You asked for it, so here’s an occasional open thread to bitch about anything tangentially related to history, costume, movies, or TV shows! Or whatever else is on your mind right now. Note that URLs are automatically held for moderation, but most anything else goes as long as you’re not bitchier than we are!
Hot enough for ya? We’re hunkering down, trying to stay cool, and watching whatever pops up in our queues. C’mon fall!
What’s got you all hot and bothered?
I definitely feel the love for Eric Besnard’s 2021 film “Delicieuxe” on Amazon Prime. How can you not enjoy a film where the first words are “Butter! More butter!” Every scene is lovingly filmed and the entire tale just sparkles.
HOWEVER, for a film set in what is supposed to be 1789, the costuming looks about 15 to 20 years behind to me. The women’s, especially. I would not expect to see patches and heavily powdered wigs, nor tab-hemmed corsets in the late 1780s. Everyone looks too late 1760s/early 1770s to me. Anyone else agree?
Did anyone here see a late Alan Rickman movie, “A Promise”? It’s based on a Stefan Zweig novel: aging industrialist in 1912 Berlin, lovely and much-younger wife, cute new engineer at the works; trouble ensues. I rather enjoyed the film as a whole, although it doesn’t exactly sparkle. A.R. was possibly ailing at the time, and his presence is muted; a young Rickman in the romantic role would have brought some real fire to the story. Rebecca Hall is pretty effective, though, and wears a wardrobe of ravishing black-and-cream dresses, good hats, real hairpins, the works. So, any opinions of her frocks and those of the other females? And the gentlemen’s suits, of course. Trailer here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ixI61YXEOFs
Heard of it, but not watched. Might have to try it out!
I saw that a few years ago, because of Alan Rickman. Rebecca Hall’s performance was terrific (as always). Did you see Transcendence? Johnny Depp may have gotten top billing, but it was her movie all the way. :)
I wasn’t bothered until I read this post. 1. I’m bothered because I NEED to know the source of the GIF above! 2. I’m bothered because I’ve never seen “A Promise,” and it looks soo good. Thanks @M.E. for posting a link to the trailer!
Hah! That’s a gif from Bridgerton S2, trying hard to create their own Darcy in the lake moment ;)
You’re welcome. “A Promise” is a touch…static, but sometimes one doesn’t want to be thumped about. Frock- and suit-wise, I thought it exceptional.
You guys should do a full review of Glorious 39! The Costumes are glorious indeed for the early 1940s! Especially on Romola Garai!
Kendra has a short review from back in the day, but we haven’t done a deeper dive.
There’s not much to say other than the costumes are fantastic!
I’m guessing that you’ll soon cover the new adaptation of “Mrs Harris Goes to Paris.” Can I request you also cover the Angela Lansbury version? Omar Sharif!
The 1992 version doesn’t appear to be streaming anywhere :(
It’s free on youtube! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JYa2AJEr5mg
It’s on Youtube : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kFB9KLWMokU
It’s on Youtube (the sound isn’t very good, though). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kFB9KLWMokU
It’s on Youtube (Ricardo Leitner) I tried to put the link here, but it didn’t work. :)
The new ‘Mrs Harris Goes to Paris’ costume designer, Jenny Beavan, had full access to Dior archives and recreated Dior gowns for the fashion show. And the floral dresses Lesley wears pre-Dior are vintage per Jenny.
I’ve been following Jeanny Beavan on Instagram & looooove what she did for Mrs. Harris! It’s available on-demand now so I hope to watch & review it.
So, I read Persuasion for the first time two weeks ago. And Wednesday night I decided to watch the Netflix one (with a plan to watch the 90s BBC one at some point as a palate cleanser).
I felt almost everyone’s costumes worked fine (something I’m sure is aided by my not being expert) except for Anne, who stood out like a sore thumb. I think it would’ve been possible to show her as different without using pieces that look like they were picked up at a mall twenty minutes ago.
As a story, I do think, outside of Elizabeth’s direct nastiness, the film captured the Elliot family dynamics pretty well–and Mary seemed maybe the most accurate. I could see there was thought put into how to adapt it, but other than the family bit it just seemed they didn’t get the character, replacing a quietly virtuous 19th century woman with great forbearance for her family’s mistreatment of her with a somewhat attention-seeking but awkward millennial/Gen Z-er. And it cut a bit too much for any of the love stories to make sense.
Glad I read the book first, which was a total treat (also, I think I just need to read the Austen I haven’t, and reread what I have, as I think I got a lot more out of it now in my 30s than I did with P&P in high school or Northanger Abbey in my 20s). Looking forward to the FF fav adaptation more now, too. :-)
I just started watching Miss S, an Asian version of the Miss Fisher Murder Mysteries. It is in Mandarin, I think, with English subtitles. It is fun to see another adaptation with luscious costumes that may or may not be historically accurate–I don’t know enough to say. But they’re lovely!
As I said over on the contemporary hairstyles 60s edition part 1 topic I found online a picture of an Italian lady with flowing hair beneath the billiment part of a French hood:
http://writingren.blogspot.com/2020/10/why-read-historical-fiction-set-in_4.html
Roxana, I don’t think that’s her hair hanging down her back. I think it’s a veil attached to her French hood.
I don’t think so, it’s the same red as her hair and has a similar texture. It’s also very long, to her knees at least. Still it seems to be an isolated example and Italian too, not English. I wish somebody could tell me who this lady is and when her portrait was painted. Unfortunately you can’t search by image.
https://www.bonhams.com/auctions/21708/lot/10/ can even zoom in on this image/
Use Google Image search, upload an image, & you sometimes find a source image ;)
But it’s an outlier for sure.
Thanks for the help.
I’m not an art history expert nor do I play one on television but I doubt the attribution to a member of Frans Pourbos’ circle. Looking at other works by Frans and friends the lady’s gown is distinctly earlier in fashion as well as resembling Italian styles. The lady has no ruff at a time when ruffs were so all that.
Italian style gown and french hood… Now I’m wondering about the pictures’ authenticity at all. I know it was examined by experts but experts have been known to make mistakes.
You’d have to take that up with Bohnams/Christies. I was just looking for a better source image & this one can be zoomed in for details.
And thank you so much for that!
Maybe the lady is dressed for a masque? Elizabeth I owned an Italian style dress that she wore for Sir James Melville in 1565, and he specifically mentions it showed her hair.
One series I’d love to see you cover is The First Churchills. It sparked my love of English history over 50 years ago! Loads of great full-bottomed wigs (and some Whigs too!). Covers from the 1670s-1710s.
And Margaret Tyzack!
I just saw this trailer for The Serpent Queen. Starz is at it again. I wasn’t sure whether to shudder, howl with laughter, or some combination thereof. It’s based on a nonfiction book on Catherine de Medici (per Wikipedia), so at least it isn’t PFG. The pro, most of the women looked to have their hair up. The con, so many sketchy French hoods. Please enjoy! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xuEPr6qxsw0
Looks awful..
As a child Catherine was indeed threatened by the de Medici’s political enemies but she was never brutalized as depicted. She did love Henri Ii and he treated her with absent minded kindness when he noticed her at all. Her long awaited children were feeble and all died young except for Marguerite.
Catherine had a tough life and was barely successful at keeping her sons on the throne. Basically she was no worse than the power hungry men around her.
Also she had light brown hair.
@florenceandtheai Oh, dear! This trailer gave me all the feels, too, when I watched it a few days ago. It might just end up being horribly fantastic or fantastically horrible. I mean, THE saving grace, even from the trailer, is Samantha Morton. So…it has that going for it at least…
If you look at it as a pure fantasy it could work …
@Lily Yes! Fantastically horrible, and I am cackling. Such a wonderful descriptor.