Kostümfilm-Klassiker im Berliner Zeughaus Kino

Das Zeughauskino des Deutschen Historischen Museums widmet sich im Juni/Juli dem Thema  Kostümfilm. Zu sehen sein werden insgesamt 27 Filme, aus einem Zeitraum von 1919 (Madame Dubarry von Ernst Lubitsch) bis 2012 (Eine königliche Affäre von Nicolaj Arcel).
Darunter werden Klassiker wie Gone With The Wind ( 1939, Victor Fleming) Münchhausen ( 1942,  Josef von Baky), Barry Lyndon (1975, Stanley Kubrick) Dangerous Liaisons (1989, Stephen Frears) oder Elizabeth ( 1998, Shekhar Kapur) sein. Hier ist die vollständige Programmübersicht. Für viele, die wie ich die historischen Produktionen nur aus dem TV kennen, ist es vielleicht eine der seltenen Gelegenheiten, die Filme noch einmal auf der großen Leinwand zu sehen. Die meisten werden in der Originalfassung oder mit deutschen Untertiteln gezeigt, was ebenfalls ein Vorteil gegenüber den in Deutschland üblichen Synchronfassungen ist. 

Barry Lyndon, 1975, Stanley Kubrick

In June and July the cinema Zeughauskino of the DHM in Berlin presents some special screenings of a total of 27 costume dramas. The earliest of the productions shown is from 1919 (Madame Dubarry, Ernst Lubitsch), the most current is from 2012 ( Eine königliche Affäre, Nicolaj Arcel).  Costume drama and period pic lovers will have the chance to see some iconic movies on the big screen again, such as: 
Gone With The Wind ( 1939, Victor Fleming) Münchhausen ( 1942,  Josef von Baky), Barry Lyndon (1975, Stanley Kubrick) Dangerous Liaisons (1989, Stephen Frears) or Elizabeth ( 1998, Shekhar Kapur). Have a look at the complete programme. Most of the movies will be shown in their original version or with german subtitles.  

Vogue vs. Dangerous Liaisons

Madonnas costume for her performance of Vogue in 1990 at the VMAs was borrowed from the costume department of the movie "Dangerous Liaisons". Thanks to Costume Dramas Obession I found the scenes in which Glenn Close wore the dress in her role as the Marquise de Merteuil. It seems she wore it twice. First in a scene at the Opera and again as hostess in her domain.

Irgendwo habe ich gelesen, dass Madonna bei ihrer 1990er Vogue Interpretation ein Kostüm aus dem Film Dangerous Liaisons getragen hat. Jetzt habe ich dank des Blogs Costume Dramas Obsession endlich rausgefunden welches. Es wurde von Glenn Close in der Rolle der Marquise de Meteuil getragen. Und zwar in zwei verschiedenen Szenen, wie es scheint. Einmal in der Oper und einmal zu einem späteren Zeitpunkt als Gastgeberin daheim.

 

Mads Mikkelsen + 18th century Denmark

Es gibt einen Teaser für den Film Eine königliche Affäre, der im 18. Jahrhundert in Dänemark spielt und auf einer wahren Begebenheit beruht. Einige kennen die Geschichte vielleicht aus Per Olov Enquists Roman Der Leibarzt, der allerdings nicht die Vorlage für das Drehbuch darstellt. Kurzum: Es geht um das Schicksal des jungen deutschen Arztes Johann Friedrich Struensee (Mads Mikkelsen), der von 1768 an als Leibarzt an den Hof des dänischen Königs Christian VII. gerufen wurde. Dort beginnt er eine verhängnisvolle Affäre mit der jungen Königin Caroline Mathilde.
Es kann ja nie genug Filme über das 18. Jahrhundert geben, insofern freue ich mich schon sehr auf diese Veröffentlichung, vor allem da Mads Mikkelsen mit von der Partie ist. Kinostart soll im März 2012 sein.

Some might know the story about the german physician Johann Friedrich Struensee (Mads Mikkelsen) who, in 1768, became the personal physician of King Christian VII. of Denmark and Norway. Struensee started a fatal affair with the young Queen Caroline Mathilde. Per Olov Enquist turned this story into a famous novel, but the movie is not based on it. Nevertheless it looks fairly promising and everything about the 18th century on big screen is always more than welcome to me. And it's with Mads Mikkelsen, so it almost cannot get any better! The german release is scheduled for March 2012!

Not bad, but ...

Michelle Williams als Marilyn Monroe gefällt mir von Bild zu Bild besser, aber was ist los mit Julia Ormond als Vivien Leigh? Das scheint mir eher eine Fehlbesetzung, da Julia Ormond irgendwie das ätherische und aristokratische fehlt, das Vivien Leigh so besonders machte.

Considering the almost insulting Monroe impersonations on film in the past (and they ALWAYS get the hair wrong!), the new attempt by Michelle Williams looks quite pleasing and persuasive. I'm not really sure about Julia Ormond in the role of Vivien Leigh though. Leigh was so ethereal, she had such delicate features and an aristocratic aura around her, everything about her was so 'English'. While Ormond to me seems more American, more down-to-earth, like a doctor's wife or something. As much as I like Julia Ormond, I believe she was miscast in this.

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The Letty Lynton Dress

Joan Crawford in the Letty Lynton dress

As much as I love pleats and ruffles and stuff it remains a mystery to me why the Letty Lynton dress, worn by Joan Crawford, designed by the famous Adrian was such a huge fashion success back in the mid thirties. I just don't get it, as I find it most unappealing.
In the book Gowns by Adrian it reads: "The mutton sleeve, puffed at the shoulder and tight from the elbow down, was itself a throwback from the 1890s. At the time Letty Lynton was released in 1932, the trend in fashion was toward an interest in such revival styles; (...) The puffed mutton sleeve that Adrian had so confidently predicted would alter the prevailing silhouette of fashion came and stayed. With Letty Lynton Hollywood was finally ready to rival Paris as the leading exponent of style, at least among American moviegoers, and this was measured in dollars, cents, and the most sincere form of flattery, imitation. (...)
When the film was released in May of 1932, Macy's Department Store chain had a Cinema Shop that specialized in gowns 'worn by the stars'.(...) By late summer, Macy's claimed to have sold in excess of 15.000 copies of Crawford's Letty Lynton gown, eventually some 500.000 copies were sold in stores nationwide."
Compared to the then sleek and rather sophisticated style of the early thirties, to me it lacks elegance and even glamour. But as it seems, fashion never is one dimensional and stays non predictable as it always catches on various influences.

About being alone in the universe

I did not like any of the movies of Lars von Trier, until there was Melancholia, which I saw about two weeks ago. First of all it's simply a very beautiful movie, with beautiful music and visuals. Secondly it is deeply disturbing, but not in a way other LvT movies usually are. There was nothing offending or revolting about it. There was desperation, humiliation, resignation and fear (as always), but this time it felt affective and almost appealing, which I think is due to the whole 19th century romanticism theme the movie is based on. There is not only Wagner, there is also the painters, the writers and the philosophers, the ones, who engage in the so called counter-enlightenment and hold feelings above reason. The constant awareness of being alone - in the universe and thus in life - results in a sentimental weariness of life, a very ambivalent longing for the apocalypse to put an end to all the yearning and the pointlessness.
Melancholia captures those moody thoughts very well, even though without much story stelling. As Lars von Trier said in an interview, he wanted the movie come close to the depth of Dostojewski's Brothers Karamazov or The Idiot without all the novel's talking, without beeing tied to a stupid plot. I believe he succeeded.
The director is convinced of being alone in the universe: "We are. But noone wants to realize it. They keep wanting to push limits and fly wherever. Forget it! Look inward!"