The costume vault

Too often we, as viewers, tend to forget the symbolic and iconic value of color and how it can create ideas only by being there. This is very relevant in paintings, but also, on film; through the set design, the cinematography and, of course, the costume design. The 1994's French adaptation of Alexandre Dumas' novel is a movie that uses that at it's fullest potential, creating a stunningly beautiful (and very well-orchestrated) spectacle of death. The movie, directed by Patrice Chéreau, is a tale of intrigue, murder and gore that centers around death itself, and so, the heavy crimsons of blood are a constant presence in the frame; from the sets to the props to the beautiful brocaded gowns. And it is color that takes center stage in the designs in order to clearly separate the two opposing factions in the narrative: Catholics and protestants. CATHOLICS The movie starts with a country divided into two factions that will eventually collide with horrifying co...