Categories One-By-One: Costume Design - why not?

[Akash]

Exactly Damien. I also thought Marie Antoinette was one of the best films of 2006, but yeah, its Costume win was less about voters seeing that and more about "Hey it's got corsets. Let's go with it!" I'm sure most of them didn't even see the film.

Even when Oscar voters do something wonderful, it's usually despite their lousy taste. For example, I was thrilled when Hillary Swank won Best Actress over the overrated Bening in 1999 (one of their best choices) but I knew it had less to do with these people understanding why her performance was so great, and more about choosing a young/cool/hot girl (shut up, she was hot back then) like they like to do. I mean, these same people voted for Angelia Jolie that year, you know?

You take the few good wins despite the many dumb reasons, is all I'm saying.

[Damien]

I've never gotten the Marie Antoinette/Elizabeth II comparison for two reasons. First off, Marie Antoinette was something of a hip film last year that lots of people thought was one of the best films of the year. Second, the costumes were such a focus of the film, and of the press of the film. No one gives a rat's ass about Elizabeth II.

That Marie Antoinette was "hip," would have worked against it among Academy members, so its victory was actually even stronger evidence of their penchant for falling for elaborate lavish old-timey duds. (A case in point of Oscar voters not getting hip films -- Far From Heaven going 0 for 4, with them turning their backs even on the great veteran composer, Elmer Bernstein.)


Lots of people did indeed think Marie was one of 2006's best -- count me among them! -- but that didn't include many Academy members, as the film received no other nominations.
Elizabeth 2 is the opposite of hip, and thus is more in line with Academy tastes. And the Acting Branch was enamored enough of it to waste a nomination on Cate Blanchett.

[FilmFan720]

I've never gotten the Marie Antoinette/Elizabeth II comparison for two reasons. First off, Marie Antoinette was something of a hip film last year that lots of people thought was one of the best films of the year. Second, the costumes were such a focus of the film, and of the press of the film. No one gives a rat's ass about Elizabeth II.

[Mister Tee]

Okay, I've now sat through Elizabeth Redux. The costumes are indeed elaborate, the most elaborate in the four films I've seen. But I think I'm with BJ that some of them are too baroque -- even the colors seem excessively designed to draw attention to themselves, rather than serving the story. (Though a story pitched that lunatically high might demand just such costumes)

Overall, I didn't get the feeling I did last year when I saw Marie Antoinette two days prior to the ceremony, and just marvelled at the lushness of the gowns. Then again, Marie had tougher competition in Dreamgirls...

An Elizabeth win ceratinly isn't out of the question. But I'm sticking with my original take: that it's primarily between Sweeney and Atonement, with the latter eking it out because of the best picture nod and the green dress.

[Okri]

Sweeney Todd actually deserves to win here, but I think they'll give it to Atonement so the film's DVD release can say "Winner of Two Academy Awards" (it has Score in the bag). And it's not like Atonement isn't far more deserving than the excess epileptic fit inducer of Elizabeth.

In addition to the tasteful restraint of the film's costumes, the green dress also made Keira seem fuckable. That deserves some kind of recognition.

Should we pencil in The Duchess for next year, as it does the impossible and gives Kiera Knightley the appearance of cleavage?

[Akash]

Sweeney Todd actually deserves to win here, but I think they'll give it to Atonement so the film's DVD release can say "Winner of Two Academy Awards" (it has Score in the bag). And it's not like Atonement isn't far more deserving than the excess epileptic fit inducer of Elizabeth.

In addition to the tasteful restraint of the film's costumes, the green dress also made Keira seem fuckable. That deserves some kind of recognition.



Edited By Akash on 1202766487

[Mister Tee]

I was planning on renting Elizabeth this weekend, but I thought it was more for Oscar completeness than for gaining important knowledge; like BJ, I assumed the film's critical and commercial failure would put it out of serious contention. Of course, the same reasoning led me to confidently exclude Blanchett from the best actress slate. So, given Damien's confidence, I'll wait till I view it before making an all-out prediction. (Recalling that I saw Marie Antoinette as only a distant threat until seeing it two days before last year's ceremony)

Based on the three I've seen (don't have the time or inclination for Across the Universe), I've been figuring it's between two problematic nominees, Atonement and Sweeney Todd. The English Patient might be a good analogy for Atonement -- neither really had the ornate costumes the category has favored over the years (I, in fact, had predicted the lusher Emma back in '96), but best picture pull was strong enough in the first case and might be again here. Sweeney Todd has certainly more elaborate costumes, but, in line with Burton's design scheme, the hues are often too drab to register with deep-color-loving Oscar voters. The film's saving grace in this regard is the By the Sea number BJ references; as I watched that I thought, well, this might be just enough to get the film votes (votes, I should add, I think it deserves). Then again, overall distaste for the film might kick in (as it obviously did with the make-up branch).

I'll check back in after my Elizabethan foray.

[The Original BJ]

Interesting. From the moment I saw Sweeney Todd, I thought it was the heavy favorite to win this prize. The clothes are flashy, ornate, and witty -- the By the Sea sequence alone is full of a number of dazzling get-ups -- and it was fun to see iconic characters dressed to the nines.

If it loses I think it will be to Atonement as part of a Best Picture consolation (as well as the fact that it feels like the kind of high-class period piece voters like to honor in this category, a factor which certainly helped The English Patient here.) I think Sweeney Todd is more likely only because Atonement lacks the abundance of costumes usually needed to win this prize -- though I will say that the green dress deserves points for terrifically visualizing that memorable passage from the novel.

I don't see Elizabeth: Absolutely Unnecessary as much of a threat. The film was such a dud I can't imagine the general membership voting for it over two far more well-received films. Plus, some of them have to feel as I do -- that, for all their flashiness, the costumes in Elizabeth were partly responsible for, not exempt from, the film's awfulness. Everything in the film is just so overheated, including the ridiculous outfits, half of which don't feel appropriate to the time period. And why did Cate Blanchett have animals growing out of her head?

I can't remember a single costume from La Vie en Rose. But Marit Allen did about the only interesting work in Love in the Time of Cholera, and she died, so I can't really begrudge her the nomination.

I think Julie Taymor's "theatah" cred helped Across the Universe. I can't say the nod surprised me all that much, but it still is a weird nomination. I think Across the Universe is rather supremely miscalculated conceptually -- it's a two hour music video whose visuals grow increasingly tiresome as the film goes on -- and nothing about the costumes seemed noteworthy to me at all. (Actually, I think it's pretty odd that of the film's visual elements, the costumes were recognized over the more striking sets or cinematography.)

This category is a bit of a bummer for me this year, because some great mainstream choices went unrecognized. I can't fathom how Hairspray could have been overlooked -- the candy colored designs were such witty spins on '60's fashions. Given this category's fondness for Asian fare, I'd also have thought the lovely wartime fashions in Lust, Caution would have landed a spot. And of course, The Assassination of Jesse James should have been nominated in all categories.



Edited By The Original BJ on 1202685501

[Steph2]

That's my thinking as well Oscar Guy. I only named Michael Clayton and Juno because Harry Goldfarb was predicting what would happen if voters didn't go for the two unconventional films. There Will Be Blood is certainly the film most poised to upset No Country, but if voters reject them both, then the winner will either be Michael Clayton or Juno. (My money would be on Juno)

Basically I'm saying Atonement has zero chance because it's not nominated for Director, Lead Actor/Actress, or Editing. I do think though that Atonement will win two consolation prizes: Costume Design and Score.

[Damien]

I think the main reason Across The Universe received a nomination is that this branch tends to be quite insular and Albert Wolksky used to be head of the Costume Designers Guild. (It was the same reason for those otherwise inexplicable nominations for Paul Zastupnevich for The Poseidon Adventure, The Swarm and, eeeegads, When Time Ran Out)

I think there's no question that Elizabeth will win. Voters almost always go for the most elaborate period designs.

[OscarGuy]

An upset, Steph2, might actually be from There Will Be Blood. I think a lot of older voters may see the kind of films they used to make in it and thus want to recognize it for that kind of appeal.

[Steph2]

the more I hear people talking about how unconventional this two-horse race is (when talking about NCFOM and TWBB), considering the dark tone of these main contenders, the more I can see an upset from Atonement.

Despite no Directing nomination? You'd have to go back to 1989 to find a corresponding Best Picture winner (Driving Miss Daisy) and even then, that film received nominations for its leads (and won Best Actress), and an Editing nomination which most Best Picture winners in the past few decades received. Atonement has no Directing nomination, no Lead Acting nomination and not even an Editing nomination. It's not going to win.

No, if an upset is brewing, it will come from either Michael Clayton or Juno.

[HarryGoldfarb]

Totally agree on Magilla, but this is a category where Atonement easily can find its way through. It's the only Best Picture nominee and its the "period" film of the year... Of course it's not as loved as a lot of people thought it would be, but certainly it has a lot of support to grab a best picture nod, even with all its failure to show in serious precursors. By the way, the more I hear people talking about how unconventional this two-horse race is (when talking about NCFOM and TWBB), considering the dark tone of these main contenders, the more I can see an upset from Atonement. It might be conventional, but in the end, we are talking about the Academy...

[Big Magilla]

I would love to see Across the Universe win. It's easily the best picture among the nominees. The costumes perfectly fit the era of 1960s.

[Okri]

Wierd note first - all three of Julie Taymor's films (Titus, Frida and Across the Universe) have been nominated here.

Did anyone else give a little "huh?" when they saw Across the Universe nodded over Hairspray, Lust, Caution or any number of other films? I mean, the costume designers are never flop-averse (Affair of the Necklace anyone?), but I certainly didn't see it coming. It definitely feels safe to say that it's dead last in this race (I haven't seen the film, so I don't know how deserving it is).

Also playing the role of also-ran is the late Marit Allen (for La Vie En Rose). Like Damien mentioned elsewhere, the name of the nominee isn't on the ballot, just the phrase "The costume designer for La Vie En Rose," so they would have to remember that the designer is dead and what she designed for there to be any sort of sentimental vote for her. I can see a few sentimental people tossing votes her way based on that, but not enough to give her any sort of edge. It seems like this is a rote nod that we've recently seen given to "performance" type films (Walk the Line, Dreamgirls, Ray). I place it higher than Across the Universe if only because I think more people will see it (to check out Cotillard if nothing else)

I feel safe in saying this is a three-person race.

I can't think of a single race in this category that's come down to a single piece of clothing that's put a contender over the top. Whenever people discuss the costumes for Atonement, it's that iconic green dress they refer too (with maybe a passing mention to Romola Garai's eyecatching black/red cloak she wears in one scene). Outside of that, there isn't the kind of BIG, plentiful costume work that generally gets recognized. If Atonement were more of a candidate for best picture, I think a sweep could certainly take it in (like The English Patient or even Shakespeare in Love), but Atonement isn't going to be a best picture sweeper. I could see it winning, but right now, it looks more like a Finding Neverland type nomination than anything else.

I'm tempted to predict the work for Sweeney Todd here, but (from stills etc - I haven't seen the film) it seems like the work may be too one note to actually win, with a bit of been-there-done-that for Burton's film.

Which, of course, makes no sense for me to assume that could hurt it when I predicting Elizabeth: The Golden Age to actually win. But this category is often given for the most costumes, regardless of quality, and there's definitely a lot of costumes here, and they're given front stage. They clothe plentiful heaving bosoms (thanks to Abbie Cornish and Samantha Morton, et al), with armor garb for Cate Blanchett alongside her usual assortment of resplendent frocks (and bizarre hairpieces. WTF was that?). The movie is poorly told history as boring harlequin fashion parade and I think it'll win here.

So, again briefly...

1. Elizabeth: The Golden Age
2. Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
3. Atonement
---
4. La Vie En Rose
5. Across the Universe

Any takers?