So... we're off to a great start. Sticking to my New Year's resolution is going to be a little tougher than I thought it would be. Still, better late than never. This was one of the first films I saw this year, and is certainly one of the more interesting documentaries I've seen. It using some different techniques to tell the story of Orry-Kelly, possibly Australia's most successful costume designer, working on over 300 films, including Some Like It Hot, Jezebel, Gold Diggers of 1933, and Gypsy. I'm still kinda surprised that he wasn't more well-known before this film came out. Australia has a habit of coveting famous people, and worshiping them as home grown.
The big selling point of this film is that Kelly died with a secret that he had written in his lost memoirs, and that it is only just being disclosed to the world. The problem with this is that if you know anything about Hayes era Hollywood, you can kinda guess what the secret might be. Yep, Orry-Kelly had an affair with his roommate from New York, named Archie Leach, before he moved to Hollywood and became... someone else. I don't want to give it away in case anyone doesn't know who it is. In all honesty, this whole secret thing is the weakest part of the film. It was just too obvious for me, and I thought there were more interesting aspects of Kelly's life that could have been explored more than the film did.
My favourite part of the film was when it actually talked about the films Kelly designed, and his relationship with the actresses he worked with. There were a lot of interviews with people who worked with Kelly and critics of his costumes and films (including Leonard Maltin!). There was a lot of interesting analyses of how his costumes shaped the films. This might be just because I'm a film student and I love close analysis, but I loved those interviews, and I wish there had been more of tha in the documentary. I also wish they had put subtitles at the bottom of the screen to show which clips were from which film, cause I got a little lost here and there.
Another thing that I really liked about the film was how they incorporated reenactments of Kelly's life using passages from his memoir. Actor Darren Gilshenan portrayed Kelly in these segments, and he does a really good job at bringing Kelly's own words to life. It was obviously shot on a sound stage, but that adds to the charm of these moments, and makes the film stand out from other documentaries that use flashback reenactments. It feels like you are getting the backstage story of his life and it added a lot to the film. I also liked the boat motif, and how it seemed to show Kelly adrift in his own life, and not fully knowing where he was going, that was really well done.
The documentary as a whole is a really interesting insight into someone that Australia has forgotten. And I think that after this film, Australia will reclaim Orry-Kelly as one of their own. But that being said, there were a few moments in the film that just seemed a little amateurish. There could have been more overlay, there could have been more insight into his costumes at certain times in his life, and there could have been less focus on his big secret reveal that wasn't very revealing. And why weren't there subtitles! It was a four star film, but there wasn't anything wowing me into giving it five stars.
But I would still very much recommend it! It goes in depth into the life of someone who isn't well known, which makes it stand out. It also presents it's story in an interesting way visually, and while I do have complaints, they are more nitpicks than anything else. So if you are interested, why not try and catch it at Acmi, where I believe it is showing for one more week. Or otherwise, I think it is also out on DVD.
And now, because why not, I present a list of the Orry-Kelly costumed films that I want to watch and review. They won't be coming out all at once, because I do have some other ideas for things I would like to review and lists I would like to make. But anyway, here they are, in no particular order:
- Some Like It Hot
- Gold Diggers of 1935
- Jezebel
- Sunday in New York
- Irma la Douce
- The Bride Came COD
- Now Voyager
- Too Much Too Soon
- The Dolly Sisters
- Gypsy
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