Peter Cushing as Lorrimer Van Helsing in Dracula A.D. 1972 (1972)
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Peter Cushing as Professor Lorrimer Van Helsing, occult researcher and descendant of the famous vampire hunter
London, Fall 1972… A.D. 1972, that is
Film:Dracula A.D. 1972 Release Date: September 28, 1972 Director: Alan Gibson Wardrobe Supervisor: Rosemary Burrows
Background
Just days away from Halloween, today’s post responds to a request received earlier this year from BAMF Style reader Alan, who suggested the “extremely cheesy and, at times, ridiculous” Hammer production Dracula A.D. 1972, starring horror maestros and real-life pals Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing reprising their usual roles as Count Dracula and Van Helsing, respectively.
Brad Pitt as Gerry Lane, former United Nations investigator-turned-zombie fighter
Cardiff, Wales, Fall 2012
Film:World War Z Release Date: June 21, 2013 Director: Marc Forster Costume Designer: Mayes C. Rubeo
WARNING! Spoilers ahead!
Background
With the world under siege by a rapidly spreading virus, the need for a vaccine grows more desperate each day… and only Brad Pitt can save us.
Until that last line, you may have thought I was beginning an essay on life in 2020 (and who knows, maybe the star somehow will become a crucial figure in discovering a vaccine!) World War Z may be the perfect movie to watch during the Halloween season this year, tapping into this year’s zeitgiest of viruses and vaccines dominating headlines.
Peter Ustinov as Hercule Poirot in Death on the Nile (1978)
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Peter Ustinov as Hercule Poirot, eccentric Belgian detective
Egypt, September 1937
Film:Death on the Nile Release Date: September 29, 1978 Director: John Guillermin Costume Designer: Anthony Powell
Background
In his adaptation of perhaps the best-known Hercule Poirot mystery from Agatha Christie’s prolific canon, Kenneth Branagh all but confirmed at the end of Murder on the Orient Express that his follow-up film would find the fussy Belgian detective solving a murder “right on the bloody Nile!”
Indeed, just weeks after Murder on the Orient Express was released in November 2017, it was officially announced that Death on the Nile would be entering production as the third major adaptation of Christie’s 1937 novel. Even after the intended December 2019 release was postponed to October 9, 2020, Death on the Nile joined the ranks of films like The Many Saints of Newark, No Time to Die, and Tenet whose release dates were delayed by the coronavirus pandemic. The October date was optimistically shifted forward two weeks to October 23 (today!) before the perhaps more realistic release date of December 18 was announced.
Of course, Christie fans looking to get their Nile fix have long had a very watchable solution available with the 1978 adaptation of Death on the Nile, the first of six films to star two-time Academy Award winner Peter Ustinov as the detail-oriented detective.
Charles Bronson as Paul Kersey in Death Wish (1974)
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Charles Bronson as Paul Kersey, architect and soon-to-be vigilante
Tucson, Arizona, and New York City, Winter 1974
Film: Death Wish Release Date: July 24, 1974 Director: Michael Winner Costume Designer: Joseph G. Aulisi
WARNING! Spoilers ahead!
Background
After a wave of films celebrating outlaws during the counterculture era of the late ’60s (i.e. Bonnie and Clyde and Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid), an opposing wave crashed through American cinema at the start of the following decade, centered around a philosophy of vigilantism. The trend arguably kicked into high gear with Clint Eastwood’s renegade detective in Dirty Harry who despised the proverbial red tape preventing him from bringing deadly criminals to justice with his famed .44 Magnum. Within five years, Martin Scorsese had already evolved the focus from an endorsement of vigilantism into a cautionary tale with the release of Taxi Driver. Before the troubled Travis Bickle took it upon himself to “wash all this scum off the streets” of New York City, there was Paul Kersey.
John Slattery as Roger Sterling on Mad Men (Episode 7.14: “Person to Person”)
Vitals
John Slattery as Roger Sterling, aging ad man
New York City, Fall 1970
Series:Mad Men Episode: “Person to Person” (Episode 7.14) Air Date: May 17, 2015 Director: Matthew Weiner Creator: Matthew Weiner Costume Designer: Janie Bryant
WARNING! Spoilers ahead!
Background
Mad Men style typically evokes thoughts of men in sleek, ’60s-cut business suits, raising a glass of whiskey behind a veil of Lucky Strike smoke while juggling accounts and affairs. Of course, even a Madison Avenue man dresses down on the weekends.
Ray Liotta as Henry Hill, imprisoned New York mob associate
United States Penitentiary, Lewisburg, Fall 1975
Film:Goodfellas Release Date: September 19, 1990 Director: Martin Scorsese Costume Designer: Richard Bruno
Background
As an Italian-American with no known organized crime affiliations, I was always drawn to Goodfellas for how much I could resonate with the prominence of food—particularly Italian food—throughout my life, such as large family dinners with heaping portions of delicious pasta, sauce, and meats, usually with Dean Martin or Tony Bennett crooning from the hi-fi in the corner. In the spirit of that most relatable element from my favorite movie, I wish you all a Happy National Pasta Day! (And for those outside the United States, let’s all come together to celebrate World Pasta Day a week from now on October 25.)
Last month, as I was rounding up my 30 favorite style moments for Goodfellas‘ 30th anniversary, I realized it had been almost four years since I last explored any of Ray Liotta’s mobbed-up threads as famous turncoat Henry Hill. When I saw back-to-back celebrations of the Italian culinary tradition in October, I knew it was time to explore one of the most famous scenes from Martin Scorsese’s magnum opus.
Jon Hamm as Don Draper in a promotional photo for season 6 of Mad Men
BAMF Style readers are well aware of my fandom for Mad Men and—in particular—the series’ magnificent 1960s style by costume designer Janie Bryant (who, if I’m not mistaken, is celebrating her birthday today!)
While I’ll still plan on covering individual outfits from the show’s central characters, I thought a helpful resource for readers and fans of the series could be a comprehensive portfolio detailing all the suits, sport jackets, and casual attire worn by Don Draper (Jon Hamm), the enigmatic ad man at the show’s center. (Yes, GQ already did something like this… however, I wanted to take my own approach!)
One goal of the project: to discern just how many different suits Mr. Draper cycled through during the series’ run. My current documentation suggests around 90 suits, but time—and the completion of this project—will tell!
To keep this project particularly useful, I’ve chosen to forego including Draper’s pajamas and I’m not considering adding a raincoat, removing a tie, or any other outfit modifications to be a separate look. If you’re curious about what else Don wore with the outfit, feel free to comment, reach out, or look for a separate BAMF Style post exploring the outfit in more detail!
So far, the page is complete through the end of the first season as I want to make sure the chosen format is agreeable to BAMF Style users. Depending on the feedback I receive, I may retool a bit (to the best of my rather limited abilities!) before continuing on, but the goal is to have all seven seasons of Don’s Mad menswear chronicled by the end of 2020.
Happy reading, and please let me know what you think—I’m open to any feedback!
Roger Moore as James Bond, British government agent
India, Spring 1983
Film:Octopussy Release Date: June 6, 1983 Director: John Glen Costume Designer: Emma Porteous
WARNING! Spoilers ahead!
Background
Born 93 years ago today on October 14, 1927, the great Sir Roger Moore continues to hold the record for the number of films in which he starred as James Bond, playing agent 007 a total of 00-7 times. (Sean Connery also played Bond seven times, though 1983’s Never Say Never Again is considered “unofficial” as it wasn’t made by EON Productions.) In anticipation of Daniel Craig’s final 007 movie No Time to Die—its release yet again delayed for another six months—let’s explore an exciting climactic scene from Sir Roger’s penultimate film as James Bond. Continue reading →
Robert Forster as Max Cherry in Jackie Brown (1997)
Vitals
Robert Forster as Max Cherry, reliable bail bondsman
Los Angeles, Summer 1995
Film:Jackie Brown Release Date: December 25, 1997 Director: Quentin Tarantino Costume Designer: Mary Claire Hannan
WARNING! Spoilers ahead!
Background
One year ago today, the great Robert Forster died at the age of 78 after more than a half-century in movies and TV, perhaps best known for his roles in Medium Cool, Jackie Brown, Mulholland Drive, and most recently as taciturn “disappearer” Ed on Breaking Bad.
Though he’d been acting for three decades, it wasn’t until Jackie Brown that Forster gained widespread recognition with his Academy Award-nominated performance, establishing both Forster and Max Cherry as the latest beneficiaries of the “Tarantino effect” that had renewed the careers of actors like Harvey Keitel and John Travolta after their turns in QT-directed films.
Jackie Brown remains the rare Tarantino joint adapted from another writer’s source material, in this case the novel Rum Punch by prolific crime author Elmore Leonard, who was born 95 years ago today on October 11, 1925.
Matt Damon as Jason Bourne/David Webb, amnesiac ex-CIA assassin
Athens, Berlin, London, and Las Vegas, Fall 2015
Film: Jason Bourne Release Date: July 11, 2016 Director: Paul Greengrass Costume Designer: Mark Bridges
WARNING! Spoilers ahead!
Background
Happy 50th birthday, Matt Damon! Nearly 15 years after the actor first kicked cinematic ass as the amnesiac assassin, Damon again stepped into Jason Bourne’s globe-trotting boots for one more installment of the spy franchise extolled for its relative realism, intriguing narrative, and expertly choreographed fight scenes.
