I paid another visit to the Victoria and Albert Museum to see again the Shoes:Pleasure and Pain exhibition that I found so fascinating when I went to see it a few months ago (my review can be found here) and it really got me thinking about how valuable shoes are in films. So here is a brief list of films that shoes have played an important part in:
1. The Wizard of Oz – probably one of the most famous films to really concentrate on a pair of shoes – despite them only being seen irregularly throughout the film. A little fact for you: the shoes in the book were originally silver and not ruby but film makers decide to change it so that they would stand out more.
2. Back to the Future II – Marty McFly’s self-lacing Nike Air Mag shoes came from 2015 apparently and remain one of the coolest things that people wanted to wear and still do when they watch the film.
3. Cinderella’s glass slipper – Disney’s most recent adaptation of this classic fairytale (one of the first stories you are probably told as a child) features a glass slipper that has become one of the most iconic types of shoes of all time. It is also on display at in the shoe exhibition at the V&A if you want to check it out…
4. Funny Face – in one particularly long dance sequence in this film starring Audrey Hepburn and Fred Astaire, Hepburn is wearing a pair of black loafers with white socks that really help to focus on the movement of her feet rather than what is happening on the rest of the screen. Have a look and see:
5. Grease – for this we are concentrating specifically on when Sandy undergoes a stunning transformation. Her high heels stand out in contrast to the all black ensemble that she is wearing – adding confidence and a swagger to her walk that really shows how much of a transformation she has had – amazing the power a pair of shoes has!
Other memorable shoe moments from films include Pretty Woman, The Devil Wears Prada and of course Sex and the City .
Shoes: pleasure and pain is on at the V&A until the 31st January.