I’m not entirely sure what prompted me to watch Michael Collins (1996), the biopic about the Irish revolutionary, soldier, and politician who was active in the Irish War of Independence (1919-21) and the Irish Free State that followed until his assassination in 1922 — but I’m pretty sure it was Liam Neeson-related. Overall, the film was entertaining for about the first three-quarters, but dragged near the end and I admit I fast-forwarded through much of that. There’s definitely some problems in terms of historical accuracy in the film, and reading that mid-way through also helped me lose steam. Nonetheless, Neeson and supporting actor Aidan Quinn both give good performances as revolutionaries, and Julia Roberts wasn’t quite as terrible as I expected as Kitty Kiernan, the woman who comes between them — although I felt like her role was far larger than necessary. Oh, but Alan Rickman was unnecessarily mustache-twirly as Irish statesman and Collins’ opponent, Éamon de Valera.
Let’s move on to the costumes, which were designed by the great Sandy Powell, and hit all the right notes for historical accuracy, character, and theme. While Powell often brings a twist to her designs, she went very straightforward here, noting, “I have done a few historically accurate things. Neil Jordan’s film Michael Collins is about actual events in the 1920s” (Jennifer Jenkins, “Dressing for drama,” Victoria 17/1, Jan. 2003: 44).
Since there’s a LOT of boys in the film, first let’s look at men’s dress from 1919-22, the focal years of the film. Luckily we have photos of the real people involved, so that makes things easy! World War I was just ending, and as a result, men’s clothing — usually three-piece suits including jacket, waistcoat, and trousers — tended to be relatively fitted with narrow-ish lapels, ties, and collars. Hats were still de rigeur when outside. Hairstyles tended to have a definite center or side part, and were shorter on the back/sides and longer (but not TOO long) in front.
Note the tie clip and Collins’ hairstyle | Michael Collins, 1919, via Wikimedia Commons
All three Irish revolutionaries/politicians are in three-piece suits with hats | Harry Boland, Michael Collins, Éamon de Valera, before 1922, National Library of Ireland
We can also look at images of other men from this era:
Check that hair parting and the fact that his lapels are pretty narrow | F. Scott Fitzgerald, 1921
Trousers were also relatively narrow | French fashion poster. Men in blazers, coats and smoking coats. Au Bon Marché, Paris, 1920-21, Nordiska Museet
The male characters are indeed in three-piece suits with hats, and the lines of the clothes suit the era:
Collins/Neeson and Quinn/Boland wear homburg hats (popular from the 1890s) and three-piece suits. Note Neeson’s watch chain.
Even when he’s ready to get down and dirty, Neeson is in a collared shirt, tie, and waistcoat.
Collins’ tie is navy blue with small dots, and his hair is definitely longer and floppy.
Eventually Collins helps to lead the Irish Free State, and wears a formal uniform as he does.
Here’s that costume/uniform on display.
I’ll let those who are excited about military uniforms look for any mistakes | Irish revolutionary Michael Collins (1890 – 1922), leader in the Sinn Fein movement, stands outdoors on a dirt path, dressed in the uniform of Commander-in-Chief of the Irish National Forces, 1922, National Library of Ireland
Damn but that man can wear a uniform! I think it’s the height. And the shoulders. Grrr.
Rickman as Valera (far right) is the most formally dressed in terms of his shirt collar and the splash of red in his tie, but they’re all in somber colors.
Compare the glasses…
With these worn by the real deal | Eamon de Valera, 1918-21, National Photo Company Collection
Stephen Rea plays a composite character who is working for British.
Charles Dance has a small role as a British officer, and at one point he takes his shirt off, and hoo boy!
Now let’s look at the ladies, more specifically, Julia Roberts as Kitty Kiernan. Here’s the real Kiernan:
“Kitty Kiernan To become Nun” press photograph, 1922, Whyte’s
Filling that out with some other period images, we can see that in 1919, women’s dresses were above ankle-length, somewhat loose but with a defined waist, and featured tunic overskirts and wide, pointed collars; hats were relatively wide with deep crowns. Hair hadn’t yet been bobbed, but was usually pinned up with some fullness over the ears.
Sears, Robebuck and Co., 1919
By 1921-22, the waist COULD be lowered but not by much (if at all), dresses were even looser and hems were slightly shorter, and hats had narrowed a bit.
Photographs, 1921, Gallica
Blouses from a 1922 “National Cloak & Suit Co.” catalogue
Roberts begins in this wide-collared blouse and wide sash, appropriate to the era.
Her bangs aren’t my favorite, however. It seems a bit early for these!
I’m more used to seeing faux-bangs like these | Late 1910s hairstyles, Photodetective.co.uk
Roberts’s seem a bit more like these mid-1920s styles | American Hairdresser, 1924
Roberts gets a number of suit-style looks. This one has lots of soutache trim on the coat, and that velvet hat is great.
The skirt length looks good for 1919ish, too.
She also gets this blue summer suit with a lovely, curved-brim hat.
There’s a similarly curved hat (top right) in this 1922 Simpson Catalog, but I’ve seen the shape back in the late 1910s
Here’s another teens or right-about-1920 suit-y look.
The hat was sold online.
As was this suit.
She sticks with these kind of looks for several years…
But eventually starts to look more typically 1920s, like this cloche hat (Photo By Getty Images)
She wears this lovely embroidered coat and hat…
… to go shopping for wedding dresses near the end of the film.
There’s a similar silhouette (top right) in this page from The Delineator, 1922
Have you seen Michael Collins? What’s your take on the costumes?
I want that green hat and coat in the last image!
Ditto!
Yes! I also want to see the whole movie again, both for the costuming and because I’d forgotten that there’s a whole quartet of divos: Dance, Neeson, Rea and Rickman.
Alan Rickman’s portrayal of Eamon de Valera was one of the reasons I couldn’t stand him. And then, of course, I saw him as Severus Snape. Ahh, that voice… Meanwhile, I didn’t realize Julia Roberts was that tall! I would barely come up to Liam Neeson’s chest (5ft. nothing). :)
Neeson is 6’4″ (swoon), Roberts is 5’8″. I’m guessing heels helped!
And hats! :)
Possibly a small stepladder or a well-made set of stilts to boot!
I quite enjoy the movie, performances, costumes, atmosphere. Stirring use of Elliot Goldenthal’s “Coda” which he actually wrote for Heat 1995 but didn’t get to use.
The account of Michael Collins’ death by a first hand witness (a soldier on Collins’ side) is slightly more chilling than in the film, but you have to wonder what sort of accounts existed at the time the movie came out.
One side bit of trivia is that British director John Boorman filmed a behind-the-scenes shot for his short in the series Lumière and Company (1995). Top name directors were given an actual vintage Lumière cameras and replica film stock and asked to make whatever with it (with some constraints). Boorman’s resulting footage in my opinion looks like genuine WWI-era footage if it weren’t for the modern actors. I think it’s a good demonstration that you can mimic the look of vintage film if you use genuine vintage material:
I remain sad that Mr Liam Neeson never managed to make LINCOLN with Mr Stephen Spielberg – he’d have fit the role quite superbly (Though in all fairness Mr Daniel Day Lewis is more than merely adequate as his replacement).
…
MICHAEL COLLINS? I prefer to draw a veil of tactful silence over this era, so I’ll only say that the fact Mr Brendan Gleeson has played General Collins AND Sir Winston Churchill is one of the more amusing accidents of showbiz history.
I’ve never seen it. As an Irish person it seems like it would be a bit depressing with all the executions and assassinations.
Liam Neeson was at the height of teh Hotness (sic), here. Lordy.
(also, Charles Dance is still surprisingly ripped!)