Reviews for Belgrade, the White City of Death: Being the History of King Alexander and of Queen Draga

The average rating for Belgrade, the White City of Death: Being the History of King Alexander and of Queen Draga based on 2 reviews is 4.5 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2014-03-17 00:00:00 Daniel Halstead Cool look at how well various period films of the 1920s thru 80s depicted actual period fashions. Short answer - not very well if you were looking for authenticity. Made me notice things that I had overlooked such as the way hair and makeup on women usually owes more to contemporary styles than the period depicted. I know I am often ticked off at the way bustlines are rarely true to their period. Wonderful pictures of museum costumes, designer sketches and film stills. I especially liked the informative essays and the filmography which included comments on accuracy. They even included a section on futuristic fashions depicted in science fiction films.

Review # 2 was written on 2009-10-23 00:00:00 Donna M Roach This book is a great source of reference material and inspiration for any aspiring screen costume designer. I haven't read it thoroughly, but the photos (of costumes on actors and on mannequins-it is very useful to see what the garment looks like photographed simply and without any accessory and makeup styling), sketches and renderings alone make this a great resource. It includes tables of historical periods with corresponding Hollywood period films and notes on accuracy. One of the things I find most interesting about costume design for film is the way a film's interpretation of a historical period reveals much about the time in which it was made. The examples I always use to illustrate this phenomenon are the many different adaptions of Cleopatra's story. During the pre-code silent era, we had the gothy Theda Bara in a sheer Erte-esque tunic that barely hides her breasts and genitals. The 1930s Cecil B. DeMille version of Cleopatra offers Claudette Colbert with pencil line-thin brows and a body hugging floor-length evening gown typical of the era. Elizabeth Taylor's Cleopatra wears CHIFFON of all things in practically neon colors; when her hair isn't in a bouffant she's got Peggy Moffit (a mod model) bangs. This is all in this book, which also covers science fiction films: it's exciting to see the original renderings for Logan's Run,Blade Runner, and Flash Gordon. CHECK IT OUT!