“The New Look” Episode 4 Review
Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Instagram)
“You can’t possibly allow this man, this tormentor, this vampire to stifle your talents any longer! I need you by my side.”
I think this is my favorite dialogue from “The New Look” episode 4, where Pierre Balmain, an unknown designer at the time, quits his job under French couturier Lucien Lelong and encourages his friend/colleague Christian Dior to do the same, berating the man who was his boss a few seconds ago, right to his face.
Episode 3 of “The New Look” had ended with the Americans marching victoriously through the streets of Paris, making the end of World War II and Nazi defeat. Titled “What a Difference”, episode 4 begins with jubilant celebrations, with Coco Chanel (Juliette Binoche) and her friends drinking champagne, toasting to Paris and freedom. However, soon, Coco must also face the ordeal of being accused of being a Nazi collaborator and the repercussions that come with it. Meanwhile, Christian Dior (Ben Mendelsohn) is tormented by thoughts of Catherine, his dear sister, who ends up in a Nazi camp, and he has no means of knowing her fate. His boss Lucien Lelong (John Malkovich) comes up with a unique plan to revive French fashion, and he hopes Dior would lead with his designs, while Balmain expects Dior to quit with him and start a new venture together.
Juliette Binoche is ridiculously good as Coco Chanel, and with the war over, the character gets to be more flamboyant than before, even though she does try to be guarded with what she says, give her run in with Nazi officers. “I don’t want to be put on a pedestal. There’s my work; people should judge that,” she says when asked for an interview, refusing to be featured in print, lest her words be distorted.
Ben Mendelsohn portrays Dior as a much more disoriented figure in this edition, reflecting his character’s state of mind. He feels defeated for his inability to rescue his sister, and his condition worsens when his father further berates him for failing to prevent Catherine from joining the French resistance. Despite Balmain’s animosity towards their boss, Lucien Lelong emerges as a strong mentor-like figure for Dior. John Malkovich’s portrayal of Lelong is quietly imposing, he is an aging no-nonsense businessman, whose primary focus might be profit, but he also endeavors to provide guidance to the lost Dior.
The cinematography features a dynamic blend of different palettes, with sepia tones predominantly used in indoor scenes. This imparts a nostalgic, old-world feel to the film. It’s an evenly paced episode, which briefly gives viewers glimpses of how “collaborators” were shamed, shaved bald, and then paraded on the streets to be spat on. Both Coco and Dior are faced with different challenges, and with six more episodes to go, it’s going to be interesting to see how “The New Look” continues to maintain this pace, tension, and intrigue.
You can watch “The New Look” on Apple TV+
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