Anna Karenina: A Study In Theatrical Cinema

Let me begin by explaining that I am not a big Keira Knightly fan, and yet I seem to LOVE the movies she is in. I get it, she's British, she's gorgeous, she's cheeky... there's just something about her that irritates me. HOWEVER... apparently when paired with a classic storyline, a BRILLIANT director and the most fabulous sets/costumes in... ever... she's a winner!

It's no secret that I am a sucker for great packaging and I will sit through multiple viewings of really tedious films to take a closer look at hairstyles, corsetry and set design. There is no question that Anna Karenina is opulent and extravagant in it's gilded and carved props and backdrops, but since we have now "been there, done that" a few times too many for that to be a draw in 2013, this film relies on an ingenious use of motion through the sets and scenes that is at once fluid and fractured to create a visually innovative masterpiece. Sets are manipulated on screen the way a theatrical play would be on a stage but with the actors moving through the sets as well as through the scenes.

As a Russian socialite in pre-Bolshevik Moscow, Anna travels to visit her philandering brother in an attempt to explain to her sister-in-law that it is in the woman's best interest to let him have his cake and eat it too while she cares for the brood. In one of those cinema norm string of coincidences, she meets the fabulously moustached Count Vronsky, who is near as well dressed as she is and almost as cocky. The two fall head over fur lined boots in love with the first glance and so begins the ruining of Anna.

The IMPORTANT part of this film is the return of the veiled hat, train travel, creative ballroom dancing and blue silk wallpaper. I'm not kidding, the tragedy of the storyline, the intensity of the passion... all well and good, but the choreography! It's gorgeous. And the blue room where Anna eventually loses her sanity, that alone is worth whatever they paid to have the film produced. Also I am taking up Ice Sledging. 

Anna Karenina isn't a new tale, but in the light of our fairly recent fascination of over the top grandeur and bolts of silk a la The Duchess, Elizabeth I, Marie Antoinette et al... the way this movie was filmed is what sets it high above the rest of the aristocracy. Joe Wright isn't a name that I am overly familiar with, but surprisingly the man of the house knew immediately who he was, based on his direction of Hannah, which was equally refreshing, albeit a genre as far from opulence as one is likely to get. So I suppose it's fair to say I dig this guy's style. In 2007 he became the youngest director in history to have a film open the Venice Film Festival with Atonement. There also seems to be rather an obvious link between Wright and Knightly... which is sort of ironic.

Some Fabulous Halloweeniness

OK, so normally October is me signing back into the "let's take on something that I think is completely normal and unassuming and everyone else thinks is insane" mentality of my life after the (ahem) more laid back attitude of Summer. Truth be told, I don't cope well with the heat of summer and don't get much done. Then the end of summer hits and I panic and do as much as I can cram into August, then reload for September when the rest of the world (and years worth of programming from childhood) kicks into "back to school" mode. By the time October rolls around, I am planning and scheming full tilt for Halloween, my favourite time of the year next to Yule. Now that I have kids I can blame it all on them, but honestly, they roll their eyes as much as everyone else close to me does. In the same way that I take the things I missed from my childhood by NOT having a Martha disciple for a mother to an abnormal level of intensely overboard detail, my children will most likely avoid holiday planning altogether when they leave home. But alas, they have years left of "Can't we come up with something more creative than that? C'mon, let's REALLY think outside the box!" thrown at them.


In the interest of getting my eldest on board today with the costume planning bit, ("a cowboy? Really? That's what you want to be? A cowboy?") we spent a good deal of time scouring the internet for interesting ideas for me to "whip up" a costume. To be honest, it doesn't matter how much I plan, I wait till the last minute anyway because my kids are known to change their mind at least eighty times before the day of. The year Rowan turned four I made him the most elaborate and detailed Darth Vader ("Vader? That's what you want to be...?") costume any four year old could wish for, complete with a composite walkie talkie helmet with voice programming and heavy breathing on command, ordered off the internet. The morning of his daycare Halloween party, he insisted on wearing his Batman pajamas. Right. I did NOT cry. Much.


Thought I might pass some of the best on to you, since it literally took pages and pages of sifting to find any that didn't
a) look like a prostitute's excuse for a fairy, police officer, nurse, pirate, devil... or pretty much anything else for that matter...
b) need a professional Hollywood make-up artist to be hired and/or a gallon of latex (although I should mention that latex is actually really simple to use)
c) come ready made on a flat styro panel with a sprayed on six pack
or d) consist of adding a detail like a plastic-blood-covered-knife-headband to jeans and a t-shirt.

Martha is usually good for some simple and effective ideas, and you can always find instructions and supply lists on her website:




Some of the best ideas came from Flick'r...

Everything from what to wear to an uber schmancy party:

Anna Fischer

Anna Fischer

...to an uber girlie one via the land of fae:

girlfactor

Fairy Nana

orgXIIIorg

Steampunk is still a big deal, and this take on Iron Man is impressive:

Marvel

...and Faustish

gilfling

Rather elaborate Carnival threads, if that's your thing:

All Carnival photos above are by
Dominique Robert

Random Cuteness:

Little Wee Legos
mama_lindsay

Jason Gill

...and a mother who is insane just like me :)

fullofbliss

Overall, the prize for most ingenious goes to...


So after all that searching, we went from a Cowboy to a Zombie Cowboy. Perhaps I can go to town on his brother's Fire Dragon costume.

...I will post pictures :)

Adventures in Alice in Wonderland...

Wow.

Well, it certainly comes as no surprise that the new Alice in Wonderland movie should get such a reaction, with the likes of Tim Burton and his impressively unique cast collaborating to create a new take on one of the oldest and deeply entrenched fairy tales of all time. That re-creation in itself is a dynamic undertaking however, not the least of which is the re-imagining of a costume that has become perhaps the most iconic of any fairy tale character in history.



Typically, the blue pinafore worn by a young Alice changes with her when she transforms from caterpillar size to that of a house, keeping our heroine from needing any costume changes. In this version, award winning costume designer Colleen Atwood reinforces the feeling of Alice's (and sometimes others') discomfort presented by this inconvenient (albeit sometimes more convenient than other times) resizing, by having the clothing stay its own size. In many cases, Alice must reinvent the fabric remnants to keep herself covered and this is done with a surprising grace and style.





The quality of the fabrics and detail in the garment design is immediately apparent and also very fitting of both the period of the movie and Alice's status in society. What impressed me the most was how fine the line was between worlds. Atwood created detail in Alice's blue party dress that made for perhaps the most whimsical elements that would have been allowed in her position. She is as "Alice" as she can be in her sane world. "Contrarlywise", in the realm of Wonderland (or Underland) she sports a variety of Betsy Johnston-like frocks and, in the White Castle, an almost Chanel like attire that look very close to something you could pull off the runway. Very wearable in a fashion forward sense, and belying to the surreality she is surrounded by. In addition to this storytelling through costume, her strength of character is portrayed by the fact that she is without the confinements of her corset and stockings. This alludes to Alice's non-conformist and rebellious nature as well as immediately disregarding the first element that many costumers would have relied upon. All of these aspects are what has won such praise (including her recent Oscar nomination) for the immensely talented Atwood.





In all, my take on the movie was that it actually seemed to steer some reality into the storyline, which was refreshing. In a plotline that most use as a vessel for unleashing the imagination, the creators of this film did a supremely good job of bringing the fantasy closer to home and making it all the more believable. Definitely worth seeing, and while I wasn't able to watch it in 3D, I can only imagine how amazing the experience would be!




This movie, as most movies do that seem to take on popular culture as a whole, has spawned an entire onslaught of Alice "stuff" that span from the mass produced to the couture. Entire lifestyle streams seem to be geared toward the nearly 150 year old tale, each with their own take, from fashion houses to food. It isn't a new phenomenon, but it is perhaps one that is farther reaching than others, as it seems that Wonderland provides an excuse for that which these days everyone wants to attach themselves to- release from the staid and normal. I have enjoyed my ebay obsession all the more recently due to people pulling their nearly forgotten treasures out of the closet to see what they can get if they market them with the Alice tag.

Nifty cross stitch. Wouldn't this be a gorgeous pillow?

Vintage Mme. Alexandre doll sold for $130.


Alice inspired dress by Sue Wong

"Key to the Rabbithole" necklace

Vintage and antique books from $400

Ukranian version of the story with stunning illustrations.

What did you think... and would you spend $9,700 to own a signed 1896 copy of the book that started it all?