ScreenWize

You don’t have to be a fashionista to get something out of this unique portrait of designer Valentino Garavani, a man who is clearly one of a kind. Director Matt Tyrnauer – who has been involved in the world of fashion as a writer for Vanity Fair – managed to get access to Valentino’s exclusive inner circle just as the Italian designer was heading for what looked like the end of his career. With over 250 hours of footage to choose from, Tyrnauer produces an exclusive glimpse of a man who clearly works incredibly hard to maintain his reputation, his dignity and his appearance in an industry of superficiality. Perhaps ten minutes too long, and unable to truly penetrate the soul of the brilliant and carefully self-managed King of haute couture, it is Valentino’s long-term and unspecified friendship with Giancarlo Giammetti that holds this documentary together – along with the drama of the threatened takeover of the Valentino corporation.

Assuming that the audience will come to this film with some knowledge of Valentino, Tyrnauer glosses quickly over the designer’s background and early career, briefly explaining his rise to fame in the early 1960’s and his connections to the rich and famous of the era, including Jackie Kennedy and Elizabeth Taylor. We are provided only one small insight into what inspired him to become a designer – a viewing of MGM’s sequined and feathered Ziegfeld Follies as a thirteen-year-old boy. Smitten by the exquisite glamour on the screen, the young Valentino decided that he would spend his life making dresses for beautiful women.

Most of the film is then taken up with a behind the scenes look at the preparations for two big fashion shows – the first in Paris and the second in Rome, a celebration of Valentino’s 45 years as a designer. We get a fascinating look at Valentino’s process of creation: from brief sketch, to cutting and sewing, modeling and adjusting and finally seeing the gorgeous gown in question on the catwalk. But it is the human relationships that bring the film to life – in particular the bond between Valentino and long-term business partner and companion Giammetti. They confide with and bitch at each other in front of camera - all the while maintaining tight tanned smiles - but cannot fail to reveal the close bonds that exist. As Valentino gets tetchy about the approaching show, Giammetti is trying to outmaneuver the corporate wolves at the door. They are two halves of a legend.

There’s also something of the grotesque in this film – a peak at the worst kind of excesses that seem to accompany those with wealth beyond our imagination. Valentino and Giammetti built their fashion empire strategically through the 1970’s and 1980’s, selling it in 1998 for $300 million, but losing control of the business. They don’t really care, and as they travel by private jet or luxury cruiser between stunning villas in France and Italy, it’s not the chauffeurs, bodyguards, A-list actors or butlers that take our interest, but a posse of spoilt pugs. Grotesque yes, but also a sign that even the most self-controlled amongst us just need something to love.

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Filed Under: Uncategorized by Simon