Set decoration as character: The Best of Everything

Book editor Joan Crawford in her magnificent blue penthouse-apartment kitchen in The Best of Everything (one of the primary inspirations for Mad Men). There are so many mid-century-design details here (and in every scene), but I love the two book covers – or design layouts – framed high on the wall. I’m sure they are layouts Crawford’s character had a hand in. Maybe they date from her first gig as an assistant editor? Maybe they represent mile-markers in her career, the first project she helmed to completion as a younger woman. Their presence could signify many different things – but all I know is those framed pictures are not random. Nothing is random. Nothing is ever “just”, not in a film this exquisitely designed. Those framed pictures are there as a character detail. They are what this woman is proud of, what she’s given her life for. Her work. Even in her kitchen, she wants to be reminded of the work she has done, work of which she is rightfully proud. Yet … in contrast to how she actually feels … alone in her kitchen after hosting a party … those framed pictures tell another story.

This is what production design and art decoration and set decoration can express.

This entry was posted in Movies and tagged , . Bookmark the permalink.

2 Responses to Set decoration as character: The Best of Everything

  1. Bill Wolfe says:

    I’m happy to see you spotlight this movie. It’s one of my favorite New York movies – the whole look of the interior design is so enticing. It’s a big part of my Manhattan of the Imagination. I also remember being something close to shocked by the fact that, after getting married, to some extent because she felt like she *ought* to want to be married, Joan Crawford’s character returns to work because she realizes that’s who she is and what she needs. For an Hollywood movie from the 1950s, that’s remarkable. This was the movie that helped me realize that Crawford had created a really interesting screen persona over the course of her career.

    • sheila says:

      // This was the movie that helped me realize that Crawford had created a really interesting screen persona over the course of her career. //

      I love to hear you say this! She wasn’t afraid to incorporate disappointment or sadness – at least when the script was good. She really understood this woman!

      and yeah, the look of this film is just aces. Even in that wide wide screen format, the girls’ apartment feels suitably cramped. Every detail is so carefully chosen!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.