There are lots of movies that aim for a historical aesthetic when it comes to hairstyles and others where it’s a mishmash. But it seems to me that when historical costume movie/TV series hairstyles vary from what WOULD be historically accurate, it’s due to current-to-filming perceptions about hair. So, working decade-by-decade, let’s look at some of these not-so-accurate films/TV series and compare the hair to what’s going on at the time of filming, and see if I’m right! See my posts about the 1910s and 1920s to find out about historical hairstyles in the movie industry’s first decades.
Since I tend to make these posts way too long and overly complicated, and since I’m in France and about to head to the Fete Galantes at Versailles tonight, I’m going to split this into two posts! Today, ancient films through the 18th century. Next week, we’ll look at nineteenth century films!
Fashionable Hairstyles of the 1930s
Women’s Hairstyles
There are definite continuities with the 1920s, in particular, the more side-to-side “Marcel” type wave. But women’s hairstyles get longer — the bob goes out of fashion in 1929-30 — although “long” can mean just-below-chin-length to high on the shoulders. Most styles involve fluffy curls and waves, with some very smooth sections as well. Asymmetry is big, with side parts.
Men’s Hairstyles
For the gents, it’s short and slicked back — Brylcreem, baby! Side parts are de rigeur, sometimes you get some bump right on top of the forehead, and sometimes a little bit of length on the temple, but the back is almost always very short.
Historical Movie Hairstyles of the 1930s
Now let’s compare some of the hairstyles shown in historical costume films with what the character SHOULD have looked like.
Ancient Films of the 1930s
Medieval Films of the 1930s
Renaissance Films of the 1930s
17th-Century Films of the 1930s
Mid-18th-Century Films of the 1930s
Late 18th-Century Films of the 1930s
Do you see historical or 1930s references in these hairstyles that I missed? What’s your take on the perception of historical hairstyles in this era?
What about The Scarlet Pimpernel? Hav beaucoup fun at Versailles
Can’t wait to see what you have to say about the 1960’s beehives in all the westerns especially shows like ‘The Big Valley’!
“Cleopatra (1934): WHERE did this bangs/long straight hair look come from?”
Those bangs were Claudette Colbert’s “signature look,” to which they just added a fall for length. Since this was an actress who allegedly vetoed any camera setups that showed what she deemed the “bad side” of her face, nobody was touching those bangs.
That’s very typical of the ’30s & ’40s — many movie stars kept their signature styles regardless of the film. The studios promoted this bec. they thought it was better to have “recognizable” stars to promote films. Another obvious example is Bette Davis & her eyebrows in historical movies, lol!
Actually, Bette Davis famously shaved her eyebrows and hairline twice to play Queen Elizabeth, in “The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex” (1939) and “The Virgin Queen” (1955).
Other movies didn’t change her looks as much, but as you said, this was typical of the studio system.
Yep, those were the rare exceptions, bec. she was specifically interested in the role. But Davis did a ton of historical films (see our WCW page on her), & the studio made her keep her contemporary look in as many of them as possible.
Interesting!
That may be so for Colbert, but I also think that straight hair and bangs look is what many people think of as “ancient Egyptian.” But real ancient Egyptians wore a variety of hairstyles; and studies of human remains from Egypt show that there was quite of range of color and texture, even in agricultural communities in predynastic Upper Egypt. Ramesses II, from an eastern Delta family, had had auburn hair, as did the “Elder Lady” (probably Queen Tiye) from KV 35. The Elder Lady’s hair was rather long and wavy, but she did not have bangs. Also from the Valley of the Kings comes a middle-aged Ramesside lady with an upswept hairdo.
That elegant gentleman whose statue you’ve shown for comparative purposes is wearing a wig. He was a member of Pharaoh’s tomb-building crew, so in day-to-day life his attire would be much simpler–he’s likely to have had his head shaven, and he certainly would have if he was also acting as a priest.
It’s odd that in the movies, Cleopatra isn’t shown with the hairstyles that she wears in statuary and coin portraits. I have a suspicion that Hollywood types just can’t imagine the Queen wearing her hair in a bun! And she probably wore Egyptian diadems and gowns for ceremonial occasions (as the “new Isis”), not for visiting Rome or going about her everyday duties. The Ptolemaic diadem is a simple band of cloth as shown above.
Whoops! Forgot to add:
https://i.gifer.com/Ietc.gif
You say you make these posts too long, I say they’re not long enough! I always enjoy these posts.
I know, but at some point I have to stop writing and sleep!! ;)
hear, hear!
Will you be covering the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century?
I think the egyptian bob is a weird interpretation of wigs like this one: http://solarey.net/elaborate-ancient-egyptian-wigs/
Claudette Colbert had the same hairstyle two years earlier as Poppea in “The Sign of the Cross” (also for director Cecil B. de Mille), and it was supposed to be “Roman” there:
http://eastcoaststories.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/bath-6.jpg
http://www.doctormacro.com/Images/Colbert,%20Claudette/Colbert,%20Claudette%20(Sign%20of%20the%20Cross,%20The)_01.jpg
She did get a different look in “SotC” that was a little closer to Roman hairstyles:
https://i.pinimg.com/736x/27/1a/3c/271a3c4a6f8a53d2b28f564fee30107d–sign-of-the-cross-claudette-colbert.jpg
Did you mean to put Clark Gable’s image with the ladies? I’m sure he’s happy there, though I’m curious if this was a test or an entertaining mistake!
I’m glad someone else spotted that before I did, because I was very amused by it too!