Silly Little Country

Well-Deserved Praise for Jane Bryant

In this Tom and Lorenzo post. The long tail lets us median folk really enjoy the work of the obsessives.
You really have to go there because the screencaps are the point but their analyses are also wonderful.
On Betty curled up in bed in frustration:

Oh, Janie Bryant. You are one masterful costume designer. We literally gasped out loud at this shot because it so clearly called back to this one, from setting to dress. At the time we noted how juvenile that dress looked on Sally compared to the rest of her costuming this season. Betty and Sally in their little plaid dresses, pouting because grownups are mean and don't understand them.

On the scene when Joyce brings her model friend to Peggy:

Three different women of roughly the same age; three entirely different looks. Joyce is still working her "artsy lesbian" look, with her men's style jacket, pants (which were shocking in a professional setting in 1965), and trademark turquoise necklace. Carolyn Jones' get up initially struck us as a bit over the top, but she's a model. It makes sense for her to dress this way. Peggy is wearing typical office-wear for Peggy. We've seen everything she's wearing here before. It's amazing how you can look at all three of these women in the scene and know so much about them just by their clothing.

And a great comment on the milkshake scene:

At one time, we're sure Betty was bright-eyed and didn't get upset over spilled milk either. It was the pressure of living up to that perfect image while being married to a mess like Don that drove Betty to become the hardened woman she is. We doubt Megan will ever be as childlike as Betty is (because that's not something you can lay at Don's feet), but we fear after a half-decade or so of marriage to Don, she'll be a much different woman. Remember, Betty spoke Italian, traveled the world and was educated too.

I doubt that EVERYTHING is so carefully constructed but there is no question a lot of this is. Cable TV is responsible now for a lot of great art that it was once much harder to create.

posted by Alan Adamson @ 6:37 AM