Al Pacino's Phil Spector moment: HBO's film still deconstructed

http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/shortcuts/2013/feb/05/al-pacino-phil-spector-film

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HBO has released a still from its David Mamet directed biopic Phil Spector, which is set to air in the US in March. What can we glean from the photo?

1. Pacino's hair-raising performance

Although he was on trial for the murder of B-movie actor Lana Clarkson, Phil Spector was most certainly guilty of follicle abuse from the moment he walked into the courtroom in 2005. This early style – let's call it "Krusty The Clown's matronly aunt" – was followed by "minor boy-band member" and then "Princess Diana". It's lovingly recreated here using numerous cans of hairspray, underwiring and carefully hidden scaffolding. Tony Montana, one of Pacino's greatest creations, would surely have approved of the risky 'do.

2. Al's sartorial stunner

In that high watermark of made for TV film Liz & Dick, they may have skimped on the quality of the acting, directing and scriptwriting (listen closely and you can almost hear the desperate pleas of grown men crying: "Don't we have another take anywhere?" coming from the editing suite), but they made up for it in the form of the historically accurate outfits. Although we've yet to see the finished piece, Phil Spector seems to share a similar sartorial attention to historical detail. Here Pacino is decked out in what only can be described as "something Duckie may have worn in Pretty In Pink". It meticulously replicates Spector's court attire, which included the Nehru-jacket-style shirt and fetching dragonfly brooch.

3. Mirren's image

What's with Dame Helen Mirren's vacant stare? Has she just been FedEx'd the script of the Arthur sequel she's contractually obliged to make? Perhaps she's just getting into character to play Spector's defence attorney Linda Kenney Baden. From the Gregg Allman hair to the two-for-one Specsavers glasses, she's recreated the look of an overworked lawyer perfectly.