and otherness are emphasized by his costume and
makeup. Other characters’ traits, such as conform-
ity, sexual neediness, and brutality are also por-
trayed through makeup and costume.
Two movies with brilliant costumes created for
memorable actors impersonating other celebrities
are Gus Van Sant’s To Die For (1995; costume
designer: Beatrix Aruna Pasztor), in which Nicole
Kidman plays a delusional, driven “dumb blond”
(almost a Marilyn Monroe imitation) who wants
more than anything to be a TV star. Her costumes—
pastel outfits that make her seem cute and cuddly—
represent her vision of herself, but in fact she is a
scheming backstabber who will do anything to get190 CHAPTER 5 MISE-EN-SCÈNE
1 23 4The importance of costume design in Alice in
Wonderland Tim Burton’s adaptation of the classic story
Alice in Wonderland(2010) is rendered with live action and
computer-animated characters, all wearing whimsical
costumes. John Tenniel’s original drawings for Lewis Carroll’s
Alice’s Adventures in Wonderlandand Through the Looking
Glasswere in black and white, but Burton’s conception is in
full, rich color, very much in the tradition of his other highly
imaginative movies, including Edward Scissorhands(1990)
and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory(2005). Colleen
Atwood won an Oscar for her design of the costumes,
including those of the principal characters: [1] the Red Queen
(Helena Bonham Carter), [2] the White Rabbit (voiced by
Michael Sheen), [3] the Mad Hatter (Johnny Depp) and Alice
(Mia Wasikowska), and [4] the White Queen (Anne Hathaway).
Each of these costumes reinforces the uniqueness of the
characters for whom they were created. But even costumes
as good as these cannot exist by themselves. They are part
of the film’s larger world, particularly its overall production
design (by Robert Stromberg) and the decoration of its sets
(by Karen O’Hara). Both Stromberg and O’Hara also won
Oscars for their achievements.