Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1433300
THE ARTISAN WINTER 2022 • 49 PHOTOSBYPETERMOUNTAIN/METROGOLDWYNMAYERPICTURESINCEXCEPTASNOTED Opposite page: Haley Bennett as Roxanne and Peter Dinklage as Cyrano. This page: Haley Bennett; characters from the film So we begin to suspect without a doubt that the reality was very dierent. e aristocrats suered from terrible skin diseases both for the lack of personal hygiene, indeed we could say absolutely absent hygiene, and for the excessive use of make-up and in particu- lar of the white that as said the same material as that used by paint- ers for the realization of the paintings had poisonous ingredients, among the various diseases. e most common we can undoubtedly remember is the most terrible and disguring, smallpox. To cover the scars le by smallpox some enterprising gentleman decided to use fake beauty spots, and it was immediately a great success, becom- ing all the rage. Beauty spots were made with fabrics and velvets of various and extravagant shapes until their positioning on the face created a dif- ferent meaning—a secret but not too secret message—an aesthetic born for a very dierent need. ey became a characteristic symbol of the 18th century. erefore, to create a general image closer to the reality of the time period, I had to move as far as possible from the rules of beauty and harmony suggested by the painting of the 18th century. I had to try to nd out how it really could have been. We know that mainly men, and we speak of the aristocracy, would never have le the house without make-up. It was scandalous to leave the house without a wig and make-up. e make-up had a decisive social meaning which determined the personal status and political power. We can assume that by practically never washing, they added layers upon layers of white and then the reds in a coarse way. In the end, we cannot hesitate to say that they were horrifying gargoyles, far from the glossy paintings that we are used to seeing in art galleries. Another example of how little they were interested in their own well-being is that the wigs were styled with pork lard, so mice easily built the their lairs inside the wig itself. Lice infestations created "the century of the louse," and all of this made the fortune of the perfumers who packaged small bags of perfume that the noble carried with him to cover the personal stench. While this historical social information and these anecdotes seem nothing more than scholastic research, instead they are crucial to understand entering the spirit of the century, to transport us in time, and create a real and credible image. As far as cinematography is concerned, I was inspired by only one title, Barry Lyndon, by Stanley Kubrick and in particular, the scene of the card players, an extraordinary and unique example of the aristocratic world of the 18th century. How was the make-up team on the film assembled? I called with me for this extraordinary journey the best of my team, real artists who immediately understood what I wanted to do and how I wanted to do it. I mainly wanted for the supporting roles