One of two
French biopics about Yves Saint Laurent in a single year, Saint Laurent plays out like a fashion show on film; the visual
spectacle of flawlessly prepared outfits within decadent surroundings provide
an ocean of surface with little depth to match it. Rather than a
straightforward method of storytelling, Saint Laurent
Yves Saint
Laurent was a creative fashion icon who turned a haute couture label into an international
success, leading to a long and memorable career. While much of the much of Saint
Laurent Saint Laurent
Gaspard Ulliel
steals the show with his portrayal of Laurent, embodying the confidence and
mannerisms to match style that is perfectly captured by costume designer Anaïs
Romand (the sole winner for the film at the 2015 César Awards). Despite this
excellent portrayal of the fashion icon, however, we are never given the
opportunity to see below the surface in the screenplay by Bonello and Thomas
Bidegain. Even worse than an unclear understanding of the man behind the
fashion, is the lack of dramatic connection to the other characters in the
film.
Betty Catroux (Aymeline Valade) and
Loulou (Lea Seydoux) are models and muses for Laurent, though the extent of
their relationship is never developed until they fade from the narrative
without explanation. The one character that remains constant throughout the
film is Pierre Bergé (Jérémie Renier), Laurent’s longtime lover and work
companion, though even his relationship is treated as more of a crutch than an
aspect of storytelling. His loyalty is the only aspect that sticks out, as the
relationship is never fleshed out to contain any real emotional intimacy. There
is more time dedicated to Laurent’s sexual relationship with model Jacques de
Bauscher (Louis Garrel), which is also somewhat shallow in its representation.
Jumping back and forth in time with
more than one fashion show montage to break up the monotony of the dull
character study, it quickly becomes clear that the clothing is still at the
forefront of Laurent’s life story. The only thing to match the excess of the
visuals is the over-indulgence of the protagonist, whether it is sexual
pleasure or an addiction to drugs and alcohol. In one of the film’s more
memorable sequences, Laurent’s pet dog overdoses on pills left lying around,
only to be replaced by a look-alike dog the next day. Bonello cast his own dog
in this role, bringing the pet home an honorary award at the Cannes Film
Festival. While this is certainly an impressive performance, it is typically
not a good sign when the pet dog has more personality than your main character.
The Blu-ray
release provides the visual spectacle in full high definition glory, which is
clearly the most significant element of Bonello’s film. The special features
include interviews with the cast and crew discussing the impact of Laurent, as
well as the process of making this film. What surprises me is that there is no
featurette for the costuming in Bonello’s film, as that seems to be the highlight
in the filmmaking.
Entertainment Value:
5/10
Quality of
Filmmaking: 6.5/10
Historical
Significance: 6/10
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