Smithsonian | Clothes on Film

Chances are you have not seen Snowpiercer yet due to its limited availability and release fiasco. If so, skip this interview and watch the film first. Go in clean, because Snowpiercer really is as good as everyone’s telling you. Based on the French graphic novel Le Transperceneige, it is essentially a dark (often literally) sci-fi thriller about a perpetual motion train carrying the last remnants of society after a global ice age. Themes of cruelty, disparity and sacrifice abound, and strong, sometimes horrific visual references bombard the screen. The exceptional costume design by Catherine George ties all this together in a way that is readable and indicative, yet never threatens…

The most memorable musical number ever captured on film, and Ginger Rogers’ dress contributes to this greatly.

Entertainment curator at the Smithsonian, Dwight Blocker Bowers, speaks about popular exhibits and why Carol Burnett wore a dress with a curtain road attached.