Thu 1/22 @ 6-9PM
One of the current shows at the Western Reserve Historical Society is American Dream: Immigrants and the Business of Fashion. Inspired by that exhibit, it’s hosting a film series featuring movies where costume design played a key role.
It’s kicking off with a real period piece packed with lavish couture: the 1939 film The Women. It’s a real period piece, directed by George Cukor, known primary for women’s films and comedies (he won the 1964 Oscar for My Fair Lady, about as lavishly costumed a movie as there ever was), and featuring such legendary movie stars as Norma Shearer, Rosalind Russell, Joan Crawford and Paulette Goddard. Since it’s about the romantic travails of a group of rich society women, well, you can imagine the extravagant apparel. And although it was in black and white, it features a six-minute Technicolor fashion show.
The film and the play it was based on feature only women’s roles—and lots of them—at a time (which continues to this day to some degree) when men dominated stage and screen, with meaty roles reserved for them. It’s also at the core a period piece which may be why a 2008 remake with stars such as Annette Bening, Meg Ryan, Carrie Fisher, Candice Bergman and even Bette Midler, among others, was a critical flop.
Futuring screening include 1945’s Ziegfeld Folies (February 19); 1960’s The Grass Is Greener (April 16); and 1963’s Charade (June 18). After each screening, curator Patricia Edmonson will give a group tour of the exhibition, sharing stories about the connection of immigrants to fashion and how that impacted the film industry.
The movie is free with regular admission, but you must make a reservation here. Snacks and soft drinks are include, and beer and wine are available for purchase.
wrhs/american-dream–film-series