By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 4 cats
Director: Matt Tyrnauer
Country: united_states
Year: 2009
Running time: 96
IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1176244/
Bruce says: “There are several things many people might not know about Valentino. The first that comes to mind is that Valentino is his first name not his surname, which is Garavani. Another thing is that Valentino is basically a Parisian house of fashion in spite of all the years that he has been associated with Rome. Lastly, while he has had the same partner – both personally and professionally – for the past 45 years, their relationship – rumored infidelities aside – is the closest thing to a true love story one might find. VALENTINO: THE LAST EMPEROR draws obvious comparisons to LAGERFELD CONFIDENTIAL and the double portrait – YVES ST. LAURENT: HIS LIFE AND TIMES and YVES ST. LAURENT: 5th AVENUE MARCEAU 7116 PARIS – all of which were released in the past year. St. Laurent is noted for his genius for thematic design, his penchant for theatrical fashion shows and his role in establishing the ready-to-wear market; Lagerfeld is noted for his untiring contributions to many of the leading fashion houses in Paris. Valentino is best noted for his impeccable style and taste. Many of the world’s most fashionable women consider Valentino the best.
“VALENTINO: THE LAST EMPEROR concentrates on the development Valentino’s last collections and the famous three day tribute to the designer in Rome July 6-8th 2007 to celebrate his 45 years in fashion. Since Valentino claims on screen that he will not retire in the near future, one wonders why the tribute cannot wait until his 50th year. That question is answered at the end of the film. Already Valentino has taken on a business partner which is not proving successful from a creative point of view. A Giancarlo puts it, ‘The 70’s were about selling, the 80’s were about licensing and the 90’s to the present are about investment. The investment bankers are the ones who make decisions now.’
“We see how Valentino operates during the design process and how his staff and – in particular – Giancarlo manage his petulant behavior. Giancarlo knows exactly which buttons to push, and the couple imitate the Bickersons on more than one occasion. The film is peppered with glamorous talking heads all of whom are awestruck by Valentino’s charm and style. Additional time is taken to review Valentino and Giancarlo’s history from the day they met in a café on the Via Veneto until the present. As with any documentary that extols the virtues of its subject, one wonders how much negative material has been edited out of the story.
“Strangely everyone I know who has seen this film had the same reaction. The true star of the film is Giancarlo – a handsome, shrewd, even-tempered, loving, sympathetic man who quietly call the shots – a guiding light for the huge fashion empire. Laurent also had a business partner, Pierre Bergé who was also a romantic interest for a period of time; Laurent and Lagerfeld also share the same lover, Jacques de Boucher. But neither St. Laurent nor Lagerfeld were lucky enough to have Giancarlo Giammetti in their lives. 4 cats”