A BAFTA Tribute to Phyllis Dalton MBE

A BAFTA TRIBUTE TO

PHYLLIS DALTON MBE 23 NOVEMBER 2O12

PHYLLIS DALTON'S LONG CAREER IS BUILT UPON THE RECOGNITION THAT AUDIENCES DESERVE MORE THAN AUTHENTICITY; THAT A COSTUME CAN EXPRESS AN IDEA AS SURELY AS A LINE OF DIALOGUE.

L AWRENCE OF AR ABIA (1962)

A BAFTA TRIBUTE

OVERVIEW a dark shape charges from a shimmering mirage, and resolves itself into a black-clad Omar Sharif; Anita Ekberg, held aloft by two attendants with unfeasibly enormous turbans, slides down to the floor, her body barely contained by aquamarine harem gear; Kenneth Branagh urges his troops once more unto the breach, his studded tunic lit by the flames of war. This is the world, as cut, shaped and stitched by Phyllis Dalton mbe.

That world has been up on the big screen since the early 1950s. We first glimpsed it in The Dark Man (1951), a thriller starring Maxwell Reed as an angel of death stalking the freshly-demilitarised Kent coast. It’s a modest independent production, but you can sense the intelligence at work in the design. Dalton puts Reed’s executioner in a spiv’s suit and shiny murderer’s driving gloves; his first victim is a down-at-heel farmer, to whose shirt the costume supervisor has added a tellingly filthy stain. Dalton uses cotton and thread to flesh out the characters, to sharpen the edges of the narrative. And for five decades, from the shingles of Dungeness to the sunlit gardens of Much Ado About Nothing (1993), she told stories in linen and leather and tulle.

She materialised fairy tale fantasy in The Princess Bride (1987) – and demonstrated her pragmatism by designing a shoe to protect the injured toe of Cary Elwes. She made Richard Todd stand tall (no mean feat) in Disney’s Technicolor version of Rob Roy (1953). She used a dirty fur-collared jacket to emphasise the bright blondness of Virginia McKenna’s hair in Carve Her Name With Pride (1958), lending a strange, cold glamour to the act of machinegunning the Nazis. She won a BAFTA for her incredible work on Alan Bridges’ The Hireling (1973), and was nominated for three others (Much Ado About Nothing, Henry V [1989] and Oliver! [1968]).

But her finest achievements – the ones destined to be discussed forever in classrooms PHYLLIS DALTON MBE

by Matthew Sweet

and workshops – are the ideas with which she enriched the films of three of our most lauded directors. Her Oscar-winning designs for Kenneth Branagh’s Henry V cast aside Olivier’s metal carapace and gave us a warrior king whom the broadsword might yet pierce.

For Carol Reed, Dalton conjured a Victorian London of the imagination – one attuned to the extravagant anti-realism of the novel’s original illustrator, George Cruickshank.

It was the snow, the desert and David Lean that brought forth her greatest triumphs.

She won an Oscar for Doctor Zhivago (1965), and perhaps, in particular, for the overconfected satin gown in which Julie Christie’s Lara makes discomfiting submission to Rod Steiger’s Viktor.

Dalton’s work on Lawrence Of Arabia (1962), however, might be the purest example we have of a designer and an actor moving towards the same end. Dalton used an authentic military tailor to fashion Peter O’Toole’s uniforms, but ensured that they were all squirmingly uncomfortable – which amplified the moment of liberation that comes when Lawrence adopts Arab dress. As the film progressed, however, Dalton made the fabric of O’Toole’s thobe and zebun increasingly gossamer-like – and gave the impression that the hard lines of Lawrence’s body were evaporating at the same rate as his sanity.

If you notice it happening, perhaps this is failure. If you experience its effects without being able to quite explain them, this is true artistry. Phyllis Dalton’s long career is built upon that – and upon the recognition that audiences deserve more than authenticity; that a costume can express an idea as surely as a line of dialogue; that some auteurs work with chalk and pins and scissors.

Matthew Sweet is a writer, journalist and broadcaster, and the author of Shepperton Babylon: The Lost Worlds Of British Cinema 3

L AWRENCE OF AR ABIA (1962)

AN

INTERVIEW

WITH

PHYLLIS DALTON MBE

What drew you to a career in costume design? that that sort of job existed, or that I might be I was at the Ealing School of Art during the able to do it, until I actually got a job in films. early part of the war, and when I left I got a job in a costumiers in London – it just so What makes a good costume designer? happened that they were making costumes for I’ve joked sometimes that diplomacy is 90 per Laurence Oliver’s Henry V at the time. Then, cent of the job, but it actually is a big part. in 1944, I joined the Wrens [Women’s Royal To be a good costume designer, I also Naval Service], so I was at Bletchley Park for think you also have to be a strong organiser, a couple of years. as well as having the artistic side, particularly When we were demobbed [in 1946], to dress a film. Very few people have an even I entered a competition through my godmother balance of those two skills.

– Vogue ran a fashion The thing is, journalism competition "COSTUME DESIGN IS costume design is not so in those days. I didn’t much about designing NOT SO MUCH ABOUT win a prize but I came clothes, it’s about getting DESIGNING CLOTHES, quite high up, and they a costume together and IT'S ABOUT MAKING THE making the characters offered to help find me a job. The Vogue editor CHARACTERS LOOK REAL." look real. They should at the time, Audrey look right. One of the Withers, gave me an introduction to the queen most important things about the job is that bee costume designer at the old Gainsborough no one should really notice the costumes, unless Studios and I started as an assistant at the it’s a film about fashion, of course, where you’re Islington studios. supposed to notice the spectacular costumes.

I was always inspired by film in general.

It’s a bit of a backhanded compliment really.

I was always aware of the costumes in them.

But most films are about watching people who As far back as I can remember I knew names hopefully look real. When we did Lawrence Of like Edith Head and all the great Hollywood Arabia, most people thought that all the Arabs costume designers. But I don’t think I realised were wearing their own clothes. In fact, every 4

A BAFTA TRIBUTE

HENRY V (1989) PHYLLIS DALTON MBE

5

OLIVER! (1968)

DOCTOR ZHIVAGO (1965)

single Arab wore designed costumes – we had 10 duplicate costumes for all of them.

Another important attribute is not to put your own tastes and the things you like forward. It’s nothing to do with you; you have to detach yourself completely and do what’s right for the story.

Tell us a little about your experience of working with David Lean.

He was just a magical director. He was one of the greatest. He and Carol Reed are at the top of my list of favourite directors. They were brilliant men with wonderful cinematic imaginations. They were totally blinkered to the job, and knew exactly what they wanted, but they also knew that what came out of it at the end would be something special. I learnt a lot from David. When I started working on Lawrence Of Arabia, I’d never done a film like that before and it brought something out in me that I didn’t know I could do.

How would you summarise your career now?

I’m surprised by all this attention. It’s been more than 20 years since my last film, Much Ado About Nothing, which was a nice one to go out on. I’ve had a lot of luck, mainly of being 6

A BAFTA TRIBUTE

THE HIRELING (1973)

L AWRENCE OF AR ABIA (1962)

in the right place at the right time. I’ve worked with some wonderful people, not just great directors, but great costumiers and costume assistants. You’re a team. You have to be a team; it’s very important. It’s no good if everyone ruins the look of what you’re doing, which is easily done.

JOHN PAUL JONES (1959)

What’s the biggest highlight of your career?

I don’t know. Would you put an MBE, a second Oscar or a lifetime achievement award first [laughs]? I’ll tell you what, let’s say 23 November 2012 [her BAFTA Tribute date], how about that? I keep saying I don’t need an obituary now [laughs].

Do you have a favourite costume among the many, many you’ve designed?

No, I don’t think so. I’ve got a lot of things that I feel turned out very well. I really enjoyed Oliver!, that was a fun one. There’s a photograph of me dressing a Russian soldier in Doctor Zhivago, and I was very proud of that costume. Anyone can make a smart frock; it’s much more difficult to make people from the past who are wearing ordinary clothes look real. So, I guess I was more proud of that soldier than anything.

PHYLLIS DALTON MBE

7

INSPIRATION

FOUR COSTUME DESIGNERS PICK THEIR FAVOURITE PIECE OF WORK BY PHYLLIS DALTON MBE

MICHAEL O'CONNOR Phyllis Dalton’s costumes for the epic Lawrence Of Arabia are crisp, precise and expertly executed. Colour, shape and textiles are used perfectly to differentiate characters with such subtlety; an extraordinary achievement, given the enormous male-only cast. The sweeping Arab robes billow in the landscape beautifully, while the regimental stiffness of the soldiers’ uniforms contrast convincingly. The attention to cultural detail is astonishing.

I’ve seen the film countless times and still marvel at its and Phyllis’ artistry.

Michael O’Connor has designed costumes for such films as The Duchess, The Last King Of Scotland, Dredd 3d and The Eagle

L AWRENCE OF AR ABIA (1962)

8

A BAFTA TRIBUTE

PHYLLIS DALTON MBE

9

DOCTOR ZHIVAGO (1965)

COLLEEN ATWOOD I grew up in a rural desert setting and films were one of my favourite escapes.

Seeing the epic Doctor Zhivago was one of the best movie memories of my pre-teen years. The style and romance was beautifully transporting, yet I could somehow relate. This ability to connect to the past without losing a certain texture is what makes Phyllis Dalton someone I look up to and admire as a costume designer.

Congratulations, Phyllis, on your truly wonderful contribution to cinema and design.

Colleen Atwood has won BAFTAs for her work on Alice In Wonderland and Memoirs Of A Geisha, and was nominated for Chicago, Little Women and Edward Scissorhands 10

A BAFTA TRIBUTE

THE MESSAGE (1977)

STEPHEN MILES I first met Phyllis Dalton while I was working at Bermans And Nathans when she was designing an epic production of the life of Muhammad [The Message, 1977], filmed over a long period in north Africa. It was complicated by being shot in two languages, and largely with two different casts. Whole sequences were designed and organised at long range, with occasional flying visits to England – this was in the days before the Internet, faxes and mobile phones – and I had the good fortune to help with finding references, sampling and getting costumes made for the same scenes.

After I left Bermans, Phyllis was the first to engage me as an assistant, an arrangement we were to repeat several times during the next decade or so. On each occasion, I benefited from her great experience, expertise and enthusiasm for costume work, and from her PHYLLIS DALTON MBE

encouragement, which has been an inspiration throughout my career.

Twenty years later we still meet and her interest in my work has continued. The debt I owe to her for her early help is incalculable, but best of all, I am pleased to number her among my friends.

Stephen Miles has worked as assistant costume designer on such films as Henry V, Much Ado About Nothing, The Black Dahlia and Alexander 11

STEPHANIE COLLIE I was 16 when I saw Doctor Zhivago for the first time. I greeted its screening with great anticipation, as my mother had always said it was one of her favourite films, but I was totally unprepared for the epic quality of the production.

I can remember being overwhelmed by the beauty and breadth of the costumes.

I found them truly inspirational and, as I already knew by then that I wanted to work in the theatre, I hoped one day I would get the opportunity to make costumes that were as wonderful as Phyllis’ designs.

Geraldine Chaplin’s pale pink suit, fur hat and muff was one of the most exquisite outfits I’d ever seen. She and Julie Christie were these amazingly dressed women, even when Julie was dressed in a simple wool coat. And, of course, Omar Sharif was completely dashing.

At that age I had no real understanding of the skill, determination and effort required to achieve those epic costumes. I often wonder if Phyllis realised the scale of the production while shooting, and understood that they were making what would become one of the most famous films of all time. It was only when

12

I started to work in films myself that I began to truly understand the scale of what she’d achieved, and she became even more of an inspiration to me.

I was very lucky to work for Phyllis on Much Ado About Nothing, where I had the chance to translate her ideas into reality by making the actresses’ costumes. Watching her designs evolve was a fantastic experience and I learnt an incredible amount from her. I feel very honoured to have had the chance to work with her.

Stephanie Collie was costume designer on such films as Lock, Stock And Two Smoking Barrels, Layer Cake and Fifty Dead Men Walking

A BAFTA TRIBUTE

MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING (1993)

LEFT & OPPOSITE PAGE: DOCTOR ZHIVAGO (1965)

PHYLLIS DALTON MBE

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FILMOGRAPHY (SELECT) 1993 1991 1989 1988 1987 1984 1982 1980 1980 1979 1979 1978 1978 1977 1976 1973 1970 1968 1965 1965 1962 1961 1960 1959 1959 1958 1957 1956 1955 1953 1951 1951

Much Ado About Nothing Dead Again Henry V Stealing Heaven The Princess Bride A Private Function The Scarlet Pimpernel (TV MOVIE) The Mirror Crack’d The Awakening Eagle’s Wing The Spaceman And King Arthur The Greek Tycoon The Water Babies The Message Voyage Of The Damned The Hireling Fragment Of Fear Oliver!

Doctor Zhivago Lord Jim Lawrence Of Arabia Fury At Smugglers’ Bay The World Of Suzie Wong Our Man In Havana John Paul Jones Carve Her Name With Pride Island In The Sun Zarak Passage Home Rob Roy: The Highland Rogue Circle Of Danger The Dark Man

THE SCARLET PIMPERNEL (1982) 14

LORD JIM (1965)

HENRY V (1989)

THE MIRROR CR ACK'D (1980)

AWARDS BAFTA WINS 1974 The Hireling BAFTA NOMINATIONS 1994 Much Ado About Nothing 1989 Henry V 1969 Oliver!

ACADEMY AWARD WINS 1990 Henry V 1966 Doctor Zhivago ACADEMY AWARD NOMINATIONS 1969 Oliver!

OTHER 1987 Saturn Award (The Princess Bride) 1983 Primetime Emmy Award (The Scarlet Pimpernel)

OLIVER! (1968)

JOHN PAUL JONES (1959) A BAFTA TRIBUTE

PHYLLIS DALTON MBE

THE PRINCESS BRIDE (1987) 15

WITH SPECIAL THANKS Phyllis Dalton mbe Christopher Barton

THANKS The Academy Circle Jo Banham Margeaux Britz Helen Filmer Tessa Glover Paria Kamyab Keith Lodwick John Maloney Maggie Rodford Alexandra Thompson Victoria and Albert Museum Imagery courtesy of Phyllis Dalton mbe; BFI Stills Library; Doctor Zhivago © 2012 Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. All Rights Reserved; The Message © 2012 Anchor Bay Entertainment (UK) Ltd.

CONTRIBUTORS Colleen Atwood Sir Kenneth Branagh Stephanie Collie Sir Tom Courtenay Julie Christie Patrick Doyle Peter Egan Jane Hamilton Julie Harris Deborah Nadoolman Landis Mark Lester Miriam Margolyes Stephen Miles Michael Palin David Parfitt Anthony Powell Michael O’Connor Omar Sharif

EVENT PRODUCTION Event Host Matthew Sweet Event Producer Cassandra Neal Film Programme Manager Tricia Tuttle Event Coordinator Julia Carruthers Head of Learning & Events Tim Hunter Production Assistant Michael Leader Webcast Director David Coleman Webcast Production Manager Ryan Doherty Brochure Editor Toby Weidmann Brochure Design Adam Tuck BAFTA Photography Director Janette Dalley

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