Product Details

• Actors: Valentino, Giancarlo Giammetti, Gwyneth Paltrow, Jeanne Beker, Anna Wintour
• Directors: Matt Tyrnauer
• Format: AC-3, Color, Dolby, DVD, NTSC, Subtitled, Surround Sound, Widescreen
• Language: English
• Subtitles: English, French, Italian, Spanish
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Studio: Phase 4 Films
• DVD Release Date: September 8, 2009
• Run Time: 96 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (35 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B002EJBZH2
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #841 in Movies & TV (See Bestsellers in Movies & TV)

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• For more information about "Valentino: The Last Emperor" visit the Internet Movie Database (IMDb)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Every iconic fashion designer deserves his or her own documentary, as it's a chance for the public to consider careers dedicated to making and breaking trends. Lagerfeld Confidential released in 2007, the same year Valentino Garavani saw his museum retrospective at Rome's Ara Pacis. Where was Valentino's film? Not to fear, as director Matt Tyrnauer was there with the camera, whether Valentino liked it or not, documenting his retrospective events and the chaos leading up to them. Valentino: The Last Emperor details this 77-year old icon's history, though it focuses, rather too heavily, on the bonanza surrounding the retrospective and the label's takeover that Valentino and partner, Giancarlo Giammetti, built over a fifty-year stretch. That said, Valentino is a fascinating interview subject whether he is talking about sequined gowns, dressing Jackie Kennedy, corporate takeover, or his five pugs, who star alongside him in the film. Watching this film, one gets pugs in diamond earrings, pugs riding jets, pugs passed out in an alpine mountain house. Valentino leads Lagerfeld around like old pals, to examine his renowned body of work. Women crouch around models sewing and cutting, and hair and makeup teams fly through rooms, apparition-like before the camera lens. The film isn't lacking for glamour, and if one is in the mood for a little Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous, then Valentino will satisfy tenfold.

Interview footage of the man himself and Mr. Giammetti in action--at editorial meetings, directing seamstresses, backstage before runway shows--gives a good glimpse into what these two men have spent the past 50 years doing. As Valentino says when repeatedly badgered about his retirement date, he's only taken three- to four-day holidays, and rarely, since his business exploded in 1968. He and Giammetti stroll down Via Veneto, where they reminisce about meeting and about La Dolce Vita. And one does learn about Valentino's early inspirations, such as Ziegfield Girl. There are a few short vintage footage clips of Valentino and his ladies, but the film would be so much stronger if there were more. In fact, one barely gets to view Valentino's haute couture, in scenes during retrospective events. The documentary's drama relies solely on Valentino, the charismatic tornado, rather than dwelling on his styles, probably as it should be. --Trinie Dalton

Product Description

A critically acclaimed look into the life and times of legendary fashion designer Valentino. The film documents the colorful and dramatic closing act of the fashion icons celebrated career, tells the story of his extraordinary life and work, and also explores the larger themes affecting the fashion business today. But at the heart of the film is the unique relationship between Valentino and his business partner and companion of 50 years, Giancarlo Giammetti.

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Elegant Film of an Elegant Life, May 31, 2009

By	Loves the View "Louise" (Hawaii) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)

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.

13 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful film! Can't wait for the DVD now!, July 10, 2009

By	B. Hartford "Save the Cheetahs!" (Massachusetts - United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

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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!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An Iconic Designer's Last Years in a Radically Changed Industry., September 24, 2009

By	mirasreviews (McLean, VA USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (COMMUNITY FORUM 04)    (VINE VOICE)

"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.