Comments on: Save the costumes! http://austenblog.com/2008/02/15/save-the-costumes/ Wed, 15 Feb 2012 06:21:36 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.com/ By: Maisy http://austenblog.com/2008/02/15/save-the-costumes/#comment-32605 Tue, 19 Feb 2008 15:16:18 +0000 http://www.austenblog.com/2008/02/15/save-the-costumes/#comment-32605 Thanks for the information, costumekitten. Please keep us posted on any developments.

P.S. If I was running Cosprops, I would jump at the chance to buy up all those wonderful period goodies in BBC Costume’s collection and then sell/auction off the items I didn’t want or need!

]]> By: Amy P http://austenblog.com/2008/02/15/save-the-costumes/#comment-32604 Mon, 18 Feb 2008 19:42:09 +0000 http://www.austenblog.com/2008/02/15/save-the-costumes/#comment-32604 Hi Julie P–P95 (yes, not from this decade!) is also one of my favorite adaptations, but I don’t consider it to have the “blowsy total inattention to grooming” that I referenced. When it is appropriate for the characters to be disheveled, they are. When it is appropriate for them to be well-groomed, they are. And even Louisa, arguably the most free-spirited female character, wears a bonnet when outdoors. None of the characters constantly run around with their hair down around their shoulders, or without gloves and bonnets, thankfully. Attention was obviously paid by the P95 production team to the mores and manners of the times, which unfortunately does not seem to have happened with some of this decade’s adaptations. I agree that life was “grittier” back then, but Jane Austen did not write novels about anyone so low in status as to not need to care about society’s rules, nor anyone too poor to afford a hairbrush. I do understand what you are saying about P&P95 and S&S95 being too perfect, and even agree a little, but I prefer them to adaptations which pay little attention to era-appropriate manners and grooming. I guess pictures of perfection don’t make me sick and wicked!

]]> By: Mags http://austenblog.com/2008/02/15/save-the-costumes/#comment-32603 Mon, 18 Feb 2008 16:54:17 +0000 http://www.austenblog.com/2008/02/15/save-the-costumes/#comment-32603 I saw the costumes from Persuasion 95 at an exhibition at the Costume Museum in Bath in 2005. They were stunning. The film doesn’t do them justice. I know there is a lot of fuss about the Gritty Realism™ in P95, but the ballgowns that Anne and Elizabeth wore to the concert are so beautiful, I can’t tell you. They had a booklet where Amanda Root talked about her gown and she said how much she loved it, it was her favorite, because it felt bridal and it fit the scene so well when Anne meets Captain Wentworth being pretty sure he still loves her. Elizabeth’s red dress with the silver spots was so simple, but stunningly beautiful (I think it was my favorite in the whole exhibition). And Elizabeth’s gold velvet spencer and hat (she wears them in the Molland’s scene) are simply gorgeous. The spencer has beautiful embroidery around the collar and cuffs–I can’t tell you. They were simply the most gorgeous of the whole collection–and it covered a lot of Jane Austen films, including P&P95, S&S95 (which were second-best), MP99, and some older films. P&P05 had just been out at the time and some costumes were on display at Chawton and they really didn’t compare, they were so drab and badly stitched (though there was a gown that Judi Dench had worn that was quite nice). Too bad they didn’t have Lizzy’s Netherfield Ball gown. I also got to see some costumes a couple of years ago at Winterthur from S&S95 (Marianne’s wedding gown and Col. Brandon’s regimentals! I had a Lydia Bennet moment in front of Alan Rickman’s regimentals…oh my), P&P95, I think one of the Emmas, maybe? Can’t remember–it was a general costume movie exhibition so there were more than Jane Austen films, it was really a fun exhibition. I do love costume. Costumekitten, I hope things go well for the collection and for you.

]]> By: costumekitten http://austenblog.com/2008/02/15/save-the-costumes/#comment-32592 Mon, 18 Feb 2008 14:12:51 +0000 http://www.austenblog.com/2008/02/15/save-the-costumes/#comment-32592 Maisy – the reason why Cosprop hasn’t made an offer for the BBC costumes is that they are being sold as a complete collection (i.e. including contemporary, Light Entertainment, uniform etc), and Cosprop being pretty much exclusively period means they might not really be interested in anything else.

Its true that BBC Costume didn’t do any costumes for P&P (1995), but they did have costumes from Emma (1972), Mansfield Park (1983), Northanger Abbey (1987), Persuasion (1995),Sense & Sensibility (1971 & 1981) plus both the 1967 and 1980 versions of P&P, and I know this because it was part of my job to hunt them down and archive them for future reference! Its a travesty that the Costume Stores has been closed, and I’m not just sad because I lost my job, but because the future is now so uncertain for the vast amounts of costume drama history hanging on its racks.

]]> By: Julie P. http://austenblog.com/2008/02/15/save-the-costumes/#comment-32600 Sun, 17 Feb 2008 12:40:27 +0000 http://www.austenblog.com/2008/02/15/save-the-costumes/#comment-32600 I prefer the more natural look. Which is one reason why P95 (not from this decade, by the way) is my favorite JA adaptation. I love how the girls’ hair escaped from its ‘do, how their skirts were muddy after the Long Walk, etc. I thought that was very well done. I am not fond of the chocolate-box perfection of adaptations like P&P95 or S&S95, etc. They give people the wrong idea about how life was back then. It was, in fact, rather gritty, even for the wealthiest people.

]]> By: Amy P http://austenblog.com/2008/02/15/save-the-costumes/#comment-32591 Sat, 16 Feb 2008 16:55:15 +0000 http://www.austenblog.com/2008/02/15/save-the-costumes/#comment-32591 Re: JE’s wig

Don’t know if you can blame it on the wig–Jane’s hair in P&P95 was perfect also, and that was her own hair. Most of the other main characters were well-groomed to the point of perfection also. While I agree than total perfection is unrealistic, personally I’d rather have characters’ hair be a little too perfect than see the blowsy total inattention to grooming of many of this decade’s adaptations.

Haven’t noticed the white cat–I’ll have to look for it. :-)

]]> By: Lindsay http://austenblog.com/2008/02/15/save-the-costumes/#comment-32590 Sat, 16 Feb 2008 05:01:15 +0000 http://www.austenblog.com/2008/02/15/save-the-costumes/#comment-32590 This is totally non-related, but I’d just like to say it warms my heart to see so many random references to Doctor Who and Harry Potter in this thread…on a Jane Austen fan site :) And yeah, Julie P., Ehle’s wig is a too perfect. Eehhhck.

]]> By: Julie P. http://austenblog.com/2008/02/15/save-the-costumes/#comment-32599 Fri, 15 Feb 2008 21:57:53 +0000 http://www.austenblog.com/2008/02/15/save-the-costumes/#comment-32599 No, but I do notice that Jennifer Ehle’s wig creeps me out. It’s just too perfect.

]]> By: robin http://austenblog.com/2008/02/15/save-the-costumes/#comment-32598 Fri, 15 Feb 2008 20:52:36 +0000 http://www.austenblog.com/2008/02/15/save-the-costumes/#comment-32598 Talking about wigs, when I watch P&P ’95 I’m always struck by that older guy who is sitting at (I think) the Meryton Assembly, who has what looks like a white cat sitting on his head. Anyone else noticed this?

]]> By: Maisy http://austenblog.com/2008/02/15/save-the-costumes/#comment-32597 Fri, 15 Feb 2008 19:40:01 +0000 http://www.austenblog.com/2008/02/15/save-the-costumes/#comment-32597 Found info. on the wigs, too. P&P ’95 had wigs custom made by hand for the principal characters, but for the lesser characters and supporting cast they sorted through the wigs in stock from previous BBC productions (p. 56).

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