The Gucci family have spoken out against the depiction of their relatives in Ridley Scott’s new film House of Gucci.
In a statement issued this week, the family described the narrative as “anything but accurate” and said they were not consulted by the filmmakers.
The Guccis, who are no longer associated with the luxury fashion house that bears their name, have first and foremost rejected the depiction of Patrizia Reggiani, who was convicted and imprisoned for hiring a hitman to kill Maurizio Gucci, as a victim in a male-dominated company.
Based on a book by Sara Gay Forden, the film begins in the late 1970s and follows the relationship of Reggiani, played by Lady Gaga, and Maurizio, played by Adam Driver, from courtship and marriage to separation and his subsequent murder.
The story presents Reggiani as instrumental in helping Maurizio rise and take control of the company from his uncle Aldo Gucci (Al Pacino) and cousin Paolo Gucci (Jared Leto).
“The film’s production did not bother to consult the heirs before describing Aldo Gucci – president of the company for 30 years – and the members of the Gucci family as thugs who were ignorant and insensitive to the world around them, attributing entirely fabricated attitudes and conduct to the protagonists of the notorious events,” the family’s statement said.
They also maintained that they had the right to "take any action necessary to protect the name, image and dignity of themselves and their loved ones”.
Scott has previously defended himself and his film against criticism from the Guccis, including a comment by Patrizia Gucci, daughter of Paolo and granddaughter of Aldo , to The Associated Press, where she accused the filmmakers of “stealing the identity of a family to make a profit”.
In an interview with BBC Radio last week, Scott said: “You have to remember that one Gucci was murdered and another went to jail for tax evasion, so you can’t be talking to me about making a profit. As soon as you do that, you become part of the public domain.”
The film has been a source of mixed feelings for another individual who is close to the house. Designer and filmmaker Tom Ford, who was the creative director of Gucci from 1994 to 2004 and is depicted in the film, wrote a piece for Air Mail in which he likened the experience to living through a hurricane.
“It is hard for me to divorce reality from the glossy, heavily lacquered soap opera that I witnessed on-screen. As with most films based on a true story, facts are altered, characters are exaggerated, timelines warped – and, in the end, who cares as long as these alterations yield a great movie?
“I was deeply sad for several days after watching ‘House of Gucci,’ a reaction that I think only those of us who knew the players and the play will feel. It was hard for me to see the humour and camp in something that was so bloody. In real life, none of it was camp. It was at times absurd, but ultimately it was tragic.”
The fashion house, now owned by Kering, supported the film, opening up its archives to supply outfits and props. Salma Hayek, the wife of Kering chief executive Francois-Henri Pinault, appears in the film as Giuseppina “Pina” Auriemma, a psychic who becomes Reggiani’s friend and accomplice. Leto is a close friend of Gucci’s current creative director Alessandro Michele.
