As fans prepare to bid Mad Men farewell (the last seven episodes of the show begin to air in April), the magicians at the Museum of the Moving Image have put together a breathtaking exhibition that celebrates the show's achievements, Matthew Weiner's Mad Men (March 14 - June 14) explores the creative process behind one of the most acclaimed shows in television history through a series of archival documents, costumes, props and impressive large-scale sets that were put back together by the Museum in collaboration with AMC and Lionsgate.
At the press preview, where we were teased with the revelation that the exhibition had not been completed, the Museum's Executive Director, Carl Goodman, explained that part of what was being celebrated with the exhibition was the importance of the showrunner and the “broader concept of the creative explosion happening on television screens” with people like Matthew Weiner, Vince Gilligan, Shonda Rhimes, Jenji Kohan and Jill Solloway constantly pushing the boundaries of what fiction can do on the small screen.
With this in mind, the exhibition opens with notes and entries from Weiner's journal that go all the way back to 1992, where he first began to jot down the backstory of who would become advertising maverick Don Draper (Jon Hamm). From there it moves towards the writers' room, as if taking us in a trip down the minds of the men and women behind the show. What follows is an experience meant to “recreate the environments you’d only have experienced if you were involved in creating the show”, explained Barbara Miller, Curator of the Collection and Exhibitions.
Ms. Miller's team embarked on a journey that began more than a year ago, as the show was wrapping its production, and along with her team brought back countless pieces that helped build the Mad Men mythology, other than the 33 costumes on display, the number of items featured in the exhibition, going from “every last piece of paper selected to dress the secretary’s desk...we could go into the thousands!” added Miller.
“Showing the costumes and props is really fun, but our mission is deeper than that, we hope what people will take away is an experience that will enrich their viewing of television in general…[that they’re able to see] the formulation of the ideas behind the show” continued Miller, and her mission is more than accomplished, for one of the greatest assets of the exhibition is that it feels alive. With details like Joan's (Christina Hendricks) slippers resting comfortably next to her overstuffed secretary desk, and the pictures of Don's children in his office, you almost feel as if the characters will walk next to you on their way to a meeting.
Parallel to Matthew Weiner's Mad Men the Museum will also screen ten films in a series called Required Viewing: Mad Men's Movie Influences, films that Weiner had the cast and crew watch in order to get in the spirit of what he was trying to achieve with the show, featuring films like The Apartment, North by Northwest, The Americanization of Emily and The Bachelor Party, the series will begin screening on March 20.
It's rare when the pubic gets the opportunity to explore a collective obsession in such a thorough, thought-provoking way, and if you fear like the more you know, the less you'll be surprised watching the show, just take Ms. Miller's advice, “diving really deep into the show, reading the scripts and having conversations with Matthew Weiner hasn’t changed my perception of watching the show, and that’s the point...we pulled down the curtain, but the exhibition hasn’t disrupted the pleasure I get from watching the show”. One last thing, good luck getting "Zou Bisou Bisou" out of your head!
Matthew Weiner's Mad Men will run at the Museum of the Moving Image from March 14 - June 14. For tickets and more information click here.
