mme_hardy | Entries tagged with history is what happens to other people

I came to mock; I stayed to mock and have fun. The best way to watch this is with a friend so that you can mock together. That way you can wallow in the occasional good or at least libido-friendly bits while having a jolly MST3K and demonstrate your moral superiority.

High points:

The acting's pretty good.
The actors are pretty.
The countryside is pretty.
~~Even the orchestra is pretty.~~

Low points: (or high, depending on how you look at it.)

The relative present (immediate post-WWII Scotland) is graded so that it's damn near black and white, with only the characters in color.
There's one hilarious scene where the heroine is about to interact with a Standing Stone (don't try this ~~at home~~ on vacation, kids). This entire scene is graded black-and-white while one forget-me-not is a brilliant digital blue .... that wobbles.
The immediate past (the heroine's past as a child being raised by an archaeologist) is sepia.
The true past/present (The Hiiiiiighlands and the post-Jacobite retaliation) is in glorious -- not Technicolor, but Kodachrome. Saturation, man.
The heroine runs around in a modern -and I don't mean 1940s- cream shiftdress. When she first leaps into the past she's in the shiftdress, a practical plaid shawl, a leather belt, and shoes. Within the first 5 minutes of running around being chased she's lost the shawl -- somewhat plausible -- and the belt, and I have no idea how she managed that. Nobody ever comments on the lady running around a knee-length filthy shift, which would be underwear by 18th-century standards. They call her a whore for swearing (something I find somewhat implausible in the 18th century), but apparently her dress is just one of those things.
Our heroine is not only a war nurse but has been studying up on herbal remedies as a hobby. As one does, when one needs a profession should one be swept into the past at any moment.
Enya-in-a-blenda soundtrack.

My absolute favorite moment, though, was when the heroine, demonstrating her leet healing skills, demanded that her grubby Scots captors surrender something to use as a sling for Soon To Be Love Interest's dislocated shoulder. They didn't move, so she demanded a belt. Much to my disappointment, the Scot who surrenders his belt did not end up with his entire great kilt (more commonly known as a "belted plaid" for very good structural reasons) in a tidy torus around his ankles.

Crossposts: http://mme-hardy.livejournal.com/278817.html

Here's a Fashionista interview with the costume designer. tl;dr: They ARE prom dresses.

Which current labels are your go-tos for working into the costuming?
I knew from the beginning that I’d have an easy time weaving in contemporary accessories. It’s funny how tiaras and hair pieces are everywhere right now, and it’s incredibly helpful. We’ve also used quite a bit of Free People for the girls’ everyday looks. They have such a strong and cohesive story with their bohemian romantic look, it’s really worked in our favor. On the pilot we used an incredible Basil Soda gown and we’ve continued using a couple gowns of theirs on Mary. I’ve rented a couple McQueen gowns as well. We shop quite a bit of vintage here in Toronto, but I’m also constantly scouring the web. Net-a-Porter, The Outnet, and BHLDN are my go-tos.

... how did you update looks from the Elizabethan era for a teen drama?
From the beginning the creators, the director, and the studio said they wanted to incorporate a contemporary feel in the costumes. The vision was there even before I signed on; I just helped execute it. But knowing the network and the show’s demographic I felt it made complete sense. I also wanted each look to have a nod to the proper period costume, whether it was achieved through a similar shape or detailed embroidery. The girls almost always wear a corset unless there’s just no need. They love how it helps with their posture. [it. mine]

Wait, corsets—did you use authentic ones?...
...We usually decide for every new look they wear if we need the corset or not. We’ve also been making embroidered and jeweled corsets to be worn on camera as day looks and formal looks for the girls.

From here forward I won't be snarking the female leads' clothes because there is absolutely no point. Modern, meant to be modern, nothing to see here, moving along.

edit: From p. 3 of the interview.

I think it will be quite obvious to our viewers that we’re not out to replicate historical costumes. We’ve created our own distinct look and I think viewers will respond to it positively. I’m hoping it’s an inspiration for our female viewers to creatively add to their wardrobe. It’s such a do-it-yourself kind of look. We’re constantly taking vintage pieces and dying them, altering them, beading them—all to make them our own. That’s what it’s about. It’s not for everyone though. If you’re hoping for hip rolls and men in tights it’s not your show.

Fair enough.

Current Music: Pink Floyd, "Comfortably Numb"
Crossposts: http://mme-hardy.livejournal.com/251472.html

The CW has a new drama, Reign, about the doomed romance of the Queen-Dauphiness and King-Dauphin of Scotland and France, a.k.a. Mary (better known as Queen of Scots) and Francis II. In real life, Francis, a sickly adolescent, had "les parties génératives du tout constipées et empechés sans faire aucune action" and very likely never reached puberty. Doesn't matter; now it's a Doomed Romance between two very pretty people.

Highlights from the SF Chronicle review (paywalled):

But, really, who needs facts if a show works? Certainly not "Reign," which purports to tell the story of Mary, Queen of Scots, and her first husband, the Dauphin of France, who would become, ever so briefly, Francis II.
Since this is the CW, of course, these two are young and hot. Think of it as "One Tree Hill" with codpieces and wimples.
In real life, Francis was a sickly 15-year-old when he married Mary, who wasn't any looker herself [sic, sic, SIC!], and ruled France for a year and a half before he bought the ferme.
...
Mary (Adelaide Kane, "Teen Wolf") has been hidden away in a convent to be raised by nuns and kept out of harm's way. She even has an official food taster, who, alas, is unable to file for workers' comp after her face lands in a bowl of poisoned soup. As a child, Mary played with young Francis (Toby Regbo, "Treasure Island"), but although they've been betrothed for, like, ever, they haven't seen each other in years.
...

Francis' mom, Catherine (Megan Follows, "World Without End"), has been told by none other than Nostradamus (Rossif Sutherland, "King") that her son is doomed if he marries the Scot.

Meanwhile, there's another potential player in all of this, Francis' half brother, the bastard Sebastian, a.k.a. "Bash" (Torrance Coombs, "Heartland"). He's a bastard in the literal sense, since he's the son of the king's mistress, but he may be a bastard in the more general sense as well, because he covets his brother's fiancee.

Oy. Photos here, and yes, the lady second from the left does appear to have a cardigan draped around her shoulders.

Last night the Queen had four Maries, this night she'll have but three.
There's Aylee the Blonde and Greer the Red and Kenna the sort-of-Dark-Brown and me.

Current Music: Joan Baez, "Mary Hamilton"
Crossposts: http://mme-hardy.livejournal.com/250200.html

S	M	T	W	T	F	S
				1	2	3
4	5	6	7	8	9	10
11	12	13	14	15	16	17
18	19	20	21	22	23	24
25	26	27	28	29	30	31

Rosemary for Remembrance

Entries tagged with history is what happens to other people

OUTLANDER (TV adaptation)

Reign costumer interviewed (via glvalentine's comments)

I felt I had to share

Profile

December 2022

Syndicate

Most Popular Tags

Page Summary

Style Credit

Expand Cut Tags