Oscar History
Film Bitch History
Welcome

The Film Experience™ was created by Nathaniel R. All material herein is written by our team. (This site is not for profit but for an expression of love for cinema & adjacent artforms.)

Follow TFE on Substackd

Powered by Squarespace
COMMENTS

 

Keep TFE Strong

We're looking for 500... no 390 SubscribersIf you read us daily, please be one.  

I ♥ The Film Experience

THANKS IN ADVANCE

What'cha Looking For?
Subscribe
« Doc Corner: Five Highlights from the 159-deep Documentary Longlist | Main | Soundtracking: Rachel Getting Married »
Wednesday
Nov132019

10th Anniversary: The Young Victoria

by Cláudio Alves

It's difficult to follow the Oscar race each year without developing a prejudice against prestige biopics. At times it seems its the genre where creativity goes to die, where formulas thrive and the appearance of respectability is more important than genuine artistic merit. These words are perchance, too harsh, because specific qualities do manage to shine through the baseline of expected mediocrity on numerous occassions. Take The Young Victoria, Jean-Marc Vallée's perfectly serviceable retelling of Queen Victoria's early years and marriage to Prince Albert. Rewatching it ten years after its initial release, the film isn't as despairingly dry as you may have remembered. The Young Victoria is one of Emily Blunt's lesser efforts, but she's luminous nonetheless, bringing a sense of modernity that rubs abrasively against the historical setting. She never convinces as a 19th-century ruler, but that manages to feel more like a feature than a fault. As for Rupert Friend's Albert, he remains a charming romantic ideal, establishing great chemistry with Blunt.

And then, of course, there are Sandy Powell's Oscar-winning costumes…

Of her three wins in the category, this is Powell's least deserving victory and, judging by her words, one imagines the designer feels the same. Her humbleness and biting wit, her criticism of the Academy's love for extravagant costume dramas in detriment of subtle or less moneyed contemporary work make this one of the best speeches the category ever produced. It proves once again that Powell is one of the great champions of her profession.

Still, it'd be terribly uncouth to celebrate the film's 10th anniversary with an eyeroll and morsels of faint praise. The Young Victoria's designs are only minor when compared to the rest of Powell's filmography, offering a balanced cocktail of historical fidelity and stylization that represents a nice match to Blunt's anachronistic presence. The 1830s represent one of the wackiest periods of European fashion. It's no easy feat to make high-waisted dresses with leg of mutton sleeves and bell-shaped skirts seem attractive to contemporary viewers. 

The Young Victoria's narrative spans from 1837 to 1840 and Sandy Powell used the changing fashions of the Romantic and Victorian eras to delineate her character's evolution. Regarding Victoria herself, the clothes paint a picture of a sheltered girl transitioning to adulthood, from doll-like confections to more sleek and womanly silhouettes. To do that, Powell pulled from the styles of the later decade for the second half of the film, dressing Blunt in outfits that have more to do with 1845 than 1840. This highlights her as a character that's always ahead of her time as well as someone that's slightly out of step with the women of her life, be it her tyrannical mother or her smothering ladies-in-waiting.

These design choices offer a parallel story complementing and augmenting the film's text. Powell does similar things with color and textiles, using shades that would be impossible before the commercialization of aniline dyes and machine embroidered patterns to brighten up the story and underline the protagonist's arc. Emily Blunt may start the film in buttery yellows and baby blues, but she finishes it in jewel tones befitting a queen. When doing period work, it's never just about copying historical images or doing empty spectacle. I might not like The Young Victoria very much, but it'd be false to say its Oscar victory is completely undeserved.

That said, it'd be nice to see some excellent contemporary costume design recognized once in a while. Taking a cue from Powell's acceptance speech, here are five examples that would have been deserving nominees in 2009. The Academy would never consider these kinds of achievements, but the category would be perpetually richer if they did.

Bina Daigeler's eccentric designs for The Limits of Control are a bizarre delight.

Sonia Grande's glamourous reveries in Broken Embraces turn Penélope Cruz into a dream of cinematic perfection.

Hope Hanafin weaponizes and deconstructs quirkiness in (500) days of Summer.

April Napier echoes Cassavete's Gloria with her character-specific designs in Julia.

Catherine Marie Thomas makes delirious comedy out of clothing with her designs for Whip It.

Would you have nominated any of these?

PrintView Printer Friendly Version

EmailEmail Article to Friend

Reader Comments (17)

I would have nominated ALL of these!!!

November 13, 2019 | Unregistered CommenterPeggy Sue

I can’t get enough of this series. All of your alternate nominees are spot-on.

November 13, 2019 | Unregistered CommenterMJ

I hadn't thought of it, but you are so right about (500) Days of Summer's costumes. Up in the Air's were very good that year too. And, if it counts, Fantastic Mr. Fox's (or is that Production Design)?

November 13, 2019 | Unregistered CommenterScottC

ScottC -- Some animated films like "Kubo and Two Strings" and "Frozen" have credited costume designers. However, I couldn't find such information in the "Fantastic Mr. Fox" credits so I wouldn't know who to give that imaginary nomination to.
I thought about including it, but, in the end, there was that issue and the fact it's too close to fantasy. Also, the recognition of animated costume design could be an interesting topic for a whole different piece.

November 13, 2019 | Unregistered CommenterCláudio Alves

I'd nominate all of those films while I do think The Young Victoria is an excellent film mainly because of Emily Blunt as she was just great in that film.

November 13, 2019 | Unregistered Commenterthevoid99

By my reckoning, Miranda Richardson and Harriet Walter had the best costumes in The Young Victoria.

November 13, 2019 | Unregistered CommenterLuke

Writing a grad school essay is a make-or-break situtation. I remember having been in that situation and while I’m confident about my work, I just needed the help of an expert eye to make sure I did a stellar job. For this, I asked for proofreading help from an Papernow service.

November 14, 2019 | Unregistered CommenterJomesRodrigues

Thanks for that explanation, Claudio. - Scott

November 14, 2019 | Unregistered CommenterScottC

this is nice post thanks for sharing
advantages for kids coding

November 15, 2019 | Unregistered Commenterankur52

Thanks for writing such a lovely and informative post for us. Now I will keep visit your blog at regular intervals. And also I want to request you to write more such posts in future, so that I can refer my more friends to visit on your blog. Keep Blogging!!!
artificial jewellery wholesalers in mumbai
artificial jewellery online

November 15, 2019 | Unregistered Commentercamilajohnson

I don't think we are the greatest movie at all, but Lolita was very sturdy, as per customary, despite the potholes. She's a bizarre actress and is commendable of a follow-up nod so I'd be ok with it.
Students Information at British Essay Writing

February 26, 2020 | Unregistered CommenterSmith Sera

Essayfactory is a company that deals with writing works. We differ from our competitors because we always work on the scientific side of each work, information supported by facts is important for us, a deep analysis of the text after completion guarantees high-quality performance. We are engaged in writing scientific papers, essays also we take care of writing a dissertation methodology. On our site, you can find samples of different works in order to convince that professionals will be engaged in your written work.

May 27, 2020 | Unregistered CommenterJay Poff

A thesis chapter is a critical part of a dissertation and it is one the writer has to devote most of their effort to due to its significance. The following guideline is created to help students with their dissertations https://best-writing-service.net/postgraduate-dissertation-or-thesis.html

December 21, 2020 | Unregistered CommenterViolet Lynn

Not sure how best to write your essay? Don't know what topic and how to write it? I think you've come to the right place https://primeessay.org/tips-for-completing-coursework.html

February 25, 2021 | Unregistered Commenterprimeessay.org

Thanks for the information. By the way, if anyone here is searching for the lawn care business plan sample on this www.ogscapital.com/article/lawn-care-business-plan-sample/ site. It will help you in growing your business more.

March 3, 2021 | Unregistered CommenterJeffrey A Moore

Wow, very nice story about young Victoria. I am very happy to know about her anniversary. I am a student and searching tips for my career. I also found https://www.marketingdonut.co.uk/blog/20/10/eight-essential-skills-for-students-for-a-successful-management-career-uk site and here I read many amazing tips for my career. So guys yo can also visit this site and read these tips.

March 23, 2021 | Unregistered CommenterRobert Moore

If you're in need of a professional and effective business plan, consider hiring a business plan writer on Skillhub. With expertise, experience, flexibility, and affordability, Skillhub writers can help take your business to the next level. So why wait? Contact Skillhub today and start creating a business plan that sets you up for success.

March 27, 2023 | Registered CommenterKirk Weber
Member Account Required
You must have a member account to comment. It's free so register here.. IF YOU ARE ALREADY REGISTERED, JUST LOGIN.