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Jewelry -- A Staple of Cinema
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Jewelry has long played a key role in movies. It's been used to help advance plots, define characters, create motive and conflict, and demonstrate commitment. You might even say it's been the unsung hero of film, deserving of its own best supporting actor Oscar.
Perhaps this is because jewelry is so symbolic. When we think of diamonds, colored stones, gold, watches and other baubles, a whole stream of ideas come to mind -- including love, beauty, wealth, luxury, mystery, intrigue, danger, temptation and exotic locales. These themes make jewelry a natural for the fantasies and larger-than-life stories often portrayed on the big screen.
Look at a "top 10" list of movies from any era, and you'll undoubtedly find several where jewelry plays a prominent part. On the eve of the 74th Academy Awards broadcast (March 24), Jewelry.com looks at some of the more notable films (current and classic) where gems, gold and jewelry have enjoyed a memorable role:
The Maltese Falcon (1941). Who can forget the bejeweled, priceless, but elusive title object? This valuable figurine was central to the film as an object of desire greedily sought after by all of the principals (which include Humphrey Bogart, Mary Astor, Peter Lorre and Elisha Cook, Jr.)
The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948). Two down-and-out Americans (Humphrey Bogart, Tim Holt) team up with a grizzled old-time prospector (Walter Huston) in an ill-fated gold-hunting expedition in mountainous Mexican country.
Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, How to Marry a Millionaire (1953). Diamonds and jewelry help define Marilyn Monroe's gold-digging characters in both these films. In fact, diamonds get top billing in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, with Monroe singing her signature number, "Diamonds are a Girl's Best Friend."
Vertigo (1959). In what many historians consider to be Alfred Hitchcock's greatest film, James Stewart's private detective is a man hoodwinked into acting as an accomplice in a murder, who eventually discovers the hoax and is forced to confront both his obsession and his greatest fear. In a critical scene, Stewart finds a piece of jewelry that helps him unravel the murder plot.
Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961). This classic film has a memorable opening scene where Audrey Hepburn's charming, spirited Holly Golightly window-shops outside the famous title jewelry store on a deserted early morning in New York.
Sleeping with the Enemy (1991). Julia Roberts' battered wife fakes her own death by drowning and flees to a small Iowa town to start her life over. However, her pathological, obsessed husband (Patrick Bergin) uncovers the deception when he finds her wedding ring in the bottom of the toilet, and tracks her down -- leading to a final showdown.
Reservoir Dogs (1992). Quentin Tarantino's first film involves a jewelry store robbery that has gone badly wrong for the thieves (including Harvey Keitel, Steve Buscemi, and Tim Roth), and the twists and turns that follow as they try to figure out how to salvage the situation.
City of Industry (1997). A Los Angeles thief (Harvey Keitel) hunts down a partner in crime (Stephen Dorff) who killed his brother (Timothy Hutton) and another partner (Wade Dominguez) following the heist of a Palm Springs jewelry store.
Titanic (1997). The stunning Le Coeur de La Mer ("The Heart of the Ocean") sapphire necklace worn by Kate Winslet's Rose played a significant, haunting role in this blockbuster romance/tragedy about the famed cruise ship's doomed maiden voyage.
Curse of the Jade Scorpion (2001). In Woody Allen's tribute to the "screwball" comedies of the late 1930s and early 1940s, an insurance investigator (Allen) and an efficiency expert (Helen Hunt) who hate each other are both hypnotized by a crooked hypnotist (David Ogden Stiers) with a jade scorpion into stealing jewels.
Gosford Park (2001). This Oscar-nominated murder-mystery is Robert Altman's witty look at the foibles of the British class system in the 1930s. Kirstin Scott Thomas, who plays a wealthy British socialite, was outfitted in the period film with pieces from a diamond fine jewelry collection unveiled by Coco Chanel in 1932, including the 87-carat "Fountain" necklace, the accompanying "Fountain" earrings (550 diamonds set in platinum), and the "Cosmos" bracelet set with 850 diamonds.
Heist (2001). This recent film shows all the twists and turns along the road of documenting the shady life of Gene Hackman's career jewel thief.
Lord of the Rings (2001). This epic adventure of hobbits, elves, wizards, friendship, courage and good vs. evil based on J.R.R. Tolkien's classic book focuses on the battle for a magical ring with the power to snuff out the light of civilization and cover the world in darkness. In addition to the central theme surrounding the ring, jewelry plays a crucial role in this Oscar nominated film. New Zealand designer Jasmine Watson has created an entire collection of jewelry (some 80 pieces) for the characters in the film.
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