Yves Saint Laurent

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Denis V Like Pierre Thorreton's documentary "L'Amour Fou," the film begins in the aftermath of the fashion designer's death, with his longtime partner Pierre Bergé deciding to auction off the very rich collection of antiques put together by the two over the course of a decade-long affair that also had its difficult moments even though it was full of love and solidarity as all affairs and marriages should be. For Bergé, however, it must not have been a walk in the park, since the Saint Laurent described by Lespert is a fragile, neurotic man who tends to be depressed and not really given to monogamy. True, it is good to distinguish the artist from the person in private, but too often biographical films focus on the latter while neglecting the former, with the result that in order to understand the stature of the designer Yves, one has only to look at the work of costume designer Madeleine Fontaine, who takes up the essays of Saint Laurent thought and shows us how revolutionary his contribution was and how his clothes somehow changed the conception of women, not only in fashion. So if the clothes got what they deserved, the same cannot be said of their creator. Helping little in this context is Pierre Niney's overmanned performance, which despite an undeniable resemblance to the character focuses more on the designer's tics and stereotypes than on his passions, giving us little insight into his genius. This is despite the fact that the film tries to account for a long and crucial period for the protagonist, as it begins in the mid-1950s with the young Yves as Christian Dior's assistant and ends 20 years later with the Little Prince of Fashion welcomed in triumph after yet another crisis and recovery. In between are the end of his collaboration with Dior, his meeting with Bergé (who is the Guillaume Galliene, the non-gay Guillaume Galliene of "All His Mother," and perhaps it is in his honor that the character's bisexual characteristics are accentuated in the film), his first very serious nervous breakdown after being called to arms for the war in Algeria (Saint Laurent belonged to a family of pieds-noirs), the opening of the maison Saint Laurent (with Bergé acting as a gray eminence), the betrayal of the muse Victoire (Canadian actress Charlotte Le Bon, who despite her last name, and a certain resemblance, has nothing to do with the Duran Duran leader) ideally replaced by Betty (Marie de Villepin) and Loulou (Laura Smet). Success comes but not tranquility, and in the wild years of post-'68 neuroses, drug use, and good nights increase; even the bond with Bergé is strained because of Saint Laurent's affair with Jacques De Bescher (Xavier Lafitte), former companion of Karl Lagerfeld (rendered with inevitably macchietizing nods by Nicolai Kinski, he, on the other hand, the very son of the legendary Klaus). The film proceeds by accumulation and as it goes on it becomes a maddening carousel of more or less knockout scenes that in the long run come to boredom. Even such crucial passages as the Liberation collection (the one of women in tuxedos) becomes a pretext for filming models in androgynous and seductive attitudes, completely forgetting the feminist intent of the project. Despite the prologue, the film totally ignores the last thirty years of the designer's life but all in all one does not miss it since it is more or less clear how the director would have treated them. Aline Bonetto credibly reconstructs the Parisian scene (and more) but Thomas Hardmeier's cinematography gives the whole thing a TV-script pastel tone that certainly does not contribute much to the final result. Rated 2.5/5 Stars •  Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 03/09/23 Full Review johann m 🇫🇷 This 2014 biographical film is based on the life of French designer Yves Saint-Laurent from the early beginning of his career in 1958 when he met his lover and business partner, Pierre Bergé and together they built a formidable fashion empire despite their terribly complex life together. The outstanding performances are the highlight of the movie, but sadly the plot suffers from an awkward structure and an ending that will make the viewer wonder what it was all about. What's the point of telling this particular story? It is just showing a really bad side of the late designer, presenting him as a terrible person. There is nothing innovative about it, it doesn't go deep into the drama, but it manages to be entertaining nonetheless given the visually appealing scenes and the expectation that something great will happen. Rated 3/5 Stars •  Rated 3 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Audience Member Une incursion somme toute courte dans l'intimité du designer mais néanmoins une belle perspective de son caractère. Rated 3/5 Stars •  Rated 3 out of 5 stars 02/21/23 Full Review william k Tasteful and accomplished attempt to portrait the great fashion designer in all his complexity is mostly successful, thanks also to Pierre Ninney's excellent performance and a good supporting cast. Rated 3/5 Stars •  Rated 3 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Audience Member Occasionally sweet, but mostly tasteless. Rated 2/5 Stars •  Rated 2 out of 5 stars 01/29/23 Full Review Audience Member Includes a balanced mix of the icon's fashion history, debauchery and sexual tension. Rated 3/5 Stars •  Rated 3 out of 5 stars 02/06/23 Full Review Read all reviews

Yves Saint Laurent

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