Guest Author - Teresa Greene

In any stage or movie production, costumes serve multiple purposes. This idea is illustrated beautifully in the timeless tale by Charles Dickens of Nicholas Nickelby. The most obvious function of costuming in a show is to transport the audience to the specific time and place of the story being told. Costumes help the viewers believe they really are in a particular era in time, be it past, present, or future. Dickens set his story in the 1830’s, but the movie version renders the characters against the backdrop of 1850’s London, amid the squalor and desperation of those times in the city. The costumes in general follow suit in the first half of the story, designed to not only be characteristic of the historical era, but to also reflect the reality of lower class life in the city, being dark, plain, and worn and dirty on many. In this way, we see that costumes serve another, more subtle purpose; they can also tell the audience something about the characters who wear them, providing insight to their inner motivations, struggles, dreams, and flaws. This is the real secret and beauty of the costuming of the cast of Nicholas Nickelby.

The movie opens with flashbacks of the happy and idyllic childhood of the story’s hero, which are quickly contrasted against a somber and sad Nicholas, as he and his mother and sister are seen standing in silence at the grave of Nicholas’ father. At the tender age of nineteen, Nicholas has suddenly found himself thrust into the responsibility of providing and caring for his mother and sister in the wake of his father’s untimely death. He is portrayed wearing a black suit and top hat for most of the first half of the movie, and we soon learn that the suit belonged to his father. Thus, his costume becomes a symbol of the turn of events in Nicholas’ life, as not only has he donned his father’s clothes, but he has also donned the role and responsibility his father shouldered in caring for the Nickelby family. The dark color is also a reminder to the audience of the sadness that has overtaken Nicholas as he struggles through the rigors of adult life.

Nicholas’ uncle, Ralph Nickelby, arranges an appointment for him at a dismal boys’ school in the north of England, and assures him of similar provision for his mother and sister. Unlike Nicholas’ father, Ralph Nickelby is a wealthy man, self-made through investing other people’s money. Also unlike his brother, he is a harsh man, sly, cunning, and deceptive. The image he presents to the world is a most polished and agreeable one, creating in his clients a false sense of trust and security. His costume maintains this highly trustworthy illusion, as he is always seen impeccably dressed, in a day suit for business, an ascot, gloves, and tails for evening, and a cape and top hat for travel. Ralph’s costume, like that of Nicholas, is symbolic of the life he leads, and the dark colors of the fabrics equal the darkness of his heart and intentions.

At the boys’ school, Nicholas meets Smike, a crippled waif of a boy who was abandoned at the school by his family, and who has been abused for several years by the cruel schoolmaster and his wife. Smike’s costume is little more than dirty rags, appropriately reflecting his plight. As the story progresses and Nicholas takes Smike away from the horrible school, color begins to creep back into the entire movie, costumes and sets alike, and Smike’s costume begins to reflect the improvement in quality of life that Nicholas has brought him. Even so, Smike’s costumes retain their waif-ish quality, never fitting quite right, serving to remind the audience of how this crippled, ill-fated boy still lives on the fringe of society, even within his newfound family.

On their way back to London, Nicholas and Smike encounter a traveling theatre troupe and join them for a production of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. The costumes in this segment of the movie are wonderfully embellished, richly colored, and reflect the flamboyant and colorful nature of their benefactors. “Over-the-top” is an expression that does not do these costumes justice.

Upon learning that his sister’s honor has been slighted by one of his uncle’s associates, Nicholas returns to London to defend her. He learns that their uncle has exploited his sister to ingratiate himself to his clients, subjecting her to their lewd commentaries, and leading her into more than one uncomfortable encounter with one of his cronies. As Nicholas stands up first to the unsavory gentleman, and then again to his uncle, we start to see the change in Nicholas’ character that will soon be reflected in his costumes. Nicholas decides that he and his family do not need their evil uncle’s money, and taking his responsibility seriously to follow in his father’s footsteps and provide for them, Nicholas reestablishes his family, including all the people he loves and cares for the most, regardless of whether they share his blood or not. Color blossoms now in the scenery and all the characters’ costumes. Nicholas soon secures a position that pays generously, which in turn affords him the opportunity to meet the one person his father told him would be the most important person he would meet in all his life—Madeline.

Madeline Bray is a beautiful young woman, lonely and mysterious. Through his employers, Nicholas is able to learn of her life, and eventually meet her. Much like Nicholas, she was forced to assume a role she was hardly ready for, as years earlier her mother had died, leaving her to care for her sick father. Just as Nicholas’ initial costume reflected his woeful circumstances, so too do Madeline’s costumes reflect the fate she endures. Her dresses are slightly out of date, reminiscent of the fashions her mother would have worn, symbolic of the role she has had to accept. They are plain and somewhat restrictive, just like the day–to-day routine she maintains, a balance between finding enough work to pay her father’s debts, and caring for him in his illness and demanding needs. All of her clothing seems somewhat faded, just as her hopes for a life of love and safety have faded, like the dreams of the night fade with the dawn. Madeline’s costumes, as well as her life, are void of color and excitement. That is, until Nicholas comes along.

As the saying goes, all’s well that ends well, and by the end of the movie, Nicholas is splendidly dressed, a reflection of the improvement in his circumstances through the generosity of his employer’s and the love of the family he has created. He is a strong, compassionate, beautiful young man, able to face the world and its responsibilities with confidence and courage, and his final costumes reflect that confidence and are as beautiful as he is. Although this movie does not follow the original Dickens’ tale as closely as it could, it is a thoroughly enjoyable tale and a feast for the period costume lover, providing an excellent example of how costumes serve multiple functions and add to the totality of a story by giving hints and clues as to the characters’ personalities, histories, and futures.