The Sister Cities film festival is dedicating an exhibition to one of the most prestigious cinema costume workshops in the world. For the occasion, fifteen outfits left the London studios of Angels and crossed the Channel.
18th century dresses straight out of the movie Barry lindon by Stanley Kubrick, the coat worn by Helen Mirren in The Queen by Stephan Frears, three costumes from the cult series Sex Education: a total of fourteen original creations rented from the London studio Angels are exhibited at the Manoir de Briançon in Criel-sur-Mer. The fourth edition of the Sister Cities film festival, an event dedicated to fashion and costumes in cinema, pays tribute to one of the most prestigious costume workshops in the world.
Some outfits still bear traces of the shootings, such as this period dress in pine green with a stain on the bottom of the petticoat. “We have a trace of candle wax, explains one of the festival organizers. The dress had been burnt, you don’t touch it, it’s part of the costume story. “
The exhibition highlights the profession of costume designer, largely forgotten by cinema and whose research and documentation work is essential for actors.
“Before all shootings, the costumers must work upstream with the actors, says the organizer of the Sister Cities Film Festival, Clara Legrout. Not only for the measurements, to know how tall they are, but also to understand the psychology and how we are going to dress the character and if it also communicates between the two. If the character is not understood by the actor, he will not understand the costume either. “
For the public, the outfits thus exhibited provide the opportunity to rediscover cult films or series with a new eye. “When we watch the films, we have a global aspect and there we can really take the time to look at the detail of the costume work, tells a visitor. There are some really impressive pieces I find. “
The exhibition at the Manoir de Briançon in Criel-sur-Mer is to discover until October 16, 2021.