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Publicity still from The Thomas Crown Affair. Courtesy of MGM Media Licensing / Core collection, Margaret Herrick Library, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences

EXHIBITION

PERSOL MAGNIFICENT OBSESSIONS: 30 stories of craftsmanship in film (2013)

Jul 11 — Nov 11, 2013

The third and final installation in a series of three exhibitions, PERSOL MAGNIFICENT OBSESSIONS: 30 stories of craftsmanship in film, uncovers ten powerful stories of obsessive workmanship within filmmaking. It offers a unique opportunity to view rarely seen artifacts from acclaimed films, as well as behind-the-scenes research notes, sketches, and materials used in the development process by some of the world’s best-known filmmakers.

Among the craftspeople featured are Johnny Depp, who undertook extensive research to prepare for his role as Hunter S. Thompson in Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas; Theadora Van Runkle, who created detailed illustrations to design the distinctive costumes for Bonnie and Clyde and The Thomas Crown Affair; the legendary editor/sound designer Walter Murch, who revolutionized the use of sound in film in Apocalypse Now; and Jennifer Connelly, who started making her own clothes in preparation for her part as the aspiring fashion designer Marion in Requiem for a Dream.

The exhibition also looks at the work of director Ang Lee (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon); costume designers Eiko Ishioka (Bram Stoker’s Dracula) and Julie Weiss (Frida, Twelve Monkeys); cinematographer Sławomir Idziak (Three Colors: Blue); production designer Jeannine Oppewall (Catch Me If You Can), and director Spike Jonze / screenwriter Charlie Kaufman (Being John Malkovich).

Guest curator: Michael Connor.

For more information about Persol, visit persol.com.

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