Thursday Movie Picks - Oscar Edition: Best Costume Design/Best Makeup & Hairstyling
It's another Oscar edition over at Wandering Through The Shelves and this month we're talking about costumes and Makeup/Hairstyling. Makeup ended up being harder for me because I had already used a few of my favorites, so here's what I came up with.
Costume
1) Black Panther - Comic book movies are often overlooked in non special effects categories to seeing this film win for its absolutely stunning costumes was such a nice feeling.
2) Moulin Rouge! - The costumes in this are everything. Bright, sparkly and fun, just like the musical.
3) Some Like It Hot - I had to go with one black and white pick, and this one is hands down my favorite win. This movie is so fun.
Makeup & Hairstyling
1) Mrs. Doubtfire - The makeup in this family classic still holds up. Of course I have a soft spot for this for nostalgia purposes but you can't deny that Robin William's Mrs. Doubtfire costume still looks great.
2) Star Trek - I unapologetically love the Star Trek reboots. I was never able to get into the older ones, despite constantly being around people who loved them, but I fell in love with these right away and they deserved this win.
3) The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King - The makeup artists who had to create all those looks for the Orcs 100% deserve this win. Can you imagine how time consuming this was?
I'll start with my favorite of your picks first. I ADORE Some Like It Hot!!! What a joyous film, you would never know it was a rough shot from the evidence on screen. Curtis and especially Lemmon are pitch perfect throughout. Marilyn, no matter her problems behind the scenes, is inimitable, Joe E. Brown absolutely brilliant (how neither he nor Marilyn received nominations I'll never understand) and I am crazy for Sweet Sue! The costuming, outside of Marilyn's great stage wear, doesn't seem that special until you consider how comfortable Tony and Jack's dresses seem on them.
ReplyDeleteEwan McGregor and the look of Moulin Rouge were the only parts of that film I enjoyed. I'll really have to hanker down and watch Black Panther, I keep meaning to and then forget about it.
I'm not much of a Trekkie, there are a few of the original series episodes and movies I like but I was never a faithful viewer however I also like the newer ones. I can see why the original reboot won the prize and as much as I detest all the LOTR trilogy I'll admit the makeup with very well done. I'm not as fond of Mrs. Doubtfire as some finding it a bit to precious but Robin Williams makeup job is indeed impressive.
I stuck with costumes this time out trying to hop period and types of genres for variety. But I do love fancy clothes so mine all have something of that aspect to them.
Les Girls (1957)-Lady Sybil Wren (Kay Kendall) writes a memoir of her time as a dancer in the Les Girl troupe headed by Barry Nichols (Gene Kelly). Upon publication she is sued for libel by Angele Ducros (Taina Elg) who along with Joy Henderson (Mitzi Gaynor) was also in the group. As the story unfolds Rashomon style it raises questions of what the truth is as both women and Barry present their versions all set to the music of Cole Porter. Nominated for three Oscars (Costume Design, Art Direction and Sound) this won Orry-Kelly the second of his three Oscars (out of four nominations) for his dazzling and stylish work.
Anne of the Thousand Days (1969)-Chronicle of the rapid rise of Anne Boleyn (Genevieve Bujold) to become Henry VIII’s (Richard Burton) second queen, nearly tearing the English Kingdom apart in the process and equally precipitous fall. Beautifully appointed and fiercely acted by the leads this received 9 other Oscar nominations (Picture, Actor, Actress, Supporting Actor, Adapted Screenplay, Cinematography, Production Design, Score and Sound Mixing) besides Margaret Furse’s (her only prize out of 6 nominations) well deserved win for Costume Design for her elaborately intricate costumes which inform and enrich the characters rather than just being wardrobe.
Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert (1994)-Sydney based drag queen Anthony (Hugo Weaving) accepts a gig in far off Alice Springs inviting fellow cross-dresser Adam (Guy Pearce) and transsexual Bernadette (Terence Stamp) to tag along. Decked out in one jaw dropping ensemble after another the trio undertake an odyssey across the Australian Outback in their lavender bus, Priscilla encountering both friend and foe along the way. Tim Chappel and Lizzy Gardiner won the film’s sole nomination for their memorably over the top costume designs with Gardiner creating a sensation by accepting the award in a dress made entirely of expired American Express cards.
I was 6 when Mrs. Doubtfire came out so I was the prefect age for it. lol. I haven't seen any of your picks but when I look at photos of them, I can see why they won. They all sound like films I'd enjoy, especially that last one.
DeleteI do think you would enjoy all three!
DeleteAdventures of Priscilla is a bit oddball but has an underlying sweetness to it. All three of the men are fantastic with Terence Stamp really finding the humanity in Bernadette without ever making her a cartoon.
While it takes some liberties with the facts (though not nearly as much as trash like The Other Boleyn Girl) Anne of the Thousand Days sticks close to the actual story overall. Genevieve Bujold and the script (which was adapted from a stage play) do a good job of presenting Anne Boleyn as a whole person. You have sympathy for her, Henry VIII does wrong her because she failed in the one thing he wanted most-a legitimately born living son-but she's no plaster saint, she was an ambitious schemer who had no compunction about stepping on or over anyone who stood in her way. She did however have a sense that her daughter, the future Queen Elizabeth I, was extraordinary and would be a great ruler.
Les Girls was Gene Kelly's last film before he left MGM after 15 years as one of their top stars and they sent him out in a grand style. The film is a lavish Technicolor Cinemascope musical directed by George Cukor, scored by Cole Porter and choreographed by Jack Cole. It's a good part for Gene but he is outshone by his costars. Mitzi Gaynor as the most sensible of the three girls is flip and sprightly and the most proficient dancer of the three women. Metro was trying to build Taina Elg into a star at this point and she's charming (she and Kay Kendall won the Best Actress/Musical Comedy Golden Globe for this film in a tie), but she didn't connect with the public and her film career was short. She moved to the stage for decades quite successfully, she's still alive at 91 as is Mitzi at 89.
However, the film is stolen lock, stock and barrel by Kay Kendall, an expert comedienne if ever there was one. She was a big star in her native England, and this was her first star part under her MGM contract and a big success. It was nearly the end of the line for her though, you would never know it as she glides merrily through the picture, but she was terminally ill. She had played a damsel in distress for Metro in the costume picture Quentin Durward a couple of years prior but then suffered a collapse and had to take some time away from the cameras. In the interim she married Rex Harrison who had been informed of her diagnosis of myeloid leukemia (treatable now though still incurable but then a death sentence). A vibrant but delicate woman the doctors feared that the knowledge of her disease would break her spirit and hasten her death. Rex chose to tell her the trouble was an iron deficiency and that periods of rest would be required but that she should continue to be active. She made only two films after this-the delightful The Reluctant Debutante (a great showcase for her-costarring with Harrison) and the average Once More with Feeling (released posthumously) which she makes worthwhile, before her death at only 32 never knowing how sick she was. A great loss.
The Other Boleyn Girl is one of my guilty pleasures lol. I recognize it's not good, but damn if it's not wildly entertaining. I love all your classic movie facts.
DeleteI chose ROTK and Moulin Rouge for Costumes but I agree that ROTK was amazing makeup work as well! And Some Like it Hot is a fantastic choice!
ReplyDeleteROTK all around is just excellent.
DeleteWe share a pick with Black Panther as that has to be the new standard bearer of what blockbuster costume design should be as I'm happy that film won some serious awards. Some Like It Hot is a film I need to have from the Criterion Collection. How can anyone not love that film? It's still funny as heck and was quite ahead of its time. Plus, who knew that Jack Lemmon had some nice legs in drag?
ReplyDeleteI hope so too. Blockbusters need to expand beyond the visual effects category, and I'm glad Black Panther did.
DeleteGreat picks! I was not expecting to see Some Like It Hot but I'm so glad it's here :D
ReplyDeleteThank you!
DeleteGreat picks! I mostly stuck to costumes for this week, so it's fun to see what won for make-up/hair. I had no idea about Mrs. Doubtfire but it definitely deserved it. As an original Star Trek fan, I really love the newer series too (even though I loathe Abrams). They're better than most reboots that have come out.
ReplyDeleteYeah, Abrams sucks but that cast in the new ones is *chef's kiss*
DeleteSatine's wardrobe (and hair and make-up) in Moulin Rouge were so wonderful! Made me want to go be a doomed showgirl.
ReplyDeleteOther than the Star Trek on Earth with the whales (5 I think?) I'm all about the reboots. My more original films loving friend and I just do not talk about it :)
lol right? If only I could sing. I have no problem admitting that I prefer the reboots. They just work.
DeleteMoulin Rouge is such a great pick. Every single thing Nicole Kidman wore in that film was absolutely stunning.
ReplyDeleteYes it was!
DeleteHow did I miss writing here until now?? Anyhoo, love Some Like It Hot, not just for Marilyn’s outfits which some leave little to the imagination but how comfy and stylish the clothes of Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon’s are. Moulin Rouge is a feast for the eyes and the costumes are great. Black Panther costumes are excellent but I wasn’t wowed by them for some reason. Love LOTR which is popular this week. I am into all of Star Trek and the makeup are Great for this series.
ReplyDeleteMoulin Rogue really is a feast. I'm glad that was popular this week too.
DeleteMoulin Rouge - I like the look of everything in this movie.
ReplyDeleteLOTR - Yes the creature work is great.
Thanks!
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