Last night, June 5th, was the Academy Museum Members Night with the close of the Hayao Miyazaki exhibition. This exhibition started on September 30th of last year. It had 300 objects from the Studio Ghibli Museum and was only at the Academy Museum. I actually started at 3:50 p.m. trying to catch up on the second level of the Academy Museum following the Stories of Cinema. You enter at the far right door of the exhibition starting with Significant Movies and Moviemakers. Once entering there is a room sized Citizen Kane (1941) theatrical poster signed by Orson Welles! This is unquestionably one of the greatest works of cinema! The classic film is part of six rotating movies and moviemakers. There are two script drafts of the movie, one has The American title, annotated by Welles and Herman J. Mankiewicz. The film, Mank (2020), covers the screenwriter’s life. These are pieces of Hollywood history!
Academy Awards History gallery, Academy Museum, author’s photo.
There is the last remaining prop of a very important object from Citizen Kane. I doubted I would ever see it! If that is not enough, next is an incredible Bruce Lee area. There is the blue suit worn by Bruce Lee in Enter the Dragon (1973) plus five of his movie posters in the background! On a facing wall is his nunchaku used by him in the 1960s! Next, a display of a Green Hornet trading card, a fight sequence drawing by Bruce Lee, The Way of the Dragon (1972) script with Bruce Lee’s notes and drawings. He wrote an article, “In My Own Process” in 1973. A costume area with something that caught my eye, the Academy Awards History section, the winner envelope for Eiko Ishioka, for Bram Stoker’s Dracula. There is an array of outfits won to the Academy Awards, and this leads to a circular room of Academy Awards.
I saw awards for Alfonso Cuaron winning for Gravity (2013), Best Foreign Language Film, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000), and the Oscar for Visual Effects; John Stears, John Dykstra, Richard Edlund, Grant McCune, and Robert Dialack for Star Wars (1977). The second floor exhibit then goes to a Spike Lee section, Director's Inspiration, Spike, that is just stunning. It closes on September 25th, this would be a shame to miss. A red staircase and a green platform is surrounded by posters and props from Lee’s films. There is the US flag that burned in the opening of Malcolm X (1992), posters signed by some of the great directors, and Lee’s costumes as Mookie in Do The Right Thing (1989). This goes into the screenwriter displays in a small, dark hall, the Story part with screenplays and storyboards; John Huston’s revision on the script of The Maltese Falcon (1941), Nicholas Pileggi’s annotations for the Goodfellas (1990) script, and the annotations by Gregory Peck for To Kill a Mockingbird (1962).
Director’s Inspiration: Spike Lee, photo by the author.
More incredible displays, in this case, a massive room focused on the making of The Wizard of Oz (1939)! The room is The Art of Moviemaking: The Wizard of Oz, this closes September 25th, please don't miss it! Before you is a wall sized photo of theYellow Brick Road walk to the Emerald City. In front of it is a case containing the Ruby Slippers worn by Judy Garland for the “No place like home” scene. Some more objects include a matte painting for the Haunted Forest sequence, the Tin Man’s oil can prop, and the hat worn by Margaret Hamilton’s Wicked Witch. A display had the pinafore worn by Judy Garland playing Dorothy Gale and also the sepia pinafore worn her stand-in, Bobbie Koshay. This goes to a section on casting with the Polaroids of young Ethan Hawke from 1985, Nicole Kidman in 1988, and the 1983’s photo of Alan Rickman. There is the casting card for Scarlett Johansson in 1998 that says, “She’s very poised + mature.”
A room of film costumes had Florence Pugh’s flowery dress from Midsommer (2019). The costume worn by Red played by Lupita Nyong’o in Us (2019). Russell Crowe’s armor in Gladiator (2000). Against a wall is the life cast of Grace Kelly. Charlize Theron’s wig and make-up appliances in Bombshell (2019). The mechanical arms of Furiosa played by Theron in Mad Max: Fury Road (2015). The following room has the yellow dress worn by Emma Stone in La La Land (2016). I loved seeing the Evillene’s dress in The Wiz (1978). There is the costume worn by Jeff Bridges as The Dude in The Big Lebowski (1998). I also liked the Hair and makeup reference Polariods for the actresses of Joy Luck Club (1993). I spent hours studying ever placard in the Hayao Miyazaki exhibition and going to the restful, grass-like pod that let’s you see animated clouds slowly pass overhead. It was great to ask questions and take your time going through the exhibits!
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