Saturday, April 24, 2010

Atonement

We didn't bring our camera to the charity event we did end up going to last night, so an acquaintance took some pictures.  However, said acquaintance has not yet emailed them to us, so in the mean-time, I thought I'd re-post some stills from Atonement, a book-to-movie adaptation which I re-watched recently.  Both book and film do some very interesting things with the whodunnit mystery genre. As well, both highlight some interesting ideas about history and the notions of truth and (mis)perception, but I definitely find the film most endlessly riveting from a fashion perspective I LOVE how this movie captures the drastic transformation of fashion within just a few years in Britain during the 30s. I also think the costumes (their color, their fabrics) are ingeniously used to reflect Britain's movement from a rather luxurious and Edenic world of opulence and leisure to a hellish nightmare world filled with loss, labour, and sacrifice, an arch which is microcosmically mirrored in the life of Cecilia, played by Keira Knightly.   

















































I suppose I must atone for the fact that I forget where I got these images from.  Naughty kitten...

11 comments:

Maggi said...

That was a really good movie, and yes I really enjoyed watching it the first time just for the costumes. lol

Francy said...

I thought Keira Knightley looked so beautiful in this one. I'm just a fan overall though! It's one of my favorites.

Miss Emmi said...

I loved this movie! It was not what I was expecting at all (I was thinking basic period romance; I had not read any reviews at all) but it was amazing. I thought it was brilliant - and yes, I loved the fashion! It gave me the intense desire to own a nurse's cape that has never left me.

B-b-b-etty said...

oh, we think a like. i was thinking about doing a post about Atonement ;D

Rachael said...

I adore this film - its so sad though.

Andi B. Goode said...

I really need to get over my deep-seated dislike of Keira Knightley so I can watch this. ;]
-Andi x

garofit said...

This film was actually highly criticized on certain forums for the lack of effort in terms of hair and makeup but also for costumes that don't look authentic enough (particularly the infamous green dress that captured the attention of so many women, was said to look more like a nightgown than an actual 30's dress).
Personally I enjoyed the film and costumes were definitely part of that, I agree tough that hairdo's could have been better.
As for Keira, while I understand the dislike she may provoke (seen her interview with Jonathan Ross?), I'd love to see her playing a flapper, because I think her spirit would lend itself marvelously to that.
And last but not least I LOVE that look in the first pic, I HAVE to have something like that!

BaronessVonVintage said...

Andi, I agree I am not a huge fan of Knightly and her weird facial expressions. It's a visually stunning film, though.

Garofit, that's interesting that the costumes were criticised in this way. I must admit I notice a LOT of modern films set in the 30s show the hairstyles to be much longer than would have been fashionable (are actresses afraid to fully commit to a role by refusing to have their hair cropped to an authentic early to mid 30s length or what?)

Maybe it's because I have read and taught the book more than once that I can see why the costumes and hairstyles are the way they are in relation to characterisation (esp. in the case of Cecilia...it has to do with the way she is characterised in the book by the actual author). The family is not what it appears socio-economically, so I wonder if the costumers did some deliberate things to remain true to the book rather than pure history? I have to say from looking at ooodles of authentic early 30s fashion plates and books that THE green dress is an historical possibility--I have on file several early 1930s dress patterns and images for gowns, not nightgowns that lead me to feel this is not an overly inauthentic gown. If I can find the links to some of them, I will try to post.... FASCINATING to hear about the controversies, though!!

garofit said...

Well I am far from a purist, but I thought it was an interesting point to mention. I loved the green dress at the time and was rather disappointed by the critique. Anyway, I still think the majority of the costumes looked great, and I can say hands on heart I have seen many other period films inferior to this one as far as the costumes go.

BaronessVonVintage said...

yes, I am SO glad you brought that point up, garofit!! I am sure there are even more knowledgeable fashion historians/purists who could pinpoint why the green dress is not authentic enough. From my perspective, I totally agree with you that there are definitely other films more glaringly anachronistic, though!

Isabel said...

the costumes from this film are fantastic, i am not usually a fan of keira knightly... but she does look absolutely beautiful! x x