SANTA ANA, CA.- Bowers Museum presents the major traveling exhibition CUT! Costume and the Cinema. Through 43 period costumes, created by and borrowed from the London costume house of Cosprop Ltd., the exhibition takes an in-depth look at the art of making costumes that set the scene and establish authenticity in period films.

The films represented in the exhibition depict five centuries of history, drama, comedy, fantasy and adventure through period costumes worn by such famous film stars as Johnny Depp, Keira Knightley, Ralph Fiennes, Daniel Craig, Kate Winslet, Sandra Bullock, Uma Thurman, Angelica Huston and many others. In all, more than 30 actors will be represented from 27 films, including, Sherlock Holmes, Academy Award winner The Duchess and favorites Pirates of the Caribbean, Sense and Sensibility and The Phantom of the Opera.

Many of the costumes in this beautiful collection have won major awards including Oscars from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and BAFTAs from the British Association of Film and Television Arts. As these awards testify, costume is the essential ingredient in the authenticity of a period film. Costumes set the scene by providing information about where and when the drama is taking place and introduce characters by giving clues about their status, age, class and wealth as well as their role in the story.

Costumes created for period films must not only withstand the test of time, but must also stand up to intense visual scrutiny. When a camera zooms in for a close-up every hand-created detail must look authentic and perfectly executed. This exhibition allows the viewer to get close to the stories portrayed on screen and to appreciate the fine details that often can only fleetingly be glanced on the screen.

The Exhibition is presented by Exhibits Development Group in cooperation with Cosprop Ltd., London, England. It is sponsored at the Bowers Museum by Margaret A. Cargill Foundation, East West Bank, and Mei-Yen Chang.