Ahh, period
movies. The clothes so often make me cringe. They make me cry. They make me
sneer. They make me whine. You know it, girls and boys.
But, today, a
pleasant surprise: Cadillac Records. Costume designer Johnetta Boone nailed the
period. Totally. She did not strive for the lowest common denominator. She did
not go for that generic Monkey Ward look that mars Mad Men, that had me
grinding my teeth as I watched Far From Heaven. Ms. Boone reached for
the stars, and she caught a handful.
The clothes
are fabulous. Sexy. Beautiful. Authentic. Of the time. And yet, classic. Gorgeous. For the ages.
And Beyonce, as songstress Etta James, has never looked better. Sorry, Weight Watchers. Ms. Knowles is a luscious
advertisement for packing on twenty pounds. And for wearing a curly blonde wig. Not to mention feline eyeliner. (Alas, I have never once skillfully applied frisky kitty liner. Mine always looks more like the work of a rogue kindergartner left alone with fingerpaint.)
And what is it about Adrien Brody? So irresistible on the big screen, even when his character is a wee bit sleazy, yet so skinny, so limp on the small screen.
Comments
Still Life in South America on May 20, 2015 12:13
I, too, was really impressed by the attention to the clothes in this film. The designer hadn’t updated all of the designs to make them modern and hip, but they seem so true to the time, especially that dracula collar in the pink Etta dress!