"there is much to support the view that it is clothes that wear us and not we them; we may make them take the mould of arm or breast, but they mould our hearts, our brains, our tongues to their liking" (Virginia Woolf, Orlando, Chapter Four, 1928)Image: Charlotte Valandrey and Tilda Swinton in Sally Potter's 1992 film version of Orlando.
4 comments:
Orlando is my all-time favorite work of fiction!
My DVD copy of Orlando has a whole extras disc which is utterly fascinating. Costume designer Sandy Powell demonstrates how she researched, resourced fabrics and made faithful reproductions from paintings etc. She worked closely with Dien van Staanden the art director to colour the different ages authentically. Brilliant. This film is captivating for me because it is reverential to the book, has the best costumes EVER and is really witty in places. Sally potter is a totally original director. Plus on a visceral level the scene where Billy Zane rides out of the mist is just the best.....
Yes the films is great and true to the book - isn't Jimi Somerville in it as a fairy?
Opening and closing credits feature Jimi Somerville singing an early Elizabethan number dressed as an angel hovering above. He has an amazingly authentic voice. There is a little bit on the extras about how they had a lot of techy probs shooting it and got it right by dusk which gave shots a very particular look.
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