Search - Valentino: The Last Emperor on DVD

Elegant Film of an Elegant Life

Loves the View | Hawaii | 05/31/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"
Here is how haute couture is made. Valentino employed 100 seamstresses and owned one sewing machine (which no one would use). In the film, you see how each dress was lovingly designed and assembled and how the 45+ year partnership of Valentino Garavani and Giancarlo Giametti produced runway show after runway show. These partners clearly inspire the love and loyalty of their staff.

You see the sense of style that pervades the life. The entertaining, the travel, the pampered pets.

While the film is a fully positive portrait of this marvelous fashion house and its two leaders, the future looms. The company was sold in 1998 (and then again). The corporate owners don't appreciate the art and want more handbags, shoes and ready to wear. There are glimpses of this pressure as the film leads up to Rome's "45 Years of Valentino", a retrospective with pageantry worthy of its subject.

The film has a genuine quality. Some shots, being candid, won't have the perfect balance and people hesitate in speech. You see the tension in the preparation for big shows.

While others will not appreciate the film, if you are interested in the art of fashion, this is a must see."

Wonderful film! Can't wait for the DVD now!

B. Hartford | Massachusetts - United States | 07/10/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I saw this movie in a local theatre and it was far better than I expected. Although there is a lot about fashion, I found the most light-hearted and funny moments about Valentino's relationship with Giancarlo. They are such a great couple.... they complete each other and their 'married' style of bickering made me laugh a lot. Wonderful fashions, lots of celebrities, and yes, the special pugs that seem to take over everything! Definately can't wait until 08 September for the DVD to be released!"

An Iconic Designer's Last Years in a Radically Changed Indus

mirasreviews | McLean, VA USA | 09/24/2009

(4 out of 5 stars)

""Valentino: The Last Emperor" follows the personal and professional life of fashion designer Valentino Garavani from his Spring/Summer 2006 collection to his 45-year retrospective celebration in Rome in July 2007, just months before Valentino retired. That's about a year and a half, a short period in a very long career. But its purpose is not so much to honor Valentino's contributions to women's fashion as to document the changing world of fashion that Valentino survived for 5 decades, remaining in control of his designs and working in his Rome design studio until his retirement at the age of 75.

Valentino's former boyfriend and the business partner responsible for making Valentino SpA an international success, Giancarlo Giammetti, graces this film with multiple interviews. Valentino speaks for himself as well, but we get to know him best by observing the work and bickering behind the scenes in his design studio, runway shows, and at a lavish bash at his Chateau de Wideville outside of Paris. Because this film encompasses the 2007 retrospective celebration, we get some glimpses back in time as well as a look at the process of creating new designs.

At one time, designers made money by selling clothes. In the 1980s, it was licensing. In the 1990s, fashion houses became commodities for international investment companies. Valentino kept on designing through it all. In 1998, Valentino and Giammetti sold the company to HdP. In 2002, Valentino SpA was sold to Marzotto Group -and this film witnesses some of the clashes of priorities between Valentino and Mateo Marzotto. We watch as the company is sold in 2007 to Peramira LLC, a private equity company whose goal is clearly to make money. Valentino was the last man standing of his generation of designers in a business that has been radically transformed over the course of his career. That's what "Valentino: The Last Emperor" is all about. In English, Italian, and French with optional subtitles.

The DVD (Phase 4 Films 2009): Bonus features are a theatrical trailer and three featurettes. In "The Perfect Life: Around the World with Valentino" (30 min), Michael Kelly, Majordomo of Valentino's six residences, takes us behind the scenes at Chateau Wideville, Chalet Gifferhorn at Gstaad, and Valentino's apartment in New York. If you liked the scenes at Chateau Wideville in the film, there is more of that here. "The Last Collection" (9 min) takes us to Paris in January 2008, as Valentino shows his last couture collection and says goodbye to his staff. "A Red Dress" (8 min) shows more detail of creating the red dress we see in the film, particularly of head seamstress Antonietta de Angelis. Subtitles available in English for the bonus features. Subtitles available in English, Spanish, and French for the film."

The Fashion Genius

The Critic | 08/10/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Everyday a Genius is born in the World of Fashion Valentino reigns supreme he's elegant yet timeless creations are a staple in any fashion maiden's closet. I become a Fan of Valentino years ago when a friend of mine gave me one of his couture gowns for a present (I was hooked.) I got to see him a few years ago after a fashion show, Mr. Valentino stood there taking a photograph with "The World's most beautiful woman Beaulatasha" She is on many billboards around the world. Mr. Valentino left me speechless and from that day on I made sure to see one of his shows if possible each year. This film/documentary is a great tribute to the greatest Fashion Designer of all time, so buy it, love it, and watch it for many years to come. XOXO"