And since no one thinks of the 1970s as “period,” says costume designer Rita Ryack, the challenge was greater than anyone had assumed.
Casting directors combed the streets of New York and New Jersey to round up background players and secondary characters-each of whom had to be outfitted. For this three-hour portrait of the underbelly of Las Vegas, he hired more non-actors-regular folks-than he had for any previous film.
Decked out in a coral jacket with matching apricot shirt, tie and socks, the Vegas mobster fairly radiates “cocky” and “flamboyant.”įrom costumes to casting, the look of “Casino” was crucial to Scorsese, a director renowned for his dazzling visual sense. During the opening credits of “Casino,” Martin Scorsese serves up an image of Robert De Niro nearly as memorable as the car bomb that hurls his character, Sam (Ace) Rothstein, into the air moments later.
