Text | Zhao Wen
Edit | Yan Bao
Directed by Ridley Scott and starring Lady Gaga, Adam Dreifer, Al Pacino and others, the film has received a lot of attention since it was officially announced.
Catwalk Vanity Fair is full of power struggles, betrayals, infidelities, murders, and behind the gorgeous fashion is a bloody and dog-blooded family history, which is even more mysterious.
The film is based on Sarah Guy Fulton's 2001 biographical essay House: A Tale of Murder, Madness, Eroticism and Greed, which revolves around Gucci's third-generation successor, Maurizio Gucci.
Brothers fighting against the wall, colluding with each other, vying for the throne, father and son turning against each other, husband and wife becoming enemies, buying murders... When these words are associated with Gucci, today's most recognizable luxury brand, and labeled "true story", viewers really can't refuse.
This year coincides with the 100th anniversary of Gucci, and at this juncture, looking back at the history of a hundred years of growth and this old case of the giants seems to have a deeper significance.
After the release of this movie, the word-of-mouth performance is average, even if it has just passed the passing line, it is estimated that it will not have much impact in the upcoming awards season. Compared with the artistic value of the film itself, the old case of a dog bloody and bizarre giant that it focuses on is more talked about by the outside world.
The Gucci brand was founded in Florence in 1906 by Guccio Gucci, and in its second generation, the three brothers fought for control of the company.
Fast forward to the early 1980s, and after six years of internal control struggles, Guccio's grandson, Maurizio Gucci, became the third generation of the group's head.
On March 17, 1995, Maurizio Gucci, with several magazines in his hand, went as usual to his office on The Street of Palestrum in Milan. Suddenly, four gunshots rang out, and Morricchio died tragically in a pool of blood in the hall on the first floor of Gucci, killing him on the spot at the age of 46.
After the incident, the direction of the police investigation was mainly in the operation of the Gucci Group, and Morricio, the loser, was addicted to famous cars, mansions, private planes, profligate, loud dogs and horses, sat on the mountain, and frequent decision-making mistakes pushed Gucci to the brink of bankruptcy.
After being expelled from the board, Maurizio sold all of his Gucci shares to an investment bank from Bahrain, completely ruining the family business that his grandfather and father had worked hard to run for decades, causing a lot of criticism and accusations.
But the investigation in this direction was never able to break through, and it was later discovered that the gang of four who killed Morricio, through the middleman, was Patrichia Rejani's girlfriend, the professional psychic Giuseppina. The final clue pointed to Morricchio's ex-wife, Patricia.
At Morricchio's funeral, their daughter cried heart-rending, and Patricia's exquisite makeup and tears could not be shed, which was incompatible with this heavy funeral, which had already aroused the suspicion of many people at the beginning. Now the clues are locked, and on January 31, 1997, Patricia was officially arrested and imprisoned.
Patricia confessed to hiring a murderer and was eventually sentenced to 26 years in prison. Because of her fierce heart, italians called her "Black Widow".
The film restores the process of Patricia and Morricio's acquaintance, love, marriage and other processes, and it is commendable that many of the shapes in the film are almost highly restored.
Patricia Rejani was born in 1948 in the Italian town of Vignola to a mother of a washer and a truck driver father. After the death of her father, her mother married the local upstart Ferdinando Rejani, and Patricia changed her surname to Rejani, thus escaping from poverty.
Influenced by her mother from childhood, Patricia has her own unique life creed: marry a rich man, live in a mansion, travel the world, buy and buy, obsessed with materialism, poverty and luxury. She also famously said, "I'd rather cry in a Rolls-Royce than laugh in the back seat of a bike." ”
Morricchio's association with Patricia was adamantly opposed by his father, Rudolph, "This woman is here for your money." If you marry her, hugh wants an inheritance! ”
Morricchio, a seemingly honest child, once forced to be anxious, rebelled more than anyone, did not hesitate to choose love, and held a grand wedding with Patricia. Rudolph gradually accepted her, and gave her several properties, including a penthouse apartment in a prime Manhattan location.
After Rudolph's death in 1983, the responsibility of taking over the Gucci Fashion House fell to Morricio. However, Patricia has always wanted to seize power and usurp the throne, dissatisfied with her wife's desire to control, and the relationship between the two has a rift.
Morricchio, who wielded power, appointed two professional managers in his five years of presidency to help the company turn around, but nothing improved. He began to indulge in famous cars, mansions, and private jets, becoming a veritable loser, which Patricia felt had lost her status as a celebrity in the circle, and the two continued to quarrel.
Morricchio found a lover and began not to return home. It was not until 1985 that Morricchio formally filed for divorce. Whether from the perspective of money or love, for Patricia, her full value is to be Moricchio's wife, so she would rather die. It took Morricio ten years and countless attorney fees to finally get free.
Morricchio was shot and killed, and two years later, his ex-wife Patricia, who was behind the massacre, was sentenced to 26 years in prison for buying the murderer.
In 2016, Patricia was released early for doing well in prison, and the court ruled that she still received a huge alimony of around £900,000 a year from her ex-husband's estate. Later, Patricia spoke about Morricchio in an interview, saying, "If I could see him again, I would say in person that I loved him because he was the most important person in my life." ”
The story of the Gucci family is dramatic enough, but when the story of the tycoon's feud is presented on the big screen, it is difficult to tell the complex character relationships and the entanglement of feelings and careers in just two hours.
Therefore, from the perspective of the whole plot, the character portrayal is somewhat thin, a little untenable and not vivid enough, and the editing of the plot is also quite criticized. But overall makeup is definitely a highlight.
In the movie, Lady Gaga not only imitates Patricia's dress, but also the jewelry and makeup are exquisite, and some people have compared her shape with real historical photos, which is really highly restored. If you put the story aside and think of the whole movie as Lady Gaga's personal retro Gucci fashion show, it will be a lot more exciting.
The New Yorker magazine commented: "'Gucci Family' is a film belonging to Lady Gaga, and her performances with strength and enthusiasm continue to exceed the original limitations of the script." ”
The most dramatic thing is, of course, how the big families look at this movie.
The heirs of the Gucci family threatened legal action against the film, claiming that "the production of the film" did not "seriously consult" them, insulting "the legacy that the brand has built today", in short, just joking, not nonsense.
"The film did not consult its heirs before describing Aldo Gucci, the son of Gucci," the heir of the Gucci family said in a statement through the Italian Agency Ansa, who was chairman of the Gucci Group from 1953 to 1986 and whose portrayal of him was inaccurate in the eyes of his heirs. The character appears insensitive and ignorant in the film, a "thug" who is indifferent to the outside world, which infuriates the members of the Gucci family.
And the ex-wife who bought the murder, Patricia, her attitude is more interesting, and she initially expressed satisfaction when she learned that Gaga was going to play herself, saying that she also liked Gaga.
Not long after, however, she said in an interview with another media outlet that she was annoyed that Lady Gaga had not initiated contacting her, and that "the film is using the name of the Gucci family for Hollywood's benefit." ”
Tom Ford, who served as the creative director of Gucci Group from 1994 to 2004 and had actual contact with the film's protagonist, criticized the film's overall style as more of a farce than a tragedy, despite its luxurious and elaborate production. The creative director, who has long since lost his relationship with Gucci Group, should be rubbing the heat.
Moreover, today's Gucci brand belongs to the French luxury giant Kering Group. Salma Hayek, the actress who plays Pina Orima, who is found to have been involved in the murder in the film, is the wife of Pinnot, the current CEO of Kering, in real life. According to The Hollywood Reporter, it was with Pinnot's permission that the film team was able to access Gucci's historical archives.