Lauren Hadley, Costume Critique

As I was thinking of a production I could watch this weekend for my Costume Critique, I wanted to watch something which was more magical, and whimsical. Immediately, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory came to mind. As I was searching on the web, finding out who the costume designer was for the 2005 production of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, was a little harder than the past productions I have critiqued. The costume designer was, Gabriella Pescucci. 

Pescucci was born in Tuscany, Italy, in 1941 and did not start her career as a costume designer but as an assistant to another film worker. She has been the costume designer for many famous directors, such as Tim Burton and Martin Scorsese. For her work in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, alone, Pescucci was nominated for four awards and won the Nastro d’Argento award. In 1993, Pescucci even won an Oscar for the film, The Age of Innocence. Througout her live time, Pescucci has work in almost 60 productions. 

I think that Pescucci’s vision for the costumes for this production were spot on. I really like how she did not merely replicate the costume designs from the previous, 1971 production of Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. Instead, she took those designs and modernized them and made them more realistic. What was most interesting to me about her specific work on Charlie and the Chocolate factory, is that each character, whether a main character or a supporting one, has their own unique look. Each of the children’s outfits who come to visit the Chocolate Factory are a perfect expression of their personalities. For example, Violet Beauregarde, the gum-chewer, wears a tracksuit which fits her competitive ways and Veruca Salt, the rich daddy’s-girl who gets everything she wants, wears a dress with a matching fur coat. From my observation, it looks like Pescucci took time and energy working on each individual character, no matter the importance of their role. 

I especially like Willy Wonka’s wardrobe, who was played by the talented Johnny Deep. In the book, Willy “Wonka is described by Roald Dahl as having a goatee and "marvelously" bright eyes, high and "flutey" voice, a face "alight of fun and laughter" and quick little jerky movements "like a squirrel". He is enthusiastic, talkative, and friendly.” I think Pescucci did a wonderful job in creating Willy Wonka’s iconic look. In the 2005 production, Willy Wonka wears what looks like to be deep red, velour, striped coat with fringe along the edges. The coat is accompanied by a black, shiny, tall, top hat, grey, skin tight gloves, and a very unique can with a lot of details. I like how Willy Wonka’s look was not trendy or seen before, it was unique and fit his eccentric personality perfectly. 

I too liked how Pescucci portrayed

the Oompa Loompas. In the 1971 production of Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, the Oompa Loompas looked unrealistic. Their skin was bright orange, hair was green, and their hips pointed out too far. Whereas, in the 2005 production, the Oompa Loompas appeared to be more futuristic as they wore red, plastic, jumpsuits.