When the American channel ABC premiered the
Dynasty
series
in January 1981, 40 years ago now, the Republican Ronald Reagan had just won the country's presidential elections and began a time of conservatism in politics and opulence without complexes in the aesthetic.
Today we find ourselves in the opposite situation, with a Democratic president about to take office in the United States and visual references that oscillate between minimal and neighborhood aesthetics, with the nineties as the main source of inspiration.
It is also ironic that, as actress Joan Collins has on occasion admitted, the character she played in the serial, Alexis Morell Carrington Colby Dexter Rowan (the first is her maiden name; the others, those of her successive husbands), came to being a
female version of the billionaire Donald Trump,
who is now the outgoing president and on the verge of
impeachment
.
Perhaps by this we are actually judging the hangover of a whole bygone era.
But from that time there is much to save: over nine seasons and 220 episodes, this series that was to be called
Oil
(“oil”) and had been conceived to reflect “the lifestyle of the ultra-rich” (in the words of the costume designer Nolan Miller) displayed his own unique visual repertoire, which four decades later can serve as an antidote to the possibility of a second advent of
grunge
style
.
The
Dynasty
action is supposed to
take place in Denver, Colorado, but the truth is that it could be anywhere.
Or none.
Where the other
high-end American
soap operas
of the eighties still resorted to certain vernacular elements, typical of the geographical space in which they were developed (a lot of Texan hat and a lot of tight cowboy in
Dallas
, the
shabby chic
of the Californian vineyards in
Falcon Crest
) to
Chemical is the only country of money,
a cross country any region, country or continent of the world.
And the aesthetic apparatus is consistent with it.
A single randomly chosen scene from
Dynasty
gathers so many stimuli to the eye, and generates so much information, that the most sensitive can be overwhelmed by the experience.
The characters of
Dynasty
live on a kind of Mount Olympus made of marbles, joinery and soft carpets.
Here the poor mortals have no access or no place.
As has already been highlighted on occasion (as Boris Izaguirre did in
Vanity Fair)
, the series has
certain similarities with Greco-Roman mythology
.
Like the Greek gods, the characters of
Dynasty
present a physical configuration very similar to that of any human (only much more graceful than the average), they harbor the same passions, desires and miseries (but raised to the nth power), and yet only among them do they interact as equals.
When someone outside the world of the ultra-rich comes into the equation, it is usually someone whose role is to be exploited physically and psychologically (there are many examples of this throughout the plot).
How to decorate a mount Olympus
The
Carrington mansion
is the residence of oil magnate Blake Carrington and his wife Krystle (John Fosythe and Linda Evans).
Inspired by the home of producer Aaron Spelling, this is one of the main characters in the series.
During filming, exterior shots were taken at various California residences, while
lavish studio sets were
created for interiors
.
It is a huge complex in the Neo-
Palladian
style
, a
typology that refers to power since the times of the Renaissance (and even earlier, since the Roman Empire).
The space is also the subject of fierce disputes: the episode in which Blake almost strangles his ex-wife Alexis is often remembered a lot because she shows up brandishing the documents that legitimize her as the new owner of the property.
At the same time stage and status symbol, it is a physical place and also a mental space.
The entrance of the house has a
stately double staircase
with wrought iron railing and wooden handrails.
All rooms are equipped with spectacular marble fireplaces (this offers the possibility of lighting night scenes with the glow of a roaring fire, something
very Dynasty in
itself
).
The lamps are usually gigantic rock crystal chandeliers or bronze sconces with a profusion of cone-shaped lampshades and every table, console or shelf is crowned by a
generous floral bouquet.
The
boiseries -
painted white, or maintaining the natural tone of a strong wood, such as ebony or walnut - usually cover the walls, like oil paintings with molded frames.
More 100% certified Carrington decoration: tufted sofas in black leather or tobacco, kentias, monsteras and ficus galore, Chinese vases the height of a 12-year-old boy, heavy draperies framing French windows and, above all, not a square centimeter floor without carpeting.
If we pay attention, we will see that the creamy-toned carpets where the sole of the shoe is engulfed by the textile material are present in almost all the decorations in the series.
This is how a real woman lives (and fights)
The first thing Alexis does once she's in a healthy financial position is to purchase an impressive triplex penthouse in Denver's most luxurious condo (although, again, the exterior shots are of a Los Angeles tower).
In this dream residence the mode of access is striking:
the elevator opens its doors in the middle of the hall,
so that the owner (and the viewer) is spared the vulgarity of stairs, landings and other common areas.
Huge windows,
changing heights
, Louis XV armchairs, white upholstered sofas with contrasting pink cushions, abstract expressionism on the walls and a silver coffee set for breakfast come together to create such a particular universe.
Another essential element is the bathtub: there is always a large tub overflowing with foam ready for Alexis, with the essential accessories of champagne and caviar well at hand.
Another very convenient thing is tables with porcelain or glass vases and bibelots, so that she can smash them against the floor (or against someone else's head) during her not infrequent outbursts of anger.
Which brings us to the thorny issue of
catfights
("
catfights
"), or scenes of physical aggression between two women, which audiences yearned for each season and which became so popular that during their recording the assistance of the press was requested. .
There has been a lot of discussion about whether
Dinastía
is a feminist or rather the opposite.
And possibly it is both at the same time.
It is true that seldom has the plot of a
mainstream
television
product
been led by powerful women over 50 years of age.
Of course, those women used their power mostly to attack each other.
Women's alliances and counter-alliances changed direction with an agility that left the Thirty Years' War in a game of de la Oca.
Possibly the two
most anthological
catfights
between Alexis and Krystle are those that have as a setting a lake with water lilies and Alexis's painting studio (her past as an amateur hyper-realistic painter is rarely mentioned), where each item of furniture is there just to be destroyed in the most creative and hyperbolic way possible.
The dark pleasure that the viewer generates in the contemplation of this fight –of a violence so extreme that it borders on voluntary caricature– possibly has a lot to do with a Brechtian element: the set abandons its mimetic function, stops posing as a real place and it reveals itself as pure scenery as it shatters before our eyes.
Another of the usual scenarios is La Mirage (sic), an interesting hotel concept that mixed the exclusive hotel and the country club where the characters liked to meet to celebrate lunches and plot conspiracies.
Ski lodges are also welcome, of course.
For their part, the corporate headquarters of the oil companies that support the elevated lifestyle of the characters are rarely glimpsed, other than to host a brief session of the board of directors.
Alexis does particularly well in these meeting rooms: escorted by her son-henchman Adam, she puts the pears in the room to a battalion of alpha males in gross physical decline.
Including Blake Carrington, of course.
Tips for dressing like a Greek goddess
The baroque and somewhat circus femininity that
Dynasty
advocates
requires an
ad hoc
wardrobe
.
Here the women are Athena in a shareholders meeting, Hera in her family relationships and Aphrodite in the privacy of her bedroom.
Representing all this compendium but carried over to the end of the 20th century was not an easy task for costume designer Nolan Miller, although it certainly brought him great satisfaction.
To dress Joan Collins, Miller claimed to have been inspired by Joan Crawford's outfits, a somewhat old-fashioned version of the style that she and other Hollywood divas had worn in the 1950s, on and off the screen.
This would be paradigmatic of the model with which Alexis burst into the series, at the end of the first season, when there was still no actress assigned for the role (Sophia Loren was scheduled, but her salary demands frustrated the plan) and in the first chapter of the second: black and white tailored suit and large hat with matching veil.
The combination of black and white would be Alexis's great ally in his many peak moments, although he did not shy away from rabid colors, especially fuchsia or red, as well as metallic finishes.
For her part, Krystle Carrington used to resort to more refined lines (but not at all simpler) and less extreme colors, which she peppered with deep necklines and sequin and beaded applications.
The antagonism between the two was highlighted through an intelligent use of spatial axes: while the insatiable Alexis tended to be vertical, with her hats and hairstyles that rose season after season to resemble Pompadour wigs, Krystle - more attached to the earth - conquered the horizontal sense thanks to its dramatic shoulder pads and its immutable shade of hair with blonde highlights.
Hats, wide ruffles, and voluminous earring and choker sets (no jewelry, please) were part of the usual clothing menu.
Also the skins of wild animals, because at that time the PETA boom was still waiting its time.
Pamela Sue Martin and Emma Sams (who played Fallon Carrington Colby's character), Pamela Bellwood (Claudia Blaisdel), Catherine Oxenberg (Amanda Carrington), Diahann Carroll (Dominique Deveraux), Stephanie Beacham (Sable Colby) ... Most of the female cast pivoted between these same coordinates, although a younger, let's say
popular character,
like the Sammy Jo played by Heather Locklear, seemed at times to look at herself in the Californian style of Seventies Farrah Fawcett, grafted in with any short-lived pop rock star of the world. moment.
It should also be noted that
Dinastía
was exactly the type of series in which this phrase was pronounced with some frequency: "I'm going to put on something more comfortable."
Thus was announced the irruption on the screen of a stimulating combination of satin, lace and human skin.
Almost the entire female cast of the series had this line of dialogue in their script at one point or another.
Male Power Wardrobe
The male styling of the series was infinitely more monotone, which does not prevent it from being also loaded with information.
His goal was to recreate the concept that the American public had of its own patriciado.
In the same way that - as we have seen with the Carrington mansion - there is an architecture of power, there is also a wardrobe of power.
Thus, the characters of a certain age were generally shown dressed in suits and ties, or in tuxedos when the occasion required long shots.
Blake Carrington was the epitome of the mature gentleman with silver temples, following a certain classic pattern of the rose novel: the tailored suit, the impeccable
tweed
jacket
for more casual moments, sporadic concessions to the point of
cashmere
when things got definitely relaxed and silk dressing gowns for hospital or domestic convalescence.
Also other younger characters - Jeff Colby, Steven and Adam Carrington or Dex Dexter, Alexis' lover and later third husband - were subscribed to the gray or navy blue wool suit, although it was common to see them wearing jeans or chinos and thick cotton jumpers. period, everything in that
preppy
record
so North American, so Brooks Brothers (first), so Ralph Lauren (later).
The timeless style was complemented by very contemporary options for hair styling: the dense and lustrous manes, favored by the hair dryer and the hairspray, are an unmistakable product of the eighties of the last century.
And almost an essential requirement for those gallants.
The hairstyle had to be preserved intact at all times.
Although they, too, occasionally exhibited well-crafted physiques, putting on "something more comfortable" never dispensed them with such a static and monumental carding as a Polykleitos sculpture.
Nobody said that being a Greek god was easy, nor that living on Olympus was free.