Denim worn by the monsters of American cinema – Reel

3. Denim and width

" THE PORT OF ANXIETY " (HOWARD HAWKS, 1944)

My colleague Jordan introduced his post on the death of the suit by relying on one of its most faithful wearers: Humphrey Bogart. It may be less well known, but just like Cary Grant, the American actor did not only wear hats and suits in his career .

Both men filmed with Howard Hawks. If Cary Grant and his flight jacket possibly inspired the future THE BIG BILL " (STUART HEISLER, 1945)

Here's one that has made more than one person dream: Gary Cooper is the model of the "strong silent type" dear to Anthony Soprano. He is also a great lover of style and if this 1945 film is not his best, it will show you quite well what the raw denim jacket worn in a western style is.

For some great Gary Cooper films, you can check out Fred Zinnemann's "High Noon", Frank Capra's "The Man in the Street" or all of his films with Ernst Lubitsch - a pure feast for the eyes.

As for "Big Bill", it is a rather light western with Loretta Young and in which Gary Cooper willingly makes fun of his image: he plays the role of a slightly naive and non-violent cowboy who finds himself mistaken for a killer.

We can remember Gary Cooper's gestures and sense of self-mockery. We can also note that the character of Lucky Luke came here to draw inspiration for his famous " I'm a poor lonesome cowboy ". But the most beautiful find in the film is a very beautiful raw denim jacket like Levi's 506 that Gary Cooper wears open, the sleeves slightly rolled up . Underneath, a shirt with grain.

To complete: jeans, leather belt, boots and cowboy hat . That's the classic denim & western outfit, natural and all in all THE UNDOMBLES " (NICHOLAS RAY, 1952)

Among the American filmmakers to rediscover: Nicholas Ray. Although he is not the best known, "The Indomitable" remains one of his greatest films and features, among others, Susan Hayward, Arthur Kennedy and Robert Mitchum, whose style in parkas and shirts we have already appreciated.

It's 1952. "The Indomitable" crosses the lands of Texas or Arizona. It's a modern western: no soldiers, cowboys or Indians here, but a story that is both intimate and universal and that, for once, revolves around the rodeo. It's about Americana nostalgia, wild horses and bulls, love and the search for a place of one's own.

“ He put on his own pants. He buttons his own shirt. If he knows how to do that, he's got to know enough to run his own life . This is what we can hear here, among other things.

Robert Mitchum plays a worn-out, has-been rodeo champion who meets Susan Hayward and Arthur Kennedy, and as you might expect, the tidy little life soon gives way to adventure, spectacle and drama.

Denim, you will find it here on most of the characters, whether they are men or women. But the one that interests us the most is none other than Robert Mitchum. He has a nice collection of plain or plaid western shirts, a Stetson hat, beautiful leather belts and a… jeans + Wrangler denim jacket set .

It's no surprise that the actor is wearing an 11MJ jacket and Blue Bell jeans from the brand: it was precisely through the stars of the western and rodeo that Wrangler became known. These models appeared at the end of the 40s and have since become part of the heritage of American jeans.

From there to say that Robert Mitchum's character was in fact at the forefront of the fashion of his time, there is only one step. His little extra? His western shirts, a very particular type of shirt that we will find during our last stop on the shoulders of another giant of American cinema: Clark Gable.

"a fabulous sequence where the style extends to the children's outfits, who of course also wear denim in places.

While the era was still largely one of suits and felt hats, the youthfulness of actors like James Dean and Marlon Brando brought denim into the modern age. Nothing would ever be the same again.

8. Denim and its iconic outfit

" RELI'S FURY " (NICHOLAS RAY, 1955)

If there was only one outfit to wear in a movie that had denim in it, it would probably be James Dean's in Rebel Without a Cause. The film was released a month after the actor's death - a tragic accident, re-enacted by David Cronenberg in Crash.

One could attribute the phenomenal success of the film solely to this tragedy. Except that there are already all the ingredients of the myth in the work of Nicholas Ray and the performance of James Dean. We can thus see the touch of a singular filmmaker and a realistic portrait of the American middle class.

"Rebel Without a Cause" is the most famous film by filmmaker Nicholas Ray, and undoubtedly the most modern and successful of James Dean's all too brief career.

Denim in James Dean's work, however, you will also find it in the two frescoes that are "East of Eden" by Elia Kazan or "Giant" by George Stevens, but neither of these two films is as "contemporary" as "Rebel Without a Cause".

Here we discover the character of Jim Stark played by James Dean, his complicated relationships with his family and his high school friends. Other big screen stars like Natalie Wood or Dennis Hopper appear in the credits.

The film tells a lot about the frustrations of young people in the 50s with parental, school or police authority. It is therefore not surprising that American youth found in James Dean a role model and a big brother: his outfits were as many sources of inspiration.

This is for example the case of THE outfit from the film: a white t-shirt under a red windbreaker jacket, Lee Rider 101z jeans and a pair of Engineer boots .

Like his idol Marlon Brando before him, James Dean is here a symbol of fragility and rebellion. However, the real rebel in the film is not called James Dean but Plato, like the philosopher .

He wears a blazer, tie or V-neck sweater and his middle finger to society is none other than a pair of Westerners that have since become legendary, which he combines here with a Rockmount Ranch Wear belt and western shirt, boots and cowboy hat . Note that he shares with Alain Delon the same passion for the Cartier Tank watch. This is a relatively unusual fact for such a rustic film character.

If our overview ends with the end of the dream factory, denim is not finished with cinema. We will perhaps come back to it another time. In the meantime, if like me all this has made you want films or new denim pieces, go to the comments as always.