Dressed for the cinema

From July 1, 2008 to October 5, 2008 – Museu del Cinema

Maite Mínguez Ricart Collection

"It would be exaggerating to claim that costumes can save a bad film, but they certainly can give a work its entire meaning."

This sentence asserts the real importance of costume design in cinema. Not only is the wardrobe essential to give authenticity to the atmosphere that one wants to recreate in historical films or films set in the future. It is also essential for contemporary action films, where good costume design will reinforce the psychology of the characters, their state of mind, social position, beauty or ugliness, among many other aspects. It is clear, therefore, that the costume designer and his or her team of assistants and stitchers are one of the key elements in making a film and helping it become a success. When designing a costume for a film, it must be planned down to the very last detail in coordination with the director and screenwriter of the film, who transmit the basic ideas regarding how the characters should be dressed.

In short, since the 1920s, when film studios began to establish their own costume departments—previously they were rented from theatres—costume design in film has always played a fundamental role in cinematographic production. This exhibition strives to emphasize the importance of costume design to great films and of the key role of costumes made for the cinema, while allowing visitors to admire some designs, dresses and other original objects from the exceptional Maite Mínguez Ricart Collection.