A breezy summer dress from the age of Dillinger. This photo was shared with the researchers for Public Enemies.

I love period films and the details, in my opinion, are what make them shine. Shooting on location and paying attention to the setting can bring astonishing authenticity to a movie based on real events, or on a particular era in history. But maybe the most crucial aspect of period films are the clothes.

Today another in a long line of period films set in Gangland-era Chicago opens nation-wide: Public Enemies, a film about the legendary criminal John Dillinger. Dillinger, played here by Johnny Depp, was a bank robber during the Great Depression who was famous for his charisma and daring ways. But it was his death that catapulted Dillinger into the realm of legend; he was killed during a shoot-out with the FBI in the alley behind the Biograph Theater on Lincoln Avenue. The movie is an opportunity to re-create an infamous moment in Chicago’s life. The film’s production crew wanted to get it right—so they came to us for assistance. We showed them clothing from that era, talked about which stores were popular, and paged through catalogs from Marshall Field’s. It was a fun project.

Movies like Public Enemies can be about more than fun, though. They’re like history lessons on film, if the story and scenes have been thoughtfully crafted. It will probably come as no surprise that costume dramas are my favorite genre of film. But what is it about them? What do the costumes offer the audience that enriches the story? Let’s look at three of my favorite films to see.

Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World, 2003. Directed by Peter Weir; Costume Design by Wendy Stites.

On a 19th-century British naval warship, a 12-year-old midshipman was the superior of a 40-year-old able seaman. You could see how this might get confusing, right? The chain of command was the glue that held the ship together, and the most visible and important display of rank was the uniform. The cut of a coat, one epaulette versus two, the way an officer’s hat was turned; all of these were signals to the ship’s crew. Master and Commander is a rich example of the intricacies of that life.

The Red Violin, 1998. Directed by François Girard; Costume Design by Renée April.

The star of this film is actually the Red Violin itself, and serves as the thread that binds this tale together. The story follows the violin from its creation in 17th-century Italy to modern-day Montreal, with stops along the way in Vienna, Oxford, and Shanghai—which allows the costume department to really pull out all the stops and have some fun. The beauty of this film is in its diversity. Each snippet of the violin’s journey is captured with detailed costumes from that moment in time. At the end, I felt a little like I’d been around the world, too.

Pride and Prejudice, 2005. Directed by Joe Wright; Costume Design by Jacqueline Durran.

What I love about this film is that the viewer is really seeing the complexity of a single moment in time. Not everyone is wearing the same fashions. The younger ladies are all clad in what we would consider the norm for a Jane Austen film: Regency dresses with cap sleeves, empire waists, and Grecian draping. But Mrs. Bennet and Lady Catherine de Bourg adhere to the fashions of their own generation, wearing late-18th-century gowns with tightly-laced bodices, full skirts, and elbow-length sleeves. The result is a glimpse into what feels like the real world of Darcy and Elizabeth.

So that’s my three cents. How about you? What are your favorite costume dramas?

> Learn about the history of film making in Chicago

Tags: Costume, Dillinger, Films, Gangland, Meghan Smith, Movies, Period, Public Enemies

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