L'Italo-Americano

L'Italo-Americano THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 2017 www.italoamericano.org 4 P erhaps it's not fortu- itous that Oscar win- ner costume designer Gabriella Pescucci - from Ros ignano Marittimo, a small town in the Province of Livorno, Tuscany – was first mentored by legendary Piero Tosi - from Sesto Fiorenti- no, municipality in the Metropol- itan City of Florence - who has collected a total of five Oscar nominations and a honorary Academy Award in 2014. From Tosi, Gabriella surely absorbed an outstanding accura- cy in historical reconstruction through carefully documented costumes, able to convey the grandeur and decadence of cer- tain eras. Ever since Pescucci's initia- tion to cinema as Tosi's assistant costume designer in Pasolini's Medea (1969) – although she had officially debuted as set dec- orator in Gianni Puccini's The Attic (1963) – it was clear as day that she would have followed a path paved with successes. And what a career she has had so far: three Academy Awards nominations, including her win in 1994 for Martin Scorsese's T he Age of Innocence, tw o BAFTA Awards, two David di D onatello A w ards , plus tw o P rimetime Emmy A w ards , respectively in 2011 and 2013, for her work in the TV series The Borgias, and other countless recognitions. Gabriella Pescucci's fruitful collaboration with such visionary directors as Terry Gilliam and Tim Burton – for both of which she designed Oscar nominated costumes, respectively in The Adventur es of Bar on Mun- chausen (1988) and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005) – has shown us how she is totally at ease not only when she needs to realistically recreate a histori- cal period's ambience, but also when she has to rely on fantasy to create odd, whimsical charac- ters' outfits, essential to build never before seen worlds. How did you develop your passion for costume design? Y ou s et off you r aw es ome career assisting some great cos- tume designers, above all oth- ers Piero Tos i (a five-time Academy Awards nominee and 2014 Honorary Oscar recipi- ent). What did you learn from him? Since I was a teenager, I was alw ays interes ted in antique clothes and very often looking at old photographs. I also had a passion for drawing and it came very easy to combine both those interests. I have been very lucky to meet and work with such talent- ed people. Piero Tosi is still a very good friend of mine and I still love to listen to his advice and suggestions. For me, he is a teacher in life as well as work. Between 1963 and 1982, you worked in Italian film produc- tions alongside prime filmmak- ers , th e lik es of Pier Paolo Pas olin i, Fran ces co R os i, Lu ch in o V is con ti, Lilian a C avan i, Giu s ep p e Patron i Griffi, Federico Fellini, and Ettore Scola. Could you share with us some memories from those years? Those were really great years. Italy was full of very talented people and good creative ener- gies. I was very lucky to meet and work with many of them. They became part of my cultural baggage and played a major part in my personal growth. With Sergio Leone's Once U pon A Time in Amer i- ca (1984), you debuted in an international, US and Italian co-production. How was work- ing alongside North American stars, the likes of Robert De Niro, Joe Pesci, and James Woods?  That is one of my favorite films and, for sure, it is still a great movie. Working with such an important cast I felt a bit intimidated, but I did my utmost and always worked very closely with Sergio Leone, a great artist and a wonderful man with an uncommon sensibility. In 1986, you designed the cos tu mes for Jean -Jacq u es A n n au d 's  Th e N ame of th e Rose, based on the namesake Umberto Eco's novel. Last fall, you were asked to join a dis- cussion and screening of that film, held at UCLA Depart- ment of Italian, in memory of late lamented Eco. How was the homage? Did you have the chance to meet Eco in person? How was working at the film? U nfortunately, las t fall I couldn't attend that important event, because I had conflicting schedules. Umberto Eco was a great man, highly educated and ironic, as well as a unique intel- lectual. I remember very well the hard work we devoted to breaking down all the costumes for that movie. Most of the fabrics we used were handwoven, hand- dyed and then everything was hand-sewn and broken down. I got my main inspiration from the paintings of Alberto Burri. Before receiving an Acade- my-award in 1994 for your cos tu mes in Martin S cors - ese's The Age of Innocence, you obtained your first Oscar nom- ination for Terry Gilliam's The Adven tu r es of Bar on M u n - chausen (1988). Period cos- tumes or fantasy ones: which of them do you feel more con- genial to you? I love both genres. I think that "fantasy" must always come from a great knowledge as this is the only way you can mix things and are allowed to do mistakes. I like experimenting w ith materials by interweaving and embroidering. I think that with a simple cloth you can make a princess-like tunic. On the other hand, every time the director wants to recreate an historic vision, all the details, such as buttons, embroideries, pleads are fundamental. Some- times the most difficult aspect is to adapt an old costume to a con- temporary body s tructure because the proportions and the volumes are very different. Working alongside Scors- ese, you earned the maximum recognition in your career so far. How did you end up work- ing for Martin? Was there a special chemistry with him on set? I was very lucky to work with such a brilliant artist as Martin, and it was a great pleasure. As it happens often with very smart and talented directors, he had very clear ideas on w hat he wanted to achieve and had very precise requests. The colors of the costumes, especially those of the ladies, were very important to him. He used to always check that the cos tumes w ould match the descriptions in the book, from which the film was being adapt- ed. I n 2006, you received a third Oscar nomination for Tim Burton's Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Did Tim give you carte blanche? What did inspire you to create those unique, odd costumes? I don't think that any director ever gives carte blanche. We are working for them in order to help them tell their stories. Every sin- gle movie is always the result of the work of a team of talents. Tim helped me finding inspi- ration looking at his sketches and references. That was another great experience with another great director. A lon gs id e you r w ork in films, you designed the cos- tumes for operas, notably La Traviata at La Scala, Un Ballo in Maschera at the Kennedy Centre in Washington D.C., and La Bohème in Florence. How is your way of working affected by such different art forms? When working for theater you always need to keep in mind that there is a considerable distance from the stage to the audience. Sometimes I forget about this and I take too much care of details which will never be seen. However, if that performance is being recorded for TV, then it is not a waste. In conclusion, what are you working on right now? Is there a filmmaker you admire very mu ch an d h aven 't h ad th e chance to work with, yet? Currently I am working with director Michael Hoffman - with whom I've already worked in his Shakespearean adaptation of A Mids um m er Night's D r eam (1999) - on Gore, a film about a short segment of US author Gore Vidal's life. The directors whom I admire and I would like to work with are so many, that I cannot pick just one… Oscar winner costume designer Gabriella Pescucci on Fantasy and Realism NEWS & FEATURES TOP STORIES PEOPLE EVENTS Oscar winner Gabriella Pescucci started her career as an assistant to Piero Tosi in Pasolini's Medea VALERIO VIALE

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