Are you sitting comfortably? The second installment is from Liz at EMC, who has supplied me with hours of google image searches as I wanted to show the evening dresses from I Capture The Castle... unfortunately it seems no one else shares our love of this film so hasn't uploaded any. But it's a great Sunday afternoon/rainy day film, especially if you're a little sick of Austen.
I Capture The Castle 2003
Dressed in muted greens, fawn and cream Cassandra can barely be spotted within the walls of her family's crumbling castle.
Again, ever the wall flower Cassandra!
The main reason I fall in love with this film every time it's on is for the textiles references (see also the Sound of Music, clothes made of curtains/Garden state shirt that matches the bath room).
The scenes I remember the most are when the two daughters meet the American heirs to the castle they live in “Why are you all dressed in green?” they ask. The sisters are mortified. The reason? A surfeit of dye, and too much time on their hands.
Again not the most amazing film, but a faded beauty no the less. The crumbling castle and equally crumbling writer-father ensconced in his tower. Shots of the beach, wild gardens etc. The two daughters are completely out of touch in most aspects, but natural, innocent and totally British.
Guys and Dolls 1955
Where there is singing and dancing, there will be dressing up.
There are some great late 40’s costumes; we have the men (Marlon Brando, Frank Sinatra) in trilbies, suits and braces. The women (Jean Simmons, Vivian Blaine) in pencil skirts and twin sets. The buttoned up scarlet uniform of the Sarah Brown (Save a Soul Mission) contrasted by the showgirl outfits of night club singer Miss Adelaide. And then there’s the dance/fight scene in cuba! I also love the underground craps scene where the men all have amazing brightly coloured socks.
Rumble Fish - 1983
This isn’t generally thought of as a great screenplay, it totally bombed at the box office. However it has great styling, strange heart beat soundtrack and Micky Rourke pre op.
The film is shot in black and white sympathetic to it dingy film noir style (apart from the fish). There are gangs, fights, threats and a miss match of male youth culture styling history. The white t shirts, leather jackets, turn up jeans of Rusty James, shrunken rolled sleeved blazers, waist coats, cable knit jumpers of motor cycle boy, dandyism of Midget in his zoot suit, Smokey in high waist denim and silk bomber jacket. Then there is Patty like a 16 year old Annie Hall, blouses, cut off shorts, the sailor style school uniform (with kilt and knee socks) and polka dot dress as she taunts Rusty in the café.
Top Hat 1935
Top Hat – because the whole this is so beautiful. Fred and Ginger, the spectacular dresses, the dancing and singing and of course all the swarve men in top hats!
HONOURABLE MENTIONS TO...
A Single Man
Metropolis
2001: A Space Odyssey
(I can't believe A Single Man didn't make it in!!)
Thanks again for Liz's guest post! You can find more of her writing and work here.
No comments:
Post a Comment