A BAFTA TRIBUTE TO

PHYLLISDALTON 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.

LAWRENCE OF ARABIA (1962) A BAFTA TRIBUTE

PHYLLIS DALTON MBE 3

OVERVIEW by Matthew Sweet

! "!#$ %&!'( 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 )*(.

That world has been up on the big screen since the early +,-.s. We first glimpsed it in The Dark Man (+,-+), 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 (+,,/), she told stories in linen and leather and tulle.

She materialised fairy tale fantasy in The Princess Bride (+,01) – 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 (+,-/). She used a dirty fur-collared jacket to emphasise the bright blondness of Virginia McKenna’s hair in Carve Her Name With Pride (+,-0), lending a strange, cold glamour to the act of machine-gunning the Nazis. She won a BAFTA for her incredible work on Alan Bridges’ The Hireling (+,1/), and was nominated for three others (Much Ado About Nothing, Henry V [+,0,] and Oliver! [+,20]).

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

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 (+,2-), and perhaps, in particular, for the over-confected satin gown in which Julie Christie’s Lara makes discomfiting submission to Rod Steiger’s Viktor.

Dalton’s work on Lawrence Of Arabia (+,23), 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 e4ects 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

4 A BAFTA TRIBUTE

that that sort of job existed, or that I might be able to do it, until I actually got a job in films.

What makes a good costume designer?I’ve joked sometimes that diplomacy is ,. per cent of the job, but it actually is a big part.

To be a good costume designer, I also think you also have to be a strong organiser, as well as having the artistic side, particularly to dress a film. Very few people have an even balance of those two skills.

The thing is, costume design is not so much about designing clothes, it’s about getting a costume together and making the characters look real. They should look right. One of the

most important things about the job is that no one should really notice the costumes, unless it’s a film about fashion, of course, where you’re supposed to notice the spectacular costumes. It’s a bit of a backhanded compliment really. But most films are about watching people who hopefully look real. When we did Lawrence Of Arabia, most people thought that all the Arabs were wearing their own clothes. In fact, every

What drew you to a career in costume design?I was at the Ealing School of Art during the early part of the war, and when I left I got a job in a costumiers in London – it just so happened that they were making costumes for Laurence Oliver’s Henry V at the time. Then, in +,55, I joined the Wrens [Women’s Royal Naval Service], so I was at Bletchley Park for a couple of years.

When we were demobbed [in +,52], I entered a competition through my godmother – Vogue ran a fashion journalism competition in those days. I didn’t win a prize but I came quite high up, and they o4ered to help find me a job. The Vogue editor at the time, Audrey Withers, gave me an introduction to the queen bee costume designer at the old Gainsborough Studios and I started as an assistant at the Islington studios.

I was always inspired by film in general. I was always aware of the costumes in them. As far back as I can remember I knew names like Edith Head and all the great Hollywood costume designers. But I don’t think I realised

AN INTERVIEW WITH PHYLLIS DALTON MBE

"COSTUME DESIGN IS NOT SO MUCH ABOUT DESIGNING CLOTHES,

IT'S ABOUT MAKING THE CHARACTERS LOOK REAL."

LAWRENCE OF ARABIA (1962)

PHYLLIS DALTON MBE 5PHYLLIS DALTON MBE 5

HENRY V (1989)

6 A BAFTA TRIBUTE

single Arab wore designed costumes – we had +. 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 3. 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

OLIVER! (1968)

DOCTOR ZHIVAGO (1965)

6

PHYLLIS DALTON MBE 7

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.

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 3/ November 3.+3 [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 di6cult 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.

JOHN PAUL JONES (1959)

THE HIRELING (1973)

LAWRENCE OF ARABIA (1962)

8 A BAFTA TRIBUTE

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 di4erentiate 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 sti4ness 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 /" and The Eagle

LAWRENCE OF ARABIA (1962)

PHYLLIS DALTON MBE 9

10 A BAFTA TRIBUTE

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

COLLEEN ATWOOD

DOCTOR ZHIVAGO (1965)

PHYLLIS DALTON MBE 11

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, +,11], filmed over a long period in north Africa. It was complicated by being shot in two languages, and largely with two di4erent 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

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

STEPHEN MILES

THE MESSAGE (1977)

12 A BAFTA TRIBUTE

I was +2 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 mu4 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 e4ort 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

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

STEPHANIE COLLIE

PHYLLIS DALTON MBE 13

MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING (1993)

LEFT & OPPOSITE PAGE: DOCTOR ZHIVAGO (1965)

14 A BAFTA TRIBUTE

1993 Much Ado About Nothing1991 Dead Again1989 Henry V1988 Stealing Heaven1987 The Princess Bride1984 A Private Function1982 The Scarlet Pimpernel (TV MOVIE)

1980 The Mirror Crack’d1980 The Awakening1979 Eagle’s Wing1979 The Spaceman And King Arthur1978 The Greek Tycoon1978 The Water Babies1977 The Message1976 Voyage Of The Damned1973 The Hireling1970 Fragment Of Fear1968 Oliver!1965 Doctor Zhivago1965 Lord Jim1962 Lawrence Of Arabia1961 Fury At Smugglers’ Bay1960 The World Of Suzie Wong1959 Our Man In Havana1959 John Paul Jones1958 Carve Her Name With Pride1957 Island In The Sun1956 Zarak1955 Passage Home1953 Rob Roy: The Highland Rogue1951 Circle Of Danger1951 The Dark Man

FILMOGRAPHY (SELECT)

BAFTA WINS+,15 The Hireling

BAFTA NOMINATIONS+,,5 Much Ado About Nothing+,0, Henry V+,2, Oliver!

ACADEMY AWARD WINS+,,. Henry V+,22 Doctor Zhivago

ACADEMY AWARD NOMINATIONS+,2, Oliver!

OTHER+,01 Saturn Award (The Princess Bride)+,0/ Primetime Emmy Award

(The Scarlet Pimpernel)

AWARDS

THE SCARLET PIMPERNEL (1982) LORD JIM (1965) OLIVER! (1968)

HENRY V (1989)

JOHN PAUL JONES (1959)

THE MIRROR CRACK'D (1980)

PHYLLIS DALTON MBE 15PHYLLIS DALTON MBE THE PRINCESS BRIDE (1987)

WITH SPECIAL THANKS

Phyllis Dalton )*(Christopher Barton

THANKS

The Academy CircleJo BanhamMargeaux BritzHelen FilmerTessa GloverParia KamyabKeith LodwickJohn MaloneyMaggie RodfordAlexandra ThompsonVictoria and Albert Museum

Imagery courtesy of Phyllis Dalton )*(; BFI Stills Library; Doctor Zhivago © 3.+3 Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. All Rights Reserved; The Message © 3.+3 Anchor Bay Entertainment (UK) Ltd.

CONTRIBUTORS

Colleen AtwoodSir Kenneth BranaghStephanie CollieSir Tom CourtenayJulie ChristiePatrick DoylePeter EganJane HamiltonJulie HarrisDeborah Nadoolman LandisMark LesterMiriam MargolyesStephen MilesMichael PalinDavid ParfittAnthony PowellMichael O’ConnorOmar Sharif

EVENT PRODUCTION

Event Host Matthew SweetEvent Producer Cassandra NealFilm Programme Manager Tricia TuttleEvent Coordinator Julia CarruthersHead of Learning & Events Tim HunterProduction Assistant Michael LeaderWebcast Director David ColemanWebcast Production Manager Ryan DohertyBrochure Editor Toby WeidmannBrochure Design Adam TuckBAFTA Photography Director Janette Dalley

The Academy chooses think7, supporting excellence in print. Publication printed on think7 Bright +1.g/m8. Supplied by Howard Smith Paper Group. www.hspg.com