MILAN (AP) – Guccio Gucci’s great-grandchildren, who founded the luxury fashion house named after him almost a century ago in Florence, are calling on filmmaker Ridley Scott to respect his family’s legacy in a new film focused on a sensational sensation. murder.
“The House of Gucci,” starring Lady Gaga and Adam Driver, is based on a book about the murder for hire of one of Gucci’s 1995 grandchildren, Maurizio, and the subsequent trial and conviction of his ex-wife. Patrizia Reggiani, portrayed by Lady Gaga, served 16 years in prison for the murder.
One of Maurizio’s second cousins, Patrizia Gucci, is worried that the film will go beyond the true crime story that captures the headlines and delve into the private lives of Guccio Gucci’s heirs.
“It simply came to our notice then. I speak on behalf of the family, “Gucci told The Associated Press on Wednesday.” They are stealing a family’s identity for profit, increasing the income of the Hollywood system … Our family has an identity, privacy. We can talk about everything. but there is a limit that cannot be crossed. “
Patrizia Gucci said she contacted Ridley Scott’s wife, Giannina Facio, to clarify the scope of the film, but has not received a response. Facio met with members of the Gucci family in the early 2000s to discuss another project that was to focus on the roles of Patrizia Gucci’s father, Paolo, and grandfather, Aldo, in expanding the brand to a world-class luxury player. The fact that the producer didn’t make it to the new film only raises family concerns, he said.
Ridley Scott’s producer did not respond to requests for comment also made through her Italian counterpart.
The Guccis are not the first Italian fashion family to struggle with on-screen performances about tragic events. The Versace family released in 2018 a statement about the season of Ryan Murphy’s “American Crime Story” that dealt with the murder of fashion house founder Gianni Versace, saying the TV series was not authorized and that it should of being considered “a work of fiction.”
Patrizia Gucci said her family will decide what further action she can take after watching the film. Her concerns stem from the casting of prominent actors to play family members, whose stories have little credence with the murder of Maurizio Gucci, the current lack of contact with Scott’s producer, and the inaccuracies they see in book on which the film is based.
Al Pacino plays Aldo Gucci, whom her granddaughter remembers as an expert saleswoman who opened Gucci stores in Rome through Condotti and New York, incorporating VIP clientele and expanding the brand’s global reach. And Jared Leto plays Paolo Gucci, whose creative contributions included the idea of creating the famous Gucci double G logo, as well as his plasticized bags and moccasins.
It is this story that he tells in his own book, “Gucci, the true story of a successful dynasty,” which was published in Italian in 2015.
Patrizia Gucci said the paparazzi photos of the “House of Gucci” ensemble have not been at all reassuring.
“My grandfather was a very handsome man, like all guccis, very tall, blue eyes and very elegant. He is playing Al Pacino, who is no longer very tall, and this photo shows him fat, short, with sideburns, very ugly. Shameful, because it doesn’t look like him at all, ”said Patrizia Gucci.
Meanwhile, Paolo Gucci, from Leto, is shown with shaggy hair and a purple corduroy dress not at all in line with his daughter’s memories. “Horrible, horrible. I still feel offended, ”he said.
The Gucci family has not been involved with fashion house Gucci since 1993, when Maurizio sold his remaining stake in Bahrain-based company Investcorp. It was later bought by the French group PPR, which is now Kering.
The fashion house collaborates with “La casa de Gucci”, opening its archives to the film company to store clothes and accessories. Salma Hayek, the wife of Kering CEO Francois-Henri Pinault, appears in the film. Leto is a close friend of creative director Alessandro Michele.