Field Trip: Academy Museum of Motion Pictures

Photo and image by FFP.

By R.J.F.

Movie buffs need to make a beeline for the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures.

February had two three-day weekends for me, and I needed to get out and do something on at least one of those weekends. I had been wanting to visit the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures for at least a year, but as life goes, it was hard to find a time to get my ass out to L.A. to visit. You’d think that living relatively near Hollywood, what people consider the epicenter of the movie industry, would make it an easy feat to get there, but anyone that’s from this area knows it can be a bitch to get anywhere at any time of day.

I had looked at the website numerous times and kept thinking about how cool it would be to see all the movie memorabilia in person. So, on a chilly L.A. Saturday in mid-February, despite having a broken toe, I went to the museum.

Honestly, the outside of the museum isn’t remarkable; it’s just a four story building with big glass windows. The main lobby had a little glam to it, but I expected more. Despite the building’s unremarkable design, I was excited to see what was stored in its galleries.

The first room I entered had Oscar statues from a span of decades. Some of them were for people that I didn’t know, such as sound engineers, but I did recognize a couple of names. The most interesting thing I noted was how the shape of the statues has changed over time. There was a sort of reverent atmosphere from the other guests and myself as we walked around the circular room looking at these golden idols in display cases.

Once I was done admiring the statues, what many believe to be the highest honor in the movie industry, I entered into an adjoining room that had costumes and some Oscar night gowns on display, all while well-known acceptance speeches played on giant scenes. It was so interesting to be up close to some very iconic outfits, such as Halle Berry’s Oscar night gown she wore when she won Best Actress for Monster’s Ball. It looked different in person than what I remember it looking like on the red carpet, but stunning, nonetheless.

If this was just two pages of annotations, imagine what the rest of the script looks like.

From there, I went into a wing that is completely dedicated to The Godfather. The amount of props, costumes, videos, and scripts that are held in this room was incredible! I’m ashamed to say that I have never seen the movie, but I know how iconic it is. One display case had the taxidermized head of the horse that was in the movie! But, the thing that I was most drawn to was the annotated script that belonged to Francis Ford Coppola. Looking at his notes that are scribbled all around the margins was truly fascinating.

Most of the time, people see movies, are either entertained or not, and then that might be it. I don’t think people realize just how much thought goes into making a movie and bringing a script to life. It starts with an idea, words on a page, descriptive imagery, some imagination, and then progresses. Anyone who likes to watch behind the scenes footage understands that the process of actually bringing a movie to the big screen is tedious. I was blown away with The Godfather wing of the museum!

The Holy Grail of costumes/characters to some people. 

There were rooms that were dedicated to lesser known or appreciated aspects of filmmaking, such as sound engineering, the history of movie cameras, and set design, but one of the rooms really got me excited. The first thing I saw when I walked into the darkened space were C-3PO and R2-D2. Now, I am not a Star Wars franchise mega fan like so many people that I know, but my heart literally skipped a beat or two when I laid eyes on these famous and iconic costumes.

This room had at least 20 glass cases that held well-known costumes and props. It was a treasure trove that had my mind racing as I walked and looked around. It took a lot of willpower to walk up and down the rows in an orderly fashion rather than bolting around in a random pattern. I could see costumes that I recognized in the various rows, but I paced myself and gave each display the attention it deserved. I would say, besides The Godfather wing, that I was the most impressed with this room.

TOP: Bunny costume from Donny Darko. BOTTOM: Starina costume from The Birdcage. RIGHT: Edward Scissorhands costume from Edward Scissorhands.

The last exhibit that I looked at was dedicated to the contributions of Black Cinema in Hollywood, which ranged from the Harlem Renaissance all the way to modern times. Amongst the different movie posters and costumes, they played Hattie McDaniel’s Best Supporting Actress Oscar acceptance speech, which was very moving. Although the speech is very brief, all I could think about was how unappreciated these contributions have been up until recent times.

There are so many long forgotten Black actors, actresses, writers, and others who did not get the recognition that they deserved due to the racist mindset that was, and in a lot of ways still is, prevalent in the industry. I was glad to see that the museum had a space for these people, but it also made me sad because it feels like too little too late.

Shining bright like a beacon of hope rests Sidney Poitier’s Oscar statue.

As I hobbled around the multi-level museum, I was impressed with the amount of memorabilia, costumes, and information that was presented. If I was running at full speed, I would’ve stayed for at least another two hours to read more and watch the different videos they had playing, but my dumb foot was hurting.

If you’re ever in L.A., and you’re into movies, this is a cool museum to check out.