Montreal: Radio-Canada is opening the doors to its impressive, one-of-a-kind costume inventory.

The network has produced literally scores and scores of dramas and teleromans each year since the early 1950s and has 40,000 costumes and 60,000 accessories including hats, shoes, scarfs and socks on hand, says rental co-ordinator Jean-Marie Diorio.

The inventory covers all sizes and all historical periods – from Greco-Roman times to the Middle Ages, the Renaissance, the flapper era, up to modern times.

‘The costumes are in great condition because of the near haute couture fabrication and because they are carefully stored in a darkened, in-house facility and can be retrieved mechanically,’ says Diorio. All the costumes are inventoried and indexed on computer, he says.

‘At one point the costumes were available only to the people at Radio-Canada, but we realized that was an enormous waste. We’ve been renting for several years now but we haven’t broadcast it. Now we’ve decided to open the doors and inform people.’

Productions supplied on a limited basis include historical dramas such as Olivier, Margeurite Volant, Les Filles de Caleb and the Heritage Minutes.

Much of the competition in the more specialized costume sector originates not in Montreal, or from Radio-Canada, but in London, Eng., says Denyse Clermont, gm at the Centre National de Recherche et de Diffusion du Costume.

Diorio says Radio-Canada’s service is ‘complementary to the private sector and priced competitively.’ LRB