Marit Allen 1941–2007
Costume Designer Christine Peters shares her most personal thoughts and memories about a colleague and dear friend. “Working with Marit Allen was like being surrounded by fairy dust 24 hours a day. Slight of figure, speaking with her ethereal, English-accented voice, she enthralled directors, actors and crew with her infectious enthusiasm. Marit had the ability to turn the mundane into a magical event. Whether it be morning tea, the sewing on of a button, or searching high and low through the aisles of a thrift store for that perfect piece—everything was an adventure. Much has been said of her keen eye, her discriminating taste and her enthusiasm. More than anything else, it was her ability to have it all, to live every day like a precious moment, and to stop and smell, not just the roses, but every freesia, orchid, marigold, cactus or tumbleweed, you might pass (in between setups of course!). She missed nothing. Marit’s zest for life infected everyone she worked with—she could enthrall an actor with the tiniest accessory that became the essence of their character, as easily as she would convince the most dour of Khazak seamstresses to “please, please, please do that seam by hand—the garment demands it!” No one could say no to Marit, and ultimately, who wanted to anyway? She rewarded everyone with a “hooray,” “goodo,” “outstanding” or other congratulation. Translators and drivers the world over were smitten by her charms. She loved life and all its imperfections. Her talent was a unique blend of skills—intuition, appreciation for the beautiful and unusual, and a true love of creating characters, bringing the directors’ visions to the screen with grace and ease. She strove to create characters that were real, imperfect and nuanced. She never settled for the ordinary. For those who had the pleasure of working with her, we all are the richer for seeing a true master at work, teaching us all to appreciate every tiny detail—even the buttons on the “lady in the back, last row, to the right of the portly man. You see her, don’t you?” Of course we did.“She will be sorely missed.” Costume Designer Marit Allen died of a brain aneurism on November 26 in Sydney, Australia. She was working with director George Miller on the Warner Bros.’ superhero adventure, Justice League of America.
Clockwise from top left: Marit Allen with Lance Henrikson on the set of Dead Man/Courtesy of Jim Jarmusch, Nomad/The Weinstein Co./Kobal, Allen on the set of Thunderbirds, White Mischief/The Kobal Collection, Mermaids/Orion/The Kobal Collection, Love in the Time of Cholera/New Line, Ride With the Devil/Universal/Kobal/John Clifford, Mrs. Doubtfire/20th Century Fox/Kobal. Marit Allen portrait Courtesy of Ulei Steiger.
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