“HOUSE OF GUCCI”: THE MOVIE, THE MAKERS AND THE GUCCI FAMILY

Before the official release of the movie “House of Gucci”, at the end of November, we give you a preview of what will follow somewhere between the Italian Alps and New York. Here’s what we know so far about the upcoming film.

On October 28, the second trailer premiered before the film, which almost everyone is waiting for, from the fashion world to the fans of the iconic director Ridley Scott (Alien, Blade Runner, Gladiator, The Kingdom of Heaven). Among them stand the fans of Lady Gaga, who intends to steal the show.

THE SHOW WOMAN: LADY GAGA

Three years after “A Star is Born”, Lady Gaga returns in the Oscars’ race for her new acting tour de force as Patrizia Reggiani, the “femme-fatale” wife of the last heir of the Italian luxury house of Gucci, Maurizio, played by Adam Driver.
The story is based on Sara Gay Forden’s book The House Of Gucci: A Sensational Story Of Murder, Madness, Glamour, And Greed written by Roberto Bentivegna.

The film follows the wedding of Patrizia Reggiani and Maurizio Gucci, who became a promising couple of the international jet set. A love affair dressed in furs, silks and tweed, racing with Ferrari and Rolls Royce and travelling between New York, the Bahamas and Swiss chalets. A love affair fueled by all sorts of eccentricity, intrigue and greed, until 1985, when Maurizio- after 12 years of marriage and two children- declaring that he was on a business trip to Florence, disappeared into the arms of a younger mistress, betraying Reggiani.
In 1995, the last heir of the house was murdered at the steps of his office, and Reggiani was convicted of orchestrating the killing of her ex-husband. On the front pages, the once-glamorous lady became the Black Widow, and she was prisoned for 18 years, until 2016, when she was released for good behaviour.

Lady Gaga studied the story of the fateful Patrizia, carefully. From the looks of the latest trailer from distributor MGM, Lady Gaga – with a few pounds more and a vivid Italian accent – performs her role with Meditteranean temper and prompt brutality. In an interview with Variety magazine, her co-star Salma Hayek had praised her performance by saying that “she really embodies the character. Her level of commitment — I’ve only seen maybe once or twice somebody commit to a character like she does“.

ITALY TAKES CENTER STAGE

Filming took place almost entirely in Italy, starting in Rome and passing through Milan, Florence and beyond; in her Instagram account, Lady Gaga shared a photo from the set featuring her and Adam Driver at Gressoney in the Italian Alps, and the internet went wild. The couple appears in a glamorous ski gown with Driver wearing a white fisherman’s blazer and Lady Gaga in a fur hat and gold necklace. An idyllic scene following the one of March 2021, when she first uploaded a teaser saying “Signore e signora Gucci.”

FASHION IS EVERYWHERE

From what one can suspect from the two trailers so far, we will see a traditional Italian family of aristocrats with all it entails: well-tailored suits for men, highly stylized mansions, statement dresses for women- like the polka-dot Lady Gaga wears when she feeds Adam Driver a big piece of cake- laces, heavy jewellery and jaw-dropping ensembles, all in the ’80s spirit.

Ο RIDLEY SCOTT IN “RESTART” MODE

Following the movie “The last duel”, which experienced a Covid-related shutdown last spring, the British director raises the bar with τhe “House of Gucci”. A great connoisseur of suspense and clear plot, Ridley Scott builds the image of a woman (Lady Gaga) who moves within the bounds of ruthlessness and madness as he focuses on the greed-betrayal axis. “I don’t consider myself a particularly ethical person,” Reggiani says in one scene, “but I’m fair”. 

The main idea, however, goes beyond love betrayal. After his separation from Reggiani, who was involved in the family business, Maurizio did something worse- at least in her eyes. He sold his remaining stake to the Bahrain-based company, Investcorp. It was later bought by the French group PPR, which is now Kering.

As if Gaga and Driver weren’t enough of a draw, House of Gucci features some big-name stars, including Al Pacino, Jeremy Irons, Salma Hayek and Jared Leto, who became, literally, unrecognizable as Paolo Gucci.

THE GUCCI FAMILY HAS NERVES

According to various sources, including the Associated Press, Maurizio’s first cousin, Patrizia Gucci, reached out to Ridley Scott’s wife, Giannina Facio, for clarification on the film’s scope but has not received any reply. “We are truly disappointed. I speak on behalf of the family,” Gucci told The Associated Press. “They are stealing the identity of a family to make a profit, to increase the income of the Hollywood system….Our family has an identity, privacy. We can talk about everything, but there is a borderline that cannot be crossed.”

Also, Patrizia Guzzi openly disagreed with how her father, Paolo, as well as her grandfather, Aldo, were portrayed by Jared Leto and Al Pacino, respectively. “My grandfather was a very handsome man, like all the Guccis, and very tall, blue eyes and very elegant. He is being played by Al Pacino, who is not very tall already, and this photo shows him as fat, short, with sideburns, really ugly. Shameful, because he doesn’t resemble him at all,” Patrizia Gucci said. 

But it is the audience that will have the final say. And the box office…

The film will premiere on November 24^th. Until then, repeat after us: “Father, son and House of Gucci.”