumes in the film!