CUT! Costume and the Cinema: Exhibit at the Boca Raton Museum of Art

What would films be without costumes? Costumes set the scene, perhaps more so than dialogue and sets define the film. Of course it is very easy for a film set in present day to dress and outfit their characters. For those productions, in some cases, wardrobe staff can purchase off the rack. However, when you are outfitting actors for a period film, much more design, craftsmanship, and attention to detail is demanded.

When creating clothes from centuries past, designers must thoroughly research that era. Finer points, such as the person's position in society, must also be taken into account. Although not represented at the Boca show there is a story from Hollywood about costumes used in Gone With the Wind.

A lead actress in the film suggested that the production was wasting money on the gowns worn by Scarlett's sisters and that they did not need to be composed of imported lace, silk and other fine touches, as the characters rarely appear on screen. David O. Selznick, the producer of the film told her that if they were playing the aristocratic daughters of a wealthy plantation owner in the Old South, they would dress like they were the daughters of a wealthy plantation owner.

More than 40 costumes from cinematic roles are represented in the exhibit, from 25 films. Each of the pieces are true works of art. Included among that number is as a lavish 18th Century gown worn by Keira Knightly's title-character in The Duchess, Johnny Depp's swashbuckling outfit from Pirates of the Caribbean, a green velvet medieval gown worn by Angelica Huston in Ever After, a distressed leather jacket worn by Daniel Craig in Defiance, and a lavish brocade coat worn by the late Heath Ledger in Casanova define the era. They each define the class, and status of the characters.

All of the costumes represented in the show were made by British costumer, Cosprop, Ltd. Seeing the costumes makes the viewer realize that making these clothes is more akin to couture clothing than one might think. These costumes must be built to fit the person, as they were in centuries past, and no detail must be overlooked as a modern camera zoom leaves little to the imagination.

"This exhibition allows us to get closer to the stories portrayed on screen and to appreciate the quality of the costumes up close, sometimes they are only fleetingly glanced at on the screen," said Wendy Blazier, Senior Curator at the Boca Museum of Art.

The show opened on January 19, and will close on April 17, so you have plenty of time to loose yourself in the artistry of these costumes and revisit your favorites.

For more information please visit, BocaMuseum.org