FILM/SNEAK PEEK : CLOTHES MAKE THE MOVIES AT FREE ACADEMY EXHIBIT.

Byline: - Valerie Kuklenski

The beginnings of some of Hollywood's most dramatic and memorable costumes - sketches by their designers - are on display through Jan. 16 at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

The exhibit, free to the public, features 120 illustrations by Edith Head, Irene, Cecil Beaton, Jean-Louis and other noted designers. The works are on loan from designer and collector Leonard Stanley, who has amassed more than 300 costume sketches since the 1970s.

``The Origins of Screen Style: Hollywood Costume Sketches From the Leonard Stanley Archive'' spans such diverse films as ``Gone With the Wind,'' ``The Wizard of Oz,'' ``Bonnie and Clyde'' and ``Rear Window.''

Some of the illustrated costumes are shown with film stills for comparisons of concept and execution.

The exhibit is open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesdays through Fridays and noon to 6 p.m. weekends.

The academy is at 8949 Wilshire Blvd. in Beverly Hills. For more information, call [phone].

Raising Caine

Michael Caine's 1971 violent thriller ``Get Carter'' makes a big-screen comeback starting tonight at Hollywood's Egyptian Theatre courtesy of American Cinematheque.

``Get Carter,'' directed by Mike Hodges, has Caine as Jack Carter, who heads to Britain's bleak Newcastle for his brother's funeral. While he is there, Carter begins to believe his brother's death was no accident. ``Get Carter,'' recently ranked among the British Film Institute's list of the best 100 British films ever, will be remade by Warner Bros. with Sylvester Stallone as Carter.

``Get Carter'' is being screened through Dec. 1 with ``Los Gringos,'' a new computer-generated animated short that pays homage to Sergio Leone's spaghetti westerns.

Tickets are $7 for general admission and $5 for American Cinematheque members. For schedules and other information, call [phone]; www.americancinematheque.com on the Web.

Bening tribute

Annette Bening, seen most recently in ``American Beauty,'' will be honored at the 11th annual Nortel Networks Palm Springs International Film Festival.

Bening is slated to receive the Charles A. Crain Desert Palm Award at the Jan. 15 awards gala at the Palm Springs Convention Center.

``Her extraordinary talents, both on screen and stage, have distinguished her as one of the industry's most outstanding and radiant actresses,'' said Craig Prater, the festival's executive director.

Bening received a supporting actress Oscar nomination for ``The Grifters'' and was nominated for a Golden Globe for her starring role in ``The American President.'' She recently finished filming ``What Planet Are You From?'' opposite Garry Shandling.

The Palm Springs festival will run Jan. 13-24 with screenings of more than 130 films from 40 countries. For information, call the festival box office at [phone].

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Photo: (1 -- 2) Walter Plunkett's sketch of a gown worn by Vivien Leigh in ``Gone With the Wind,'' left, and Cecil Beaton's design for ``My Fair Lady'' are on display at the motion picture academy in Beverly Hills.