2. The Cast of The Wizard of OZ
A seminal movie for so many generations, The Wizard of Ozs storyline as well as the timeless song Over the Rainbow are truly iconic. Recently subject of a large Hollywood prequel, the original movie is visually stunning with the elaborate backgrounds and the detailed make-up on the whole cast being etched into all our memories. Accompanying Dorothy, played by Judy Garland, are The Scarecrow, The Cowardly Lion, and The Tin Man as they make their way through Oz on a quest to send Dorothy back home. The make-up on those three characters alone are a work of art in themselves. The make-up applied to each of those characters really helps depict their persona and their lack of self-worth that they search out to regain throughout the movie while being pursued by the Wicked Witch of the West and her flying monkeys. The Cowardly Lion, who was played by Bert Lahr, is dressed up in a body of fur that entwines with his golden locks of hair while having a face of an overgrown, sad pussy cat that you would want to cuddle rather than run away from. Ray Bolgers character of The Scarecrow really comes to life with dry straw almost falling out of him from his sleeves while having a potato sack for a face that doesnt restrict his facial features. The Tin Mans silver complexion really blends well with his silver cylindrical body that although is somewhat restricting, still allows him to move convincingly as someone made of tin would, which Jack Haley beautifully did while playing him. The Wicked Witch is scary in her own right with make-up that seems simple as a green layer of paint and a long, crooked nose is packaged really well with her screeching laugh and pointed hat. Margaret Hamilton was not known for being as mean as the witch she played, but her performance as the Wicked Witch was so good that it gave her the reputation as having the same persona as her character. Her flying monkey henchmen were creepy looking with their frozen faces fixed with a subtle grin that goes well in hand with their short, parrot-like wings. All of these make-up conceptions were made possible by Jack Dawn and his crew of other make-up artists who had the daunting task of creating the make-up effects for the entire cast and extras. All of their efforts in having to create unique make-up ideas for each cast member really stand the test of time along with the movie. 1. Lon Chaney, Sr. As The Phantom In The Phantom Of The Opera
Lon Chaney can undoubtedly be called the originator of movie make-up. He wasnt called The Man of a Thousand Faces for no reason. He developed techniques that have been utilized by other make-up artists throughout the years who made his techniques the foundation to build their own methods from. His genius was not only evident in his make-up but also in his acting in which he played all of the characters he created after applying the make-up on to himself. Some of his most memorable characters he played were Quasimodo in the movie, The Hunchback of Notre Dame and the eerie Professor Edward C. Burke in London After Midnight, but none made as strong an impact to movie goers as The Phantom in The Phantom of the Opera. His depiction of the Phantom was not only the most accurate interpretation of that character, but also the most haunting to audience members after seeing him for the first time when his masked is removed revealing his ghastly creation. Chaneys technique in creating the make-up included pulling the tip of his nose back with wire and putting egg membrane on his eye balls to give them a cloudy look. Not too many actors or make-up artists would go to this extent in todays movie industry, but Chaney gladly suffered for his art so that his make-up creations screamed the loudest in his silent movies. Many more could have been added to this list, but I felt that these make-up creations were the most influential to the industry, other make-up artists and audience members. Some people may or may not agree with my choices for this list, but whoever they feel is their favorite will know that movie make-up was as important to the movie as it was to themselves as a fan of movie make-up magic.