Costume Designer Jenny Beavan on The Leopard

“If we want things to stay as they are, things will have to change.”Costume designer Jenny Beavan joins hosts Andy Nelson and Pete Wright to discuss The Leopard, directed by Luchino Visconti—the landmark 1963 epic that showed her what period design could be.A three-time Oscar winner whose career spans A Room with a View, Mad Max: Fury Road, and Cruella, Beavan traces The Leopard back to a Soho cinema in the late sixties and the influence of a mentor who kept returning to what Piero Tosi achieved there. "He was obsessive, Piero Tosi. I don't think he was happy because it was never perfect enough. But he was one of the most incredible costume designers ever." The conversation also moves through her recent Nicholas Hytner film The Choral and the challenge of building an authentic world on nearly nothing—which turns out to be its own kind of craft lesson.Watch the conversation on YouTubeWatch & Stream The Leopard — Apple TV · Amazon · Letterboxd · TrailerAbout Jenny Beavan IMDb · InstagramReferenced in This Episode Elgar's The Dream of Gerontius — 1968 recording, Adrian Boult, Coventry CathedralSource Material The Leopard by Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa — AmazonIf You Enjoyed This Conversation The Next Reel — Mad Max seriesThe Film Board — Furiosa: A Mad Max SagaMovies We Like — Costume Designer Deborah L. Scott on The MissionMovies We Like — Costume Designer Alana Morshead on Never Let Me GoSupport The Next Reel Family of Film Shows:Become a member for just $5/month or $55/yearJoin our Discord community of movie loversThe Next Reel Family of Film Shows:Cinema Scope: Bridging Genres, Subgenres, and MovementsThe Film BoardMovies We LikeThe Next ReelSitting in the DarkConnect With Us:Main Site: WebMovie Platforms: Letterboxd | FlickchartSocial Media: Facebook | Instagram | Threads | Bluesky | YouTube | PinterestYour Hosts: Andy | PeteShop & Stream:Merch Store: Apparel, stickers, mugs & moreWatch Page: Buy/rent films we've discussedOriginals: Source material from our episodesSpecial offers: Audible