Valentino: The Last Emperor poster & wallpaper
Get movie widget Recommend it Add to Favorites

Valentino Garavani, Giancarlo Giammetti, Valentino

One of the world's most celebrated fashion designers, Valentino Garavani developed an interest in design as a teenager and entered the world of haute couture in the early '50s, working under Jacques F... read more read more...ath, Balenciaga and Jean Desses. In 1959, Valentino opened his own house of fashion in Rome, and he soon became one of the leading lights in European design, known for his trademark shade of red and his clean, stylish lines. With Giancarlo Giammetti, who has been Valentino's business partner and significant other since 1960, the designer built an empire that remained one of the most prestigious in the fashion world until Valentino announced his retirement in the fall of 2007. Filmmaker and journalist Matt Tyrnauer, who has written about Valentino for Vanity Fair, examines the public and private lives of the fashion icon in his documentary Valentino: The Last Emperor. Granted unprecedented access to Valentino's home and office, the film offers an unusual look at his relationship with Giammetti, how his creations are made, his lavish lifestyle, and how changes in the world of haute couture have impacted him. Featuring an original score by Nino Rota, Valentino: The Last Emperor received its North American premiere at the 2008 Toronto Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Flixster Users

73% liked it

10,056 ratings

Critics

76% liked it

72 critics

PG-13, 1 hr. 36 min.

Directed by: Matt Tyrnauer

Release Date: March 18, 2009

Invite friends to see

DVD Release Date: September 8, 2009

Get It:

Stats: 271 reviews

report incorrect info

Photos

icecream4ever Valentino: The Last Emperor
Upload a Photo | View All Valentino: The Last Emperor Photos

Your Rating


clear rating

Flixster Reviews (271)

  • smith44
    September 30, 2009
    smith44
    Forget September Issue, Valentino: The Last Emperor is the real about the fashion world to watch. Chiefly though Valentino is an engrossing character study of the man himself, his charms, huge ego and his unsurpasable talent.
  • fb796967648
    May 27, 2009
    fb796967648
    An absolutely first-rate documentary that does what only a great documentary can do: present what seems to be one story in such a way that it illuminates so much more. Yes it's about fashion and design, but it's also (or maybe primarily) about the cost of iconic fame and the en... read moredurance of a 45-year personal and professional relationship. It's breezy and entertaining and deep and probing. OK, it's just terrific. Enough fancy words. It's terrific.
  • Dracula787
    December 25, 2009
    Dracula787
    This documentary about fashion designer Valentino Garavani is one of the highest grossing and most buzzed about documentaries of the year, and it?s been longlisted for the Documentary Feature Oscar category. The praise made it sound like something worth checking out, but I?d bee... read moren pretty hesitant to do so simply because I frankly don?t give a damn about Valentino or about the world of fashion. But I saw this was a available for instant streaming on Netflix and I had a couple hours to kill, what did I have to lose? Not a lot really, this proved to be fairly watchable but it certainly didn?t make me care about or particularly respect its subject any more than I did before. The year in the man?s life which this chronicles proves to not be very dramatic, it?s just sort of a few typical days in the guy?s life and I suppose his fans will find it pretty revealing.
  • ThomasJayWilliams
    November 13, 2011
    ThomasJayWilliams
    Providing an alternative to the documentary The September Issue -- although the only thing they have in commom are some long montage sequences of clothing and models parading around. I was a fan of both films; but I think I ended up preferring Valentino simply because it made the... read more man more accessible than September made Anna Wintour accessible. I would also prefer a live runway show as opposed to a model shoot and since Valentino has more of the former (September the latter) I will give it a higher grade. Valentino is more of a tribute to the iconic fashion designer and it shows how he has kept his point of view and integrity in a world of sell-outs. I think half of the movie could be looked at as a tragedy because the stylistic viewpoint of an artist is cast aside a lot of time in this world to become marketable on the world stage. Valentino, himself, hasn't compromised in anything he has done. He does bemoan the fact that he has given over creative control of Valentino to a new set of people; but he has retired and has to accept that the world of fashion is forever changing. The viewer is treated to some spectacular eye candy in this film and we are left in awe wishing we'd have been able to attend the finale gala in person (the camera actually probably doesn't begin to do the man's genius justice). We get so see the creative side of this Last Emperor and his personal side -- the filmmakers scored a rare coup here by allowing us to get so intimate with him. We also find out that Valentino would never show a woman's through her gown -- fascinating little bit of information, eh? He found it to be vulgar ... and looking back through his fantastic collections we see that he never did stray from that opinion. I find the female leg to be beautiful and am surprised that he -- one who designs for beauty -- finds this to be different. (It must be my leg fetish). What sets this film above some others is simply the amount we get to see here. Valentino is open and honest with the camera -- when he tires of the camera being in his face he doesn't put on a mask and pretend he is pleased with it. We see him warts and all; but his total honesty with us removes ALL of those warts. I am in awe of Valentino. The end of this film -- and the gala at the museum -- are some of the most beautiful filmed images I have ever come across; but I think clothing is just as beautiful as any piece of art I have seen hanging at the Louvre. This doc made the initial Academy short-list but didn't make the final cut. I had hoped that this one would make it because it shed some light on some mystery and genius. As it is -- it couldn't end up competing with The Cove so perhaps it wasn't destined for Academy gold; but to me, my praise is just as worthy. Anyone interested in fashion -- not the journalistic/editing point of view -- needs to give this movie a watch. You shouldn't be disappointed -- with his talent, this doc had a fitting title since "A god Amongst Men" might have been too upsetting for some.
  • amonavis
    July 11, 2011
    amonavis
    Great documentary about one of the seminal fashion houses/fashion designers. Valentino seems like a reasonable person, and the dresses he designs (at least in the film) are beautiful. Makes Valentino seem like a person and not just a name.
  • zutron
    May 16, 2011
    zutron
    An outstanding documentary that incidentally sweeps the scope of Valentino's 50 year career while focussing on a final runway show. In small moments you get a strong sense of the prickliness, the humor, and the talent of this man. While there are glimpses of irritating diva beha... read morevior, it is also clear how and why he maintained the loyalty and love of the closest people around him, including that of a lovely life long partner.
  • filmguy450
    November 22, 2009
    filmguy450
    very intresting doc about Valentino, his life, and his career. It goes through several aspects and areas.
  • jam233
    September 3, 2009
    jam233
    Well made documentary that really captures the essence of the famous designer. I would have liked to see more of his earlier designs, following his career a little more rather than mostly a recent focus, but it is atill fascinating.
  • diamondthemovie
    April 1, 2009
    diamondthemovie
    I CANNOT BEGIN TO RAVE ABOUT THIS FILM!!! THIS IS NOT ONLY A MUST-SEE, BUT A MUST-SEE MORE THAN ONCE!!! For those who LOVE AND WORSHIP FASHION, POP-CULTURE, THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA, and SEX AND THE CITY as I do, THIS IS THE ULTIMATE FASHION FILM!

View All Valentino: The Last Emperor Reviews

Critic Reviews

Natasha Senjanovic
July 10, 2009
Natasha Senjanovic, Hollywood Reporter

The director only skims over the historical material. In taking for granted that this background is familiar to all, the film drives home the fact that high fashion is made by the few for the few.

Jason Anderson
July 10, 2009
Jason Anderson, Toronto Star

There's only one monarch mentioned in the title of Valentino: The Last Emperor. But Matt Tyrnauer's breezy and entertaining look inside the world of high fashion is very much a two-man show. Full Review

Liam Lacey
July 10, 2009
Liam Lacey, Globe and Mail

Superficial but giddily entertaining. Full Review

Kara Nesvig
June 12, 2009
Kara Nesvig, Minneapolis Star Tribune

As Valentino's team of seamstresses pore over a sequined white dress, entirely hand-sewn, and finally premiere it to the designer in its flawless, couture glory, it's all you can do not to gasp with p... Full Review

Tom Maurstad
May 8, 2009
Tom Maurstad, Dallas Morning News

Above all, Valentino is a celebration of beauty and love, and the ways in which one begets the other.

Wesley Morris
April 16, 2009
Wesley Morris, Boston Globe

True to the Valentino prerogative, it's beautiful -- sad, too: a dream life moving into the unknown. Full Review

Joseph M. Amodio
April 16, 2009
Joseph M. Amodio, Newsday

This documentary, chronicling two years leading up to his spectacular 45th anniversary gala in 2007 by the Colosseum in Rome, is as much about the brand and harsh realities of the fashion biz as the m... Full Review

Peter Rainer
April 6, 2009
Peter Rainer, Christian Science Monitor

This love letter to Valentino from director Matt Tyrnauer seems intended for the already smitten. Full Review

Sylvia Rubin
April 3, 2009
Sylvia Rubin, San Francisco Chronicle

A thoroughly entertaining look at the preparations for Valentino's last haute couture show and how, indeed, he represents the last of an era of highly trained couturiers who are being swallowed up by ... Full Review

Kenneth Turan
April 2, 2009
Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times

It's a celebration worthy of the Sun King and a fitting way for both the designer and this unexpectedly involving documentary to literally and metaphorically bring it all back home. Full Review

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)

Cast

More Like This

Click a thumb to vote on that suggestion, or add your own suggestions.

  • The Devil Wears Prada
    The Devil Wears Prada (97%)
  • Sex and the City
    Sex and the City (0%)
  • The Queen
    The Queen (14%)
  • A Single Man
    A Single Man (0%)

More Movies like Valentino: The Last Emperor

Facts

No facts approved yet. Be the first

Valentino: The La... : Watch Free on TV

Movie Quizzes

No quizzes for Valentino: The Last Emperor. Want to create one?

Video Clips

Upload a Video |

All Valentino: The Last Emperor Videos

Meet Other Fans

Add Valentino: The Last Emperor to favorites

Recent News

No recent headlines. Got one?

Recent Lists

Make a List |

View All Lists

Most Popular Skin

No skins yet. Interested in creating one?