OVP: Best Costume (2004)
The Nominees Were...
Sandy Powell, The Aviator
Alexandra Byrne, Finding Neverland
Colleen Atwood, Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events
Sharen Davis, Ray
Bob Ringwood, Troy
My Thoughts: One of the best recurring jokes at the Oscars (which was ruined in 2016 by Fantastic Beasts & Where to Find Them) was the bizarre synergy of Colleen Atwood & Sandy Powell, two of Oscar's favorite costume designers. Until Atwood won for Fantastic Beasts, the three had won a trio of Oscars a piece, but the weird thing that they had in common is that they basically always had to beat each other to win-each of their at-bats they always beat the other one. This, as you might guess, was one of the times that Powell ended up on top but because of that we'll start with Colleen so as not to make her feel too left out.
The costume work in Lemony Snicket is inventive, and devoted to the characters you fell in love with in the novels (or at least that I did-I loved these books). The books (and the movie, for that matter), never totally reveal the time period we're in-it's too modern for actual turn-of-the-century Britain, but everyone is dressed like they're going to Queen Victoria's funeral. After years of working with Tim Burton, this is a good fit for Atwood, who brings a gothic flare to her work, particularly the lace gloves they have on Violet or the elegant ball gowns that Meryl Streep's Aunt Josephine is bedecked in. Good costuming adds to the ambience of the movies and provides details into the characters, and Atwood does that here.
Powell gets that as well, but has the grander concept, or at least the baitier for me personally. Recreating gorgeous looks of people like Ava Gardner & Katharine Hepburn is a dream-come-true, and of course Powell does it flawlessly. What she does perhaps better is trying to get us beyond the exterior of these identifiable women. Look at the way that Hepburn's pants not only look iconic, but like they're out-of-place to Howard, not to her...it's clear that she's going to grow beyond him & not the other way around. Part of that is the performance, but Powell has a way of arming her actors with clothes that will establish their moods & the writing of the film, in addition to looking splendid.
Alexandra Byrne also has character work on her mind with Finding Neverland. While it isn't as showy as the other two, she uses costumes to not only get at these characters, but try to establish them from the vision of JM Barrie, who is meant to be our internal screenwriter and eyes in the movie. One of the most striking things about this film is how Kate Winslet, our angelic central figure, is nearly always wearing white, giving in to her saintly glow even as her health begins to slip. The work is more repetitive, and the characters don't extend as much to the male characters in quite the same way, but it's clear she's trying to give us more into these figures than what the page is asking for.
Sharen Davis doesn't do the same in Ray, unfortunately. The work here is certainly strong recreations of the music of the 1960's, with Ray Charles' boxy suits being on display, but they don't give us much into this character. A vain figure in the film, we always see Ray immaculately dressed & like you could feel the weight of the suit (a good insight for a man who obviously cannot see color), but the rest of the cast doesn't have the same care, and unlike Neverland (where most of the principle characters are children), that lack of perspective in the adult female characters feels like a missed opportunity.
The final nomination is for Troy, a movie that has the least with giving us actual insights into the characters, and has to lose a point for that. But aside from that, the recreations & iconography of this work on a purely aesthetic level is so delicious that it numbers amongst my favorites of 2004's fashion. The flower crown & gold bedecked gown of Diane Kruger would inspire an entire aesthetic for years afterward in similar films (and Halloween costumes), and this is the rare film that focuses on the male characters. Yes, on some level it's a little thirsty to give an award for a movie that has the good sense to match a silver-and-black forearm guard with Eric Bana's bountiful pectorals, but Troy knows what the audience wants to see, and it knows how to take advantage of the beauty & physical attributes of its comely cast. And if that's not the basis of fashion, what is?
Other Precursor Contenders: At this stage in its inception, the Costume Designers Guild only had Contemporary and Period/Fantasy as its categories (the latter would later split into two categories). Contemporary went to The Life Aquatic over Alfie, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Kill Bill Volume 2, and Ocean's Twelve, while the latter picked Lemony Snicket over De-Lovely, Ray, Aviator, and Phantom of the Opera. BAFTA continued its love affair with Vera Drake (the winner), besting Aviator, House of Flying Daggers, Merchant of Venice, and Finding Neverland. That's a lot of names, so picking a sixth place is tough. This was back when the Costume and Art Directors were voted on by the same people (creating a lot of synergies between the two), so without an obvious frontrunner, I'm going to go with one of the films that made it there but not here. It could be A Very Long Engagement, but I suspect the showier Phantom of the Opera (designed by none other than Alexandra Byrne) was probably in sixth.
Films I Would Have Nominated: I'd add in at least two names (I'm wavering if there should be a third). For sure House of Flying Daggers, which is a feast of color & gorgeous use of costuming (trying to match the natural backgrounds of the film). I'd also probably include Harry Potter 3, the only film in the series to combine the magical world we know & love with a more modern, even hip aesthetic of teenagers at the time.
Oscar's Choice: Considering the precursors it's not out-of-the-question to assume it was a closer contest, but my gut says that Powell won by a bigger margin than the other awards indicate.
My Choice: Powell takes her second OVP trophy from me-it's just too good to deny her. I'd follow that with Atwood's Lemony (forever friendly rivals), Troy, Finding Neverland, and Ray.
And now, of course, it's your turn. Can we all just agree that The Aviator was the clear victor here or does someone want to stir things up? What do you think Powell & Atwood think of this bizarre Academy rivalry? And why do you think that Alexandra Byrne was cited for Neverland and not the showier Phantom? Share your thoughts below!
No comments:
Post a Comment