Valentino: The Last Emperor

Valentino: The Last Emperor

The best way to design a dress for a woman is to never ask her want she wants.

In fact, the only person that the dressmaker in this documentary listens to is his business partner.

Filmed over the final years of his career in the fashion industry, enigmatic designer Valentino Garavani reluctantly opens up the doors of his illustrious fashion house to the public for the first time as he preps to hang up his shears for good.

Archival footage documenting his early beginnings in Italy to his rise in popularity amongst Hollywood starlets, like Elizabeth Taylor, is interwoven with scenes of his last show in 2008, as well as in-depth interviews with some of those aforementioned celebrities, fellow designers, critics and Valentino's longtime business partner Giancarlo Giammetti to construct one compelling biography.

Moreover, Valentino is proof that a man can design a dress for a woman that isn't see-through. Green Light

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A wonderful portrait, displays several sides of Valentino from Emperor to flawed human like the rest of us. The artist, the opulent lifestyle, the dedicated partnership with his lover, the changing of the fashion business and its ramifications on this aging lion and the reality he created.

Music for the movie was perfectly selected, very well executed, edited and beautiful cinematography. This film was inspiring, funny, and touching. If your lucky enough to have Valentino in your city, hurry to the theater as it is a must see. What comes after Valentino? As he says, "The flood".

This documentary follows legendary fashion designer Valentino Garavani from 2006 to his 45th anniversary show in 2007. Everybody suspects his long career is coming to a close and they keep asking him about retirement. Financial and business considerations are also forcing him to face that reality. He has longtime partner Giancarlo Giammetti, his countless supporters, and his tiny dogs. It's a movie for fashion and Valentino fans. The most compelling is Valentino working on the dress with his many associates, the half dozen older ladies working on the design, and the statuesque blonde walking back and forth. It's always nice to see someone using his brain to create something original. The rest is not that interesting and the business aspect provides no tension.

"Valentino: The Last Emperor" is an interesting look at the Valentino empire and the changing times in which it exists. It follows Valentino and his partner in life and work, Giancarlo Giametti, as they prepare for a show and later, Valentino's 45 anniversary as a designer.

The fluff stuff first - the fashions are amazing. Valentino designs a beautiful white gown at one point, and we watch his critique of the finished product, and whether or not to add sequins and extra panels. We also see some of the people for whom he has designed over the years: Princess Diana, Jacqueline Kennedy, Audrey Hepburn, and Gwyneth Paltrow, to name only a few. And we see a lot of his signature red gowns. Also, as a second comment on the fluff, Valentino, Giametti and their many pug dogs live like kings, with magnificent homes everywhere!

The more serious undertone in this documentary is the changing world of fashion and what has become the business of fashion. There are interviews throughout about this - the world today is about the bottom line, which means scents, designer handbags, and other accessories. The couture isn't the big moneymaker, but it is what Valentino has devoted his life to. As an artist who is proud of his work and committed to it, we see increasingly that the businessmen are less interested in Valentino the artist and more interested in Valentino the brand. It's a world he no longer belongs in.

The best parts of this film for me were the times when Valentino was watching the gowns on the models and making decisions on changes - truly the artist at work. That kind of devotion to detail is so rare today. It was a joy to watch.

You probably won't learn much about the man himself here, but you will learn something about his work -- and as an artist in the truest sense, that is Valentino's true essence.

I really had a great time during the screening. More than a view of the back shop of Valentino's Haute Couture company, the film gives a very unique and interesting point of view of the relation between Valentino and his friend Giancarlo. This let us understand how the complex mix of their talent has let them build their empire. At the same time, the film is not just a panegyric portrait of Valentino, its tracking him even in his tantrums and incoherences. This leads to many humorous moments during which you can't know if Valentino is aware or not of the image he gives of himself. Finally the last aspect I have really liked is that with the retirement of Valentino a very specific way of comprehending "haute couture" is fading away. The film witnesses the interference of finance in fashion companies which is particularly interesting in the case of the Valentino Group.