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LMGI COMPASS
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Spring 2022
These cinematic objects are dazzling, and for those seeking
a deeper experience, they serve as the point of entry into the
nuts and bolts of moviemaking and the art and craft of the
talented men and women who labor behind the scenes.
"The exhibitions aim to pull back the curtain and provide a
better understanding of the magic that we see on the screen,"
explains assistant curator Sophia Serrano. "But also place it
in a relevant context."
An in-depth presentation of The Wizard of Oz in the Art
of Moviemaking Gallery is used to illustrate how each craft
contributes to the making of a lm, using one of Hollywood's
most iconic movies as an example. Starting with casting—
did you know Shirley Temple almost played Dorothy?—and
following every step of the process from the art department's
sketches of Munchkinland, the wardrobe department's
prototypes for Dorothy's gingham blue and white dress, the
travails of the music department ghting to keep the song
"Somewhere Over the Rainbow" in the nal cut, through
the editing process, to the details of its publicity campaign.
Yet it does not shy away from documenting accounts of
how a young Judy Garland and the actors who played the
Munchkins were mistreated by the studio.
This kind of commentary is embedded in many of the
exhibits. The dramatic two-story backdrop of Mount
Rushmore used in Alfred Hitchcock's North by Northwest
showcases this singular art form and considers the
controversy surrounding this speci c image: The carvings
desecrate a mountain in the Black Hills of South Dakota
sacred to the Lakota people. Other installations incorporate
the struggle for Civil Rights, Black Lives Matter, #MeToo and
issues of gender equity in their narratives.
The Backstory
The Academy was formed in 1927 when 36 production executives and
lm luminaries were named as founding members at a dinner hosted by
MGM chief Louis B. Mayer at the Ambassador Hotel. Originally focused
on labor-related issues, the Academy has evolved into an organization
dedicated to the preservation of cinema history and its artifacts, the study
of cinema and the bestowing of awards. In the beginning, only ve crafts
were honored: actors, directors, writers, technicians and producers.
Since then, the Academy has grown to more than 10,000 members and
now also includes casting directors, costume designers, documentary
lmmakers, executives, lm editors, makeup artists and hairstylists,
marketing and public relations people, music, production designers,
short lmmakers and feature animators, sound and visual effects artists.
