By Edie Pope Costume Designer Assignment Part B - Deborah Nadoolman Landis

Deborah Nadoolman Landis, known professionally as Deborah Nadoolman was born in 1952 and has been working in the film industry for over 30 years.Throughout this time she has won several award such as ‘The Edith Head Award for the Advancement and Education of the Art of Costume’ and an Academy Award for her work on . She says that “The best costumes are the ones the audience never notices, because the designer has helped the director make the characters real enough so that the audience connects.”

Pathway into costume making: Deborah Nadoolman grew up in New York City and says that’s where her love of theatre and movies began, as a child she had a very active imagination, “I could always imagine people in storybooks walking around in very detailed costumes, just going about their daily lives.” After university she started her career with theatrical design, before getting a job as an assistant for the TV network NBC, but her partnership with her husband snd director is what truly brought her attention and started her career. She has worked with John, to create many of her most iconic designs for films like and The Blues Brothers.

Training: She graduated from the University of California(UCLA) in 1975, with a Master of Fine Arts in Costume Design, and also received a Ph.D in the history of design from the in London.

Contribution to industry: As well as designing many iconic costumes Deborah Nadoolman has also written many books on costume design and Hollywood such as; Dressed: A Century of Hollywood Costume Design(2007), and Hollywood Sketchbook: A Century of Costume Illustration, to name a few. She is also the founding director of David C. Copley Centre for the Study of Costume Design at UCLA, where she teaches costume design and continues to inspire new generations. “They’re so bright, so enthusiastic, have a lot of energy and are so wonderful to inspire. I learn so much from them.”

Filmography: Some of the most significant films Deborah Nadoolman has designed for include: Raiders of the Lost Ark, Coming to America, The Stupids, Twilight Zone: The Movie, An American Werewolf in London, , , ’s Thriller Video, and The Blues Brothers. She has designed costumes for people such as Michael Jackson, Eddie Murphy and . By Edie Pope

Movie: Michael Jackson’s Thriller video Date: 1983 Worn by Michael Jackson This jacket is one of the most famous and iconic costumes Deborah Nadoolman is responsible for, and was sold for 1.8 million dollars in 2011.In an interview Nadoolman said that she wanted to build out Michael’s body, and chose the colour red so he would stand out and look more ‘virile’. She put a lot of emphasis in the shape of the jacket and stated that: “The fact that he has that V, the fact that his body is a V from his navel out to the edge of his shoulders, it's graphic! It's active! There's a tension there! That combined with the colour just pulls him forward.”

Movie: An American Werewolf in London Date: 1981 Characters: Jack Goodman, David Kessler Worn by: Griffin Duane, David Naughton These costumes perfectly capture the nature of the characters; two tourists hitchhiking across the cold english moors.The jeans and same puffer jackets of alternate colours suggests that the characters a similar but different, along with their backpacks it also makes them stand out as tourists when pictured next to local community. The costume is overall pretty casual and relatable to the audience, but is also immediately recognisable to the movie. By Edie Pope

Movie: Raiders of the Lost Ark Date: 1981 Character: Indiana Jones Worn by Harrison Ford This costume was inspired by Charlton Heston’s look in ‘The Secret of Incas’. Nadoolman said the challenge was taking a costume like this, which had be seen before, and adapting it to fit a more ‘vulnerable' and ‘intellectual’ character. She said, “He’s in brown because he works in the Earth; he’s brown because he’s approachable and vulnerable.”

Movie: Coming to America Date: 1988 Character: Prince Akeem Worn by Eddie Murphy Prince Akeem is an African prince who travels to America to find a wife. He considers himself to be a very important person and his costume, particularly his gold chain and fur coat and hat, reflect that, as well as his wealth. He is wearing many layers and the over all costume appears very big and over the top, matching with his personality and giving quite a comedic effect. By Edie Pope

Movie: The Blues Brothers Date: 1980 Characters: Elwood Blues, Jake Blues Worn by: Dan Aykroyd, The look of the Blues Brothers is simple and classic. Deborah Nadoolman said she wanted to create a neat and distinguishable silhouette for both characters, who although are wearing a similar thing would contrast each other when standing side by side. “I took Belushi’s suits and made them two-button because Belushi’s so sweet.. I wanted him to look very formal… and for Dan Ackroyd I made him a three- button suit which would make him even more vertical.”

Movie: Three Amigos Date: 1986 Characters: Dusty Bottoms, Lucky Day, Ned Nederlander Worn by: Chevy Chase, Steve Martin, Martin Short These costumes are all very similar and are worn by all three protagonists, the slight changes reflecting the individuality of each character. This costume is heavily influenced by Mariachi style of clothing, which can be seen particularly in the large hats, jackets and belts and reflects the setting of the film. These characters are also quite comedic and they seem quite out of place in this ornate and elaborate costume, as though they are dressing up and in fancy dress, which is exactly what is happening in the film. By Edie Pope

Bibliography: SBS: https://www.sbs.com.au/movies/article/2013/04/23/hollywood-costume-deborah-nadoolman-landis- interview Tess Humphrys: https://tesshumphrys.co/2017/01/05/deborah-nadoolman-landis-sheffield-hallam-costume-design/ the Daily Beast: https://www.thedailybeast.com/deborah-nadoolman-made-indiana-jones-into-a-style-icon Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deborah_Nadoolman_Landis#Filmography Oscars: http://www.oscars.org/events/perfect-match-hollywood-costume-collaborations-0 Newsy: https://www.newsy.com/stories/deborah-landis-explains-michael-jackson-s-thriller-jacket/ Dark Candy: http://www.thedarkcandy.com/deborah-landis-blues-brothers/ Newsroom: http://newsroom.ucla.edu/experts/preview/54cfffc56eafb5733a006ec5/ http://newsroom.ucla.edu/experts/preview/54cfffc56eafb5733a006ec5/