(no subject)

[rm]

It appalls me that Memoirs of a Geisha received design nominations when its costuming was neither historically accurate nor interestingly reinterpretted for a story that relies so heavily on the aesthetic conventions of its world to drive it. Really seriously irritates me. At least it didn't get a makeup design nod.

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[http://users.livejournal.com/sunyata__/]

That makes me wonder if Liz Taylor's Cleopatra also had design nominations and whether the costuming was researched. I also thought Edith Head was involved, but it looks like I was wrong.

[rm.livejournal.com]

I think we felt less of a need for historical accuracy in film at that time. But also, the way geisha dress has not particularly changed at all. None of this required scholarship, rather a $10 book at B&N or a trip to research. Ultimately, it's not that they didn't know better, but that they Westernized the aesthetics, which completely harms a story that appeals because of its foreignness.