The opulent lifestyle and fabulous haute-couture fashions of the great designer Valentino. “One for the ages. It reveals one of the past century’s most elegantly lived lives.” — NY Times Style
Matt Tyrnauer's portrait of the great couturier Valentino is comic, acerbic, lyrical and has more than a touch of Fellini about it.
Screened as part of NZIFF 2009
Valentino: The Last Emperor 2008
“The opulent lifestyle and fabulous haute-couture fashions of the great designer Valentino are presented in all their splendor in this documentary by Matt Tyrnauer. The film covers Valentino's final two years at work before his retirement and the grand 45th-anniversary party, in 2007, celebrating his fashions. The film isn't a biography; Tyrnauer simply follows the designer around and captures the moments. And, between the life beyond luxury (the Roman villa, the French château, the yacht, the skiing in Gstaad) and the workers in his showroom... there's plenty to choose from. But the film's main focus is Valentino's 45 years with his business and life partner, Giancarlo Giammetti, whose attentiveness and devotion to the designer are sincerely moving... By the time we get to the party, for which the Colosseum is bathed in blue light as a backdrop for wire-dancing acrobats dressed in Valentino red, the Felliniesque-ness of it all can bring tears to our eyes.” — Bruce Diones, New Yorker