HOW THE OSCAR NOMINATED COSTUMES IN 'CYRANO' TELL A STORY OF THEIR OWN
1How the Oscar nominated costumes in 'Cyrano' tell a story of their own
How do you give a visual makeover to a classic tale that's centered around appearances? That was the question facing award winning costume designer Massimo Cantini Parrini when he began work on the latest screen adaptation of Edmond Rostand's 1897 play 'Cyrano de Bergerac.' and he had 26 days to figure it out. 'Because of the schedule and the pandemic. I had less than a month to put together a team. pick and order the fabrics. decide what the outfits would look like before we started shooting that's a pretty tight timeframe for any movie. With a film like 'Cyrano' you would usually have three or four months to prepare. But we made it work.' he said in a video interview. 'And I couldn't be happier with the result.' Director Joe Wright's 'Cyrano.' out today after an Oscar qualifying one week theatrical release in December. not only changes the setting of the famous story of unrequited love from the 17th to the 18th century. it also reimagines the title character. played by Peter Dinklage. and downsizes what's been the fictional poet swordsman's most defining feature: his famously large nose. Getting rid of the prosthetic nose used in most Cyrano interpretations and the many lines of dialogue around it was an essential aspect of reinventing the character. said playwright Erica Schmidt. who wrote the film's screenplay. 'My goal was for Cyrano not to articulate what it is he finds so physically unattractive about himself. and so remove not just the false nose. but any reference to it.' Schmidt said in a video interview. 'I wanted the audience to make up their own idea about why he doesn't love himself. People project things onto one another. but my 'hideous' qualities might not look hideous to you. So you might think his tragic flaw is his height. others might feel it's his pride. It really is in the eye of the beholder.' Cantini Parrini was enlisted to create costumes that would help interpret these changes and embrace the fact that Wright's adaptation is a musical featuring a score by American rock band The National requiring clothes dynamic enough to facilitate dance scenes. Wright also proposed thinking of each ensemble not just in terms of style. but as a direct extension of the characters' personas and social ranks. Weaving that sartorial narrative. which earned him an Oscar nomination for costume design earlier this month. started in part with some 18th century inspiration. The time period in which Wright chose to set 'Cyrano' offered 'a much lighter. vibrant time period compared to the 1600s (when the original play was set).' Cantini Parrini said. Naturally. the clothing had to reflect that atmosphere. 'The idea was to make the world of Cyrano airy. dynamic. full of movement and give a sense of emotional transparency. while capturing the essence of that particular era.' he explained. 'Lightness was the ethos for the entire movie.' With 'lightness' as his watchword. Cantini Parrini drew inspiration from 18th century watercolors he'd seen in museums in London and Rome for the hues of the costumes. and turned to silk. linen and organza for the fabrics. which he often layered one on top of the other. 'I wanted to have full bodied silhouettes that still felt ethereal.' he said. 'Particularly in the case of (Cyrano's love interest) Roxanne (whose wardrobe was designed by Jacqueline Durran).' The result was almost 800 costumes that he and his team made from scratch rather than sourcing and renting existing items from costume houses. as is standard practice for period dramas of this kind. 'so that we could really show Cyrano and his universe like never before. in a way that would feel truly unique.' Cantini Parrini said. As shooting began in the baroque city of Noto. in Sicily. they continued making clothes ('Almost as if we were a textile company from the 1700s.' Cantini Parrini joked) while production ramped up and other story elements fell into place. Wright's...
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