In an ideal world, bad guys are easily identifiable and, thus, avoidable. Their crimes are not carried out with a pen but with heavy swords or devastating superpowers. And right before they get their way, a hero sporting flashy colors saves the day.
In that ideal world, evil and good share one thing: they are both stylish.
This is the world the Norton Museum of Art has chosen to display this summer. Running now until Sept. 11, Out of this World: Extraordinary Costumes from Film and Television consists of original costumes from memorable films and TV shows including The Terminator, Ghostbusters, Star Trek, Tron, Star Wars and a personal favorite, Blade Runner.
The exhibit is divided into three sections, the first of which is dedicated to heroes and villains. Every single gallery room has a spacey feeling to it due, partially, to the abstract music playing in the background. Their walls alternate between orange and gray. The outfits appear inside clear capsules as if in a deep sleep, waiting to be shipped back into space at any moment.
One of the first pieces to greet us is the Obi-Wan Kenobi robe worn by Sir Alec Guinness in Star Wars (1977). Part samurai and part monk, the design could not be more simple or its color less extravagant. The piece was designed by British costume designer and Academy Award winner John Mollo, whose work includes Alien, King David and Gandhi. Though created expressively for the role of Obi-Wan, this robe is believed to have been used in other films, including The Name of the Rose (1986), starring Sean Connery.
Mollo’s known tendency for military uniforms is nowhere to be seen in the Obi-Wan piece. It is, however, in the elements he chose to complete the look of Darth Vader, standing here to the right. He lifted a monk’s cloak from the ecclesiastical division, a World War II German helmet and gas mask from the military department, a leather undersuit from the motorcycle department, and a metal breastplate from the medieval section.
One look at the Darth Vader costume and you can tell this is a character who is good at being bad. The all-black ensemble suits him well and his face is concealed, as if hiding something. Bad guys, when not carrying a physical scar, carry emotional ones. In that, we are closer to them than the good guys, who always heal faster and miraculously.
Costumes as this one do not necessarily need a particular actor to come to life. The same happens with Batman’s. Whether it is George Clooney, Michael Keaton, Val Kilmer or Christian Bale playing the main role, anyone wearing the pointy mask, long cape and sharp gloves can more or less pull it off. Costumes of this sort have a personality of their own.
But when an outfit looks like recycling materials taken out the garbage: black sheer top, leggings, stockings full of holes and silver painted pumps, then you need all the emotion and expression you can get from an actor, plus good makeup. That was the outfit worn by Daryl Hannah as replicant Pris in Blade Runner (1982). I wonder if Pris would have been the same had Deborah Harry, who was originally envisioned for the role, been chosen instead of Hannah.
The same question hits me when facing the pieces in the last room. Anyone can look cool wearing a black leather jacket, but only Arnold can be the Terminator. His jacket is massive, features zippers, a belt and even bullet holes. As in some cases, the description here includes a fun piece of trivia. The shooting for Terminator was pushed back two days because the custom leather jacket, designed by Hilary Wright, did not fit the star.
And did you ever think the Seven of Nine uniform worn by Jeri Ryan in Star Trek: Voyager was too form-fitting? It turns out it was. The one-piece blue leotard was so precise on her body that Ryan could not wear bras or panties to prevent the lines from showing.
By the way, if you are into jackets, the last room is definitely your spot. There is Indiana Jones’s brown leather bomber, which looks very wearable despite it being old and worn. It was designed by Deborah Nadoolman Landis, who is also responsible for Michael Jackson’s zippered red jacket in Thriller. Accompanying the jacket are Indy’s whip from Raiders of Lost Ark (1981) and the Holy Grail from The Last Crusade (1989).
It is no surprise that the loudest suit of the show belongs to the eccentric Jim Carrey’s Riddler from Batman Forever (1995). It is covered with question marks, his favorite symbol, in a green sparkling color, a pink pin resting on his green tie being the only relief from the green insanity. An unexpected sweet touch on his suit is the green butterfly outlines. See? Even bad guys have a soft spot.
Don’t head for the exit without seeing one of the highlights of the show: Connor Macleod’s costume, as worn by Christopher Lambert in Highlander (1986). Macleod is an immortal Scottish swordsman who gains more power with every immortal opponent he defeats. The armor-like outfit was conceived by British costume designer James Acheson, who is a three-time Oscar winner for his creations in The Last Emperor (1987), Dangerous Liaisons (1988) and Restoration (1995). He also gave Tobey Maguire his flexible reds and blues.
The heavy structure and barbaric character of Macleod’s outfit matches the man’s nomadic rough lifestyle perfectly.
When I think of the show overall I cannot help but admire the elegance of both good and evil here. This is definitely a better world. The bad guys in my world do not have this presence and the good ones tend to overdo it.
You should not come to the exhibit to find out the absolute truth, but to see that the work of a costume designer is serious stuff and goes beyond the superficial. Clothes can play with our emotions. If what we see pleases us, we may feel more inclined to get to know the mind. Such is the power of a good outfit: it can make us fall in love even with the bad guys, respect them while disagreeing with their intentions and maybe even forgive them. Not to mention that Evil sporting cooler clothes can make Good look silly.
For a show featuring fabrics, Extraordinary Outcomes can be quite emotional, whether you are a hardcore fan or not. By the end we realize that no matter how much we try, we will never come close to looking like heroes or adventurers, not even bad guys. It starts with the clothes, and we do not even have that.
Out of this World: Extraordinary Costumes from Film and Television runs through Sept. 11 at the Norton Museum of Art. Admission: $12, adults; $5 ages 13-21. Hours: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays; 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Sundays; 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Thursdays; closed Mondays. Call 832-5196 or visit www.norton.org.