Cinecittà Shows Off has added new elements to its display of priceless costumes with the inclusion of recent titles. This unmissable display route for TV lovers and cinephiles reveals the artisanal secrets behind the making of a film and TV series through the exhibition of props, set elements and original costumes. Ten new elements have been selected for this autumn. Ranging across themes and genres, costume is established as a key narrative element in the construction of character identity, emphasizing the importance of the costume designer as a creator of imaginary worlds that resonate.
The new elements include costumes from Claire McCarthy’s Ophelia (2018) worn by Daisy Ridley as Ophelia and Naomi Watts in the double role of Gertrude and Mechtild. Both costumes on display were designed by Massimo Cantini Parrini who took inspiration from the pre-Raphaelite painters, ancient Greece and the work of Mariano Fortuny.
The journey into the history of costume continues with The Law According to Lidia Poët (2023), TV series directed by Matteo Rovere and Letizia Lamartire and set in the late 1800s, with a costume worn by Matilda De Angelis in the title role of Lidia Poët, Italy’s first female lawyer. The suit was designed by Stefano Ciammitti who created a wardrobe that was in keeping with both the fashion of the time and the character’s original, rebellious nature.
From The Palace (2023) directed by Roman Polanski is an evening dress worn by Fanny Ardant as the Marquise, an eccentric aristocrat who has a crazy relationship with the world. The film’s costume designer, Carlo Poggioli, created the dress using material from the 1960s in bright colours and with a line that evokes a range of eras.
The Comedy Room has the costume designed by Mariano Tufano for Lino Musella as Marconte Bellocchio in Il Pataffio (2022) by Francesco Lagi.
The display continues with the priceless tunics from Bernardo Bertolucci’s masterpiece, The Last Emperor (1987), designed to be worn by high-ranking Chinese dignitaries at the court of Pu Yi. The costumes were designed by James Acheson who won his first Oscar© for the film. The costumes on display demonstrate meticulous attention to the philological construction of the historical context and to the smallest detail.
Betsy Heimann created the red 1930s day dress worn by Diane Kruger as “the black widow” in Neil Jordan’s noir Detective Marlowe (2022).
From Nanni Moretti’s A Brighter Tomorrow (2023), produced in partnership with Cinecittà and shot at the Studios, is the outfit worn by the director of the Budavári Circus, played by Zsolt Anger, created by costume designer Silvia Segoloni.
This selection closes with the naval uniform designed by Massimo Cantini Parrini for Comandante (2023), directed by Edoardo De Angelis, which was also shot at the Studios. The suit, worn by Pierfrancesco Favino in the title role of Commander Salvatore Todaro, is an example of the rigorous approach with which the costume designer approaches the accurate reconstruction of the context required for every film.
GUIDED TOURS
A guided tour of the priceless original costumes on display in the Palazzina Presidenziale at Cinecittà. Costumes and accessories from famous films and series offer the starting point for discovering the history of cinema in Italy and the world and to demonstrate the work of costume designers and major theatrical costumers to the public.
When: 21, 22, 28, 29 October 2023 at 11.00 a.m.
For information and bookings, contact the Educational Department: didattica@cinecitta.it
