Congratulations Are in Order

The Academy Award nominations for Best Art Direction and Best Costume were announced this morning and several of the lucky winners will soon be clearing space off the mantel. And yes, above is Vivien Leigh finding a spot for her Oscar for Gone With the Wind (1939).

And the nominees are...

Best Costume

The King's Speech:  Jenny Beavan, Costume Designer

This nomination was totally expected as the costumes are impeccable, well designed and researched and most importantly, not distracting. Of special note were the King's bespoke suits and the Queen Mum's hats. (I am also hoping vintage fur was used). This is not Beavan's first time at bat as she brought home the gold for A Room With a View.

True Grit:   Mary Zophres, Costume Designer

The perfect costume can immediately help an actor get into character and Zophres's designs for Rooster Cogburn's overcoat, Lucky Ned's wooly angora chaps  and La Boeuf's buckskin were as realistic as possible.  As Jeff Bridges notes, "You didn't have to do much acting to feel as if you were in those times."

The Tempest:  Sandy Powell, Costume Designer

Powell's  courtly attire gives a lush feel to the Julie Taymor's adapation of the Shakespearean play. Powell won her third Oscar last year for her period designs for The Young Victoria (prior awards include Shakespeare in Love and The Aviator).


Alice in Wonderland: Colleen Atwood, Costume Designer

Actors Johnny Depp (Mad Hatter), Helena Bonham Carter (Red Queen) and Anne Hathaway (White Queen) were almost unrecognizable as they were transformed into characters of the beloved Lewis Carroll classic.  Colleen Atwood wanted a more authentic look with Elizabethan and Victorian references in the costumes.

I Am Love: Antonnella Cannarozzi, Costume Designer

Cannarozzi collaborated with Jil Sander and Fendi for sheer perfection. The tailor made suits, Swinton's tangerine sheaths, Berenson in mink cape and Hermes were very fitting for this period drama of a wealthy Milanese family at the turn of the century.



Best Art Direction

The King's Speech: Eve Stewart, Production Designer and Judy Farr, Set Decorator

The Academy loves a period film and this nomination is certainly well deserved. Stewart had the

difficult  task of designing the world of the royals and commoners on a budget. From Logue's shabby/chic artist's studio to the stately rooms of Buckingham and Balmoral Palaces, Stewart and

have created some of the most memorable interiors of the year.

Alice in Wonderland:  Robert Stromberg, Production Designer and Karen O'Hara, Set Decorator

The Academy also tends to award fantasy films and this year proved to be one of the most fruitful with director Tim Burton's Alice and Wonderland leading the pack. Designed by Robert Stromberg (who won for last year's highly inventive designs for Avatar), the effects are pure "Burtonesque", alot of colorful digital eye candy as seen in Wonderland the Underland (think beneath the rabbit hole).

Inception: Guy Hendrix Dyas, Production Designer and Larry Dias and Doug Mowat, Set Decorator

Is it a dream or is it reality? That was the challenge Dyas faced in designing the sets for Inception who literally conceived the plans on the walls of director Christopher Nolan's garage. From the dream city built by Cobb (Leonardo DiCaprio) in his own mind to the Japanese castle, 20th century architecture played a major role.

True Grit:  Jess Gonchor, Production Designer and Nancy Haigh, Set Decorator

No swinging saloon doors here, Gonchor and   meticulously designed a post Civil War town (Granger, Texas became Fort Smith, Arkansas) to represent "America on the uprise" which meant brick buildings with awnings and balconies.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows Part One,  Stuart Craig, Production Designer and Stephanie McMillen, Set Decorator

The ceremony will be telecast on Sunday, February 27th. Good luck to all!

Photo Credits: The Weinstein Company, Magnolia Pictures, Miramax, Walt Disney, Paramount, Fox Searchlight, Warner Brothers, Sony Pictures

Fit for a King

It's wonderful when a film encounters the perfect storm - a  finely crafted script filled with drama and comedy, impeccable performances and period perfect sets and costumes. The King's Speech is such a film. 

The true story of the relationship between "Bertie" a.k.a. the future King George VI of England (Colin Firth) and his eccentric speech therapist Lionel Logue (Geoffrey Rush), The King's Speech is set in  thirties London as the country is on the brink of war. Production designer Eve Stewart  designed two worlds -- the colorful palatial residences of the Royals (toned down to reflect the times) contrasted with the gritty Depression influenced interiors of the commoners.

Much of the film's scenes take place in  Logue's offices where Bertie uncomfortably received unorthodox treatments to cure his stammer. Filmed at 33 Portland Place in London, the actual space was similar to that of a Venetian palace mixed with an artists's studio. I was particularly intrigued by the walls which looked like some sort of distressed faux treatment. The original walls consisted of peeling wallpaper and treated with oil. Stewart liked the effect and reproduced the look for the entire room, creating an autumnal colored fresco that became the focal point. Little furniture was required, placing more audience focus on the actors. For authenticity, Stewart studied Logue's actual diaries and researched interiors at the Victoria and Albert Museum and Geffrye museum of interior design. 

A distressed wall becomes the focal point of Logue's office

Working on a tight budget, period locations were the key element. The production team created the opulence of Buckingham Palace at Lancaster House in the St. James district in London's West End. Considered one of the finest townhouses in London (Queen Victoria was said to have quipped upon arrival "I have come from my House to your Palace"), the ornate decor was the perfect backdrop as the royals nervously await Bertie's first wartime broadcast in the opulent gilt panelled state drawing room.   It was also used as the royal residence for the films National Secrets and Young Victoria.

On location at Lancaster House

Lancaster Hall was previously known as Stafford House
Shown here is the Grand Hall, Joseph Nash, 1850

King George VI (Colin Firth)  and Queen Elizabeth (Helena Bonham Carter)

Meticulous research  --  right down to the actual microphones -- was required for the film. 

Costume designer Jenny Beavan faced the same budget restrictions of designing a royal wardrobe on a pauper's budget. After surveying "massive amounts of photos"and newsreels of the real King and Queen, Beavan decided to dress Bonham Carter in muted colors with two important fashion details -- the Queen always tipped her hat at an angle and loved a touch of fur.

The actual Queen Mum

The King's Speech Costume Exhibit

I fully expect the film to be nominated for Best Art Direction and Costume categories as well as Best Picture at this year's Oscars. It's a must see film on many levels.

Photo Credits: The Weinstein Company