Valentino: The Last EmperorThe 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 vidiotreviews.blogspot.ca

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.

This portrait of Valentino shows a vain aging giant and his devoted business partner, who provides the center of the film, as Valentino does not seem to be very interested in participating in this feature-length glamour-shot. The clothes are lovely--Valentino is an extremely talented designer, wedded to a solid, if traditional, notion of female glamour.The main problem with this film is I didn't learn anything from it--the portrait of Valentino in the New Yorker a couple of years back was far more revealing and informative. While this film has its entertaining moments, anyone who has seen documentaries about, or witnessed first-hand the fashion world has seen it all before. The film should have gone into more detail about Valentino the man, rather than just giving us a superficial portrait. Assolutamente not essential viewing.

I agree, I saw the movie at Hamptons Film Fest and everybody was astonish in many ways. Such a great designer doing such a movie. The director is not working at all and the editing is really bad and the cinematography is really bad too. The music is grotesque and does not help the situation at all. I did not understand the reason to do a movie like this. It seems it' s been made to destroy his myth. I really hoped the director was more inspired by Valentino. And the title...please...it' s really embarrassing in 2008. More than pretentious. We prefer to remember Valentino for his dresses or red dresses, more than remember Valentino as a grotesque actor.