The Academy's Production Design Database
Thursday, June 30, 2011 at 9:36PM Did any of you catch that AMPAS has opened up a Production Design Database? It's just got two sample searches right now "Science Fiction" and "Wedding Clothes" and many of the items you still have to make appointments to actually see but what they do have up gives you a taste of their rich history. (It's better to search more generally -- like say by picking a year -- than to search for a specific film). Since I didn't do as much as I intended for the June Wedding theme here at the blog, I thought I'd share a couple of their illustrations for one last walk down an aisle (and to give you a taste of the type of stuff they have.)
The wedding search is more Costume Design than Production Design but those two departments are usually tight. In the picture above you see illustrations of stars Elizabeth Taylor and Olivia De Havilland in gowns they wore in real life (Liz's wedding to Nicky Hilton) or on film (that's Olivia's gown from My Cousin Rachel).
My favorite thing in their "wedding" database was this: a storyboard of one of the most hilarious scenes from Funny Girl (1968)
Fanny: I ask my looking glass what-is-it? That makes me so exquisite?
Chorus: The answer to your query, is come back dearie.
His love makes me beautiful, so beautiful. You are so beautiful
Fanny: I am so byootiful.
That scene makes me LOL every time, how about you? Barbra Streisand totes deserved that Best Actress statue.
Reader Comments (3)
Wow. Thank you for this.
I watched Funny Girl for the first time a couple of months ago. I had grown up loving Hello Dolly and somehow never saw Babs' precursor. OH MY- it took all the adorable Babs quirks from 'Dolly' to the next level and without the distracting side-storylines. I am in love with Fanny's inner monologue during the "You are Woman, I am Man" song.
THanks Nat! I hope they keep expanding this!
Evan - you never saw Funny Girl before? Oh, Hello Dolly is a poor, poor substitute. Thankfully that has been amended. It was one of my favorite films growing up.