TBT: Saraband for Dead Lovers (1948)

Why do I hunt down some old movies? Often because I see one picture that intrigues me (occasionally it’s because of a specific actor or I’m curious about the plot). These pix can lead me astray, yet I persevere, because either I’m a glutton for punishment or I just need more stuff for this here blog! Well, I did grow up watching old costume movies on Sunday afternoons, way back before Turner Classic Movies, so there’s precedent. Thus, today you get a few of my thoughts on Saraband for Dead Lovers (1948), sometimes shortened to just Saraband, which is a type of Spanish dance according to Wikipedia. The story isn’t about dancing though — it’s the tragic romance of Sophia Dorothea of Celle and Philip Christoph von Königsmarck, and unfortunately Sophia was married to Prince George, the Elector-Designate of Hanover (later King George I of Great Britain).

Set in the 1680s, the story starts with Sophia being forced by her parents into this marriage, and that’s right when I see the photo that teased me into watching the movie:

I used this image in my survey of decent-looking stomachers in frock flicks (the folded-back sides at front of the gown are a hint). From the back is Sophia’s soon-to-be mother-in-law, the Electress Sophia, and she’s wearing an excellent lace fontange, which I should have used in my survey of proper-looking hats in frock flicks. The other woman (with the stomacher) is a lady-in-waiting to either the Electress or Sophia’s family.

The rest of the costumes are a bit all over the map, with some faux mantua gowns and stray sack-back gowns mixed in. I give it a B- for trying hard at least. And as a love story, well, who wouldn’t pick Stewart Granger over the dumpy, uninterested, and uninteresting Prince George presented here!

Sophia and Prince George were married in 1682, and she started meeting with Philip in 1691, leading to rumors of their affair around 1694. In this decade, fashionable women were turning away from the stiff bodice and skirt combo of the 1660s and were moving towards the more flowing one-piece mantua gown that would. The garment was draped over a corset, with a stomacher pinned at the center front, and worn with a full petticoat that could match or contrast the mantua gown. Sometimes the gown’s skirt was pinned back like a bustle and train. Here’s a look at the evolution of the styles:

And a very formal version of an earlier style here:

Then in the 1680s:

And moving into the 1690s:

Fashion plates and extant garments from this time are a bit more useful than portraits, which tend to be stylized when it comes to clothing. Here’s Sophia, and in these contemporary images, she seems to be wearing soft “posing gowns” more than actual clothing.

In the movie, she starts out young and naive in yellow with lace ruffles:

But when she’s married and at court, Electress Sophia makes her shape up, get formal, and learn her place in the world. This dark gown with gold trim is a mix of slightly earlier fitted-bodice styles with mantua skirting.

She gets even more formal with this velvet gown trimmed in ermine:

Reminds me of portraits like this:

When Sophia gets chatted up by  Philip, she’s wearing this delightful froofy ensemble:

In those portraits of Sophia, her hair wild curls, and other period portraits show a bit of hight in the hair to go along with the headdress. This movie went pretty elaborate with her hair, and while I don’t know that it needed too, her’s looks better for the era than any other characters.

Hair isn’t my thing, but hats and caps are, so let’s talk about the fontange! That’s the high headdress worn during this period, with the mantua gown. The tall part, usually made of lace, sometimes linen, often with lace and/or ribbons hanging from it is the “fontange,” and it’s stiffened with starch and perhaps a wire frame. This is worn on top of a linen cap that covers the back of the head. Part of the women’s hair is styled in high curls and/or rolls in front of the fontange, but the fontange itself is always taller than the hair. Simple, smaller versions could be worn by women of lower status, while, of course, women at court wore elaborate fontanges made of the most costly laces.

This back view shows the cap with hair coiled (possibly braided?) that sits under the fontange. You need a foundation to pin that big, lace and ribbon confection into!

In this movie, the older Electress Sophia wears the biggest fontanges, though her hair is styled simply.

Even the maids wear them!

Another female character is Countess Clara Platen, who in this story is supposed to be Philip’s spurned lover, so she squeals on him. In reality, she was a former mistress of the Elector of Hanover and revealed Philip and Sophia’s affair because she wanted Philip to marry her own daughter. Whatever, it’s a juicy part with some fun costumes for Flora Robson!

Here’s the real countess:

Here she is in the movie — I like the sparkly dress, but her hair is very 1940s.

More ’40s hair, plus a satin gown that would be improved by corsetry, at the very least.

As you can see, satin is not her friend. This movie almost gets it right, like here:

But they just can’t stick the landing with regards to satin/satan (we know it’s hard! we’ve discussed this!):

 

 

Do you hunt down old movies like Saraband for Dead Lovers?

 

 

Find this frock flick at: