A Study of the Costumes and Make-up in the Movie "Anna Karenina"

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to establish how main characters' mental states are expressed through costumes and makeup by understanding and analyzing the relationship between the costumes and the makeup in the movie "Anna Karenina" and to compare the 19th century Russian costumes. The study methods are a literature review and an empirical case study. The results are as follows. First, the costumes in "Anna Karenina" are a mixture of late crinoline and early bustle style in general. However, the costumes were altered after the actress's movements and acting were considered. Regarding colors, Anna wears a lavender robe as the virtuous wife, a wine-colored robe for love and death, and a white robe for innocence, thus reflecting her mental states; through the colors, her changes of mental state are expressed. Second, the costumes of Alexei Vronsky, are similar in style and colors to those of mid-late 19th century Russian military uniforms. White, blue and black costume colors are used to describe his situations and emotional changes. Third, Alexei Karenin wears 19th century costumes of dark and achromatic colors without decorations, representing his conservative, authoritative character. However, he showshis rage with a wine and red-colored costume at the end of the movie. Fourth, regarding the makeup in the movie, Anna wears makeup of a soft pink-gold color influenced by 19th century naturalism. Male characters express their characteristics with their beards and hair styles. Vronsky's Hollywood mustaches and wavy blonde hair show his charm, and Karenin's chin curtain beard and bald head reveal his conservative character. The costumes of the three main characters in the movie are not very different from 19th century style in general, but mental states and situations are expressed through accessories, and colors maximize all of the effects. Through this research, it is illustrated that the costumes and makeup in a movie can not only express characters' emotional changes but also show the relationships between the characters in different scenes.