Temperaments and mood colourations in Nollywood costume: Biyi bandele’s elesin oba, the kings’s horseman

Abstract

The task in this paper is to critically examine how temperaments and mood configuration in Nollywood film characters serve as cogent reflection of various shades of indeterminate actions, reactions and repercussions as core elements at the fabrics of life and existence in society. No doubt, actions in films reflect the essential human nature that should require in-depth critical study towards a better  understanding of the mutable bearings that underlie human existence in society. Among the contemporary activities in the creative arts  sector, filmmaking has continually functioned as vital instrument for cultural promotion, artifacts preservation and for the disclosure of  human nature. Charles Cooley‟s theoretical conception of the Looking-Glass Self was adopted for this study. Also, the paper uses  qualitative research method to evaluate the portrayal of the coloration of human temperaments and mood through costuming design in  Bandele‟s projection of Elesin Oba, The King’s Horseman. Findings show that temperament and mood are different and that both can be  creatively encoded in the character‟s body gears to accentuate the generic consciousness that set the tone of the film. The sanguine, the  choleric, the melancholic and the phlegmatic are captured in the costumes as unseen but immutable forces that predetermine the  characters‟ mold in the society. Mood is spontaneous and ephemeral; the recurring ones are coded to reflect the various swings needed  to thicken the social context and the thematic focus of the film. The paper concludes that the deployment of costume in artwork serves  an important purpose deep-seated appraisal that elevates the cultural identity in film enactments nation‟s economy.