All Rise...

Judge Franck Tabouring is a film buff, not a fashion guru.

The Charge

A rags-to-riches story of style.

The Case

Fashion and film definitely go hand in hand. No matter how many things on the big screen end up catching our attention, a movie's costume design always plays a certain importance in the way we perceive actors or the characters they are portraying. Produced by Starz Originals, Fashion in Film examines to what extend the worlds of fashion and film collide, offering viewers a general insight into how costumes have always transformed the look of movies.

This one-hour television documentary may not be as enlightening as you may expect, but it does successfully chronicle the history of motion picture costume design, emphasizing the fact that what stars wear onscreen often kick-starts new fashion trends. It also shows the strong involvement of costume designers in the production of a movie, thus eliminating common perceptions that dressing a cast is a quick, unimportant task.

What I particularly enjoyed in Fashion in Film were the many interviews with famed fashion designers, actors, and even directors, who share their views on the importance of costumes and how they add to the personality of a character in a movie. Brett Ratner, Amanda Bynes, Malin Akerman, Tyson Beckford, and Jean Paul Gaultier are just a few of the people featured in this documentary, each with something more or less informative to contribute to the discussion of how fashion influences film, and vice versa.

All in all, Fashion in Film is a well-produced piece filled with entertaining content, including interesting voiceover narration, plenty of interviews, and tons of clips from films such as The Devil Wears Prada, Legally Blonde, or Pirates of the Caribbean. Diehard fashionistas probably won't be blown away by this film, but for people like me, who don't know much about clothes or don't really care who is wearing what on the red carpet, this documentary provides a solid introduction to the connection between the glamorous world of haute couture and the wonderful world of filmmaking.

The disc provides a clean 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen presentation, and the image quality is sharp enough throughout. The sound fulfills its purpose quite well. The DVD does not include any special features.

Fashion in Film is not a groundbreaking documentary, but it may just make you pay more attention to the costume categories next year's Academy Awards.

The Verdict

Not guilty.

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