MovieChat Forums > Jagged Edge (1985) Discussion > The Notorious Costume Continuity Error!!...

The Notorious Costume Continuity Error!!!

posted 20 years ago by johnyzero_2000
8 replies | jump to latest

Anyone into movie flubs or costumes, this film holds a special place in their hearts. Why? Because when Glenn Close's character makes her opening statement she changes suits FOUR TIMES!!! In the same scene. Now what got me was how the hell did something like this occur? How many days was this scene shot and why did they use 4 different outfits? The costume designer Ann Roth is one of the greatest in the industry but how did a whopper of a continuity and costume error occur? If anyone has any answers please tell me.

[–] daruk 20 years ago

I had this film Sky+'ed so I re-ran though Close's character's opening statement having not noticed her suit changing. I wonder if I'm looking at the same part of the film as you ... we are saying "opening statement" here, meaning in court when she states "John Forester did not murder his wife, he did not murder his wife's maid. He is an innocent man unjustly accused", yes?

Assuming so, I think what I'm seeing is the case over two seperate periods ... except it's not clear if this is the case. What I saw was her wearing a black suit/white blouse during prosecution & defence opening statements ... then the judge then invites the prosecution to call their first witness (ie the dead woman's brother) and Close changes costume into a light brown suit outfit. But the opening statements scene & first witness scene appear to run one straight after the other ... so it seems that Close's character has a swift 3-second costume change.

However, notice that the prosecution bloke also changes costume ... and all of the jury too.

By the time we're next back in court (ie prosecution's line "People call Eileen Avery") we're in a different period altogether.

So, like I say, I think the opening-statement & first witness scenes are over two seperate periods, but the film's editting makes it seem they're immediately sequential.

But I didn't notice four changes of suit in the same opening-statement scene ;)

[–] cookiela2001 10 years ago

But I didn't notice four changes of suit in the same opening-statement scene ;)

The sequence begins with her appearing with Bridges outside the courthouse, wearing a light grey suit. So that is seemingly another outfit on the same day.

Perhaps there were inserts of little bits of action that originally broke up those scenes (generic montage stuff like Close driving home thoughtfully in the sunset, Bridges sipping coffee before court in there somewhere, etc. etc.) and then those were cut out to accelerate the tension, making it look like this sequence is all one long day (which it is not)

Also, Close wears what looks like the same light grey suit later in court....so that initial scene outside the courtroom on "Day 1" was probably juggled around from later in the film in editing. Perhaps they thought, "Before we go INTO the courtroom at the beginning, we should see them OUTSIDE the courtroom, to build anticipation....what footage can we use that we shot outside the courthouse, elsewhere in the film?"

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[–] erclee83 17 years ago

This isn't an error, but just on the costume theme - Glen Close was wearing the same shoes through the whole court case. All those suit changes and the same ugly shoes? I suppose they were the style in '85.

[–] stevenjvu 17 years ago

I'm an attorney in San Francisco and with a big murder case like this, it's very common for opening statements to take several days. So, I'm not surprised that she'd be wearing different outfits. Real life court cases aren't wrapped up in 44 minutes like they are on tv and in the movies. So, I don't think the fact that we see her in different outfits was a mistake, but rather it was done to show you that the trial in the movie likely took about a month, which would be standard for a murder trial.

[–] trpdean 17 years ago

Steven, funny I used to practice in San Francisco (now NY) - and of course you're right.

I just assumed while watching it, that the change of suit was a subtle way of telling us that this was a different day - so the movie didn't have to have "DAY TWO" written on the bottom of the screen. I thought people understood something like that.

This is like a character saying in a scene, "I'm going to Berlin" and then you see the character going to a table wearing different clothes - and the people at the table are speaking German. For some reason, people are posting,

"WHOAH! That scene where he said he was going to Germany - took place in the U.S.!! So why were they speaking German at that table before he even went? And what's with that costume change mistake?"

They simply didn't show the big plane landing or in this movie, "DAY TWO".

[–] 17 years ago

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[–] tcasavecchia 16 years ago

Well I am thinking that either the editor(s) or the wardrobe dept. people probably never worked again.

[–] 10 years ago

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