Monday, 12 February 2018

Ranking the Oscar Nominees: Best Costume Design


Beauty and the Beast and Darkest Hour - Jacqueline Durran
Like Sandy Powell two years previously for Cinderella and Carol, Durran has the unique distinction of being double nominated in the category (which raises the question why actors or directors can't be double nominated in the same category, but I digress), and for one 1940s/1950s period piece and one Disney live-action adaptation. Outside of her work this year, she's done work which has been consistently great over years, and are often some of the highlights of the films. Particularly worthy of note would be her other collaborations with Joe Wright, most prominently her dazzling work in Anna Karenina which she won the Oscar for, the distinct take on royalty in Macbeth, and the more low-key but no less stunning work on the likes of Mr Turner and Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy.

Phantom Thread - Mark Bridges
Bridges has worked with PTA multiple times, with the costumes for The Master and Inherent Vice particularly impressive, and won the Oscar for The Artist. The work here on Phantom Thread though, is on a whole other level. He's also done work on Fur, The Fighter, and uh, Fifty Shades of Grey and what clothing there was in that film.

The Shape of Water - Luis Sequeira
This is Sequeira's first nomination for yet another period piece here, of 1960s Baltimore, and he's previously worked with del Toro on the television series The Strain, and Andy Muschietti's (It) Mama.

Victoria & Abdul - Consolata Boyle
Boyle's career has been largely defined by her work in British prestige dramas, previously having been nominated for Florence Foster Jenkins and The Queen, as well as her television work on Into the Storm and the television adaptation of The Lion in  Winter starring Glen Close and Patrick Stewart.

Now in terms of ranking the nominees, it's quite easy to pick out my favourite of the lot, Phantom Thread, a film which is literally about dressmaking, and which is every bit as grand and majestic in its beauty as you'd imagine from the hands of Reynolds Woodcock and the lengths to which he takes his 'genius' to make them. I like all the other nominees though, The Shape of Water in particular for its nicely realized period costumes, and the Asset itself which though made up of visual effects and makeup, also required an immaculately made costume for Doug Jones. Victoria & Abdul has lovely Victorian era garms, Darkest Hour has accurate and fitting war period detail clothing for its characters, Beauty and the Beast recreates its animated counterparts well enough. I'll not write too much about it, instead I'll just give you all a visual taste of them., but my quickfire ranking would be:

1. Phantom Thread




2. The Shape of Water


3. Victoria & Abdul


4. Darkest Hour

5. Beauty and the Beast 




1 comment:

  1. A pretty strong line up overall, but yes there is pretty obvious number one.

    ReplyDelete