L'Amour fou(2010)- User Reviews

0ccasionally, when visiting obscure movies in the Art houses, you come upon an absolute gem. One such movie is L’amour fou, a documentary of fashion designer Yves Saint-Laurent as told primarily from the viewpoint of his lover, Pierre Berge. When Christian Dior died in 1959, the French fashion world feared that it would be the end of “haute couture” (high fashion) and wondered if the famous House of Dior would be closing down. But those governing the House of Dior decided to leave the designing of its clothing to Yves Saint-Laurent, a shy designer who was suddenly put into the spotlight. His first show was a tremendous success, yet after two years he was fired from the House of Dior because the owner was a war hawk and Yves had avoided being drafted into the Algerian war. So suddenly, this designer was out in the cold. His lover decided that the only thing to do was to set up their own fashion house with Yves as the designer. Their first show was again a success, and Yves Saint-Laurent went on to be a fashion design superstar.

But this film is more than a film about Yves and his fashions, it is also about the relationship he had with his lover, Pierre Berge. This was a time when gay relationships were not mentioned and almost everyone hid that aspect of themselves. Yet the very night this couple first met, they decided to live with each other and Yves was very public and out-there with his relationship. The other aspect of the film is showing the art collection gathered by Yves and Pierre during their years together. The punctuating moment of the documentary is the sale of the art at a New York art house.

Even if you aren’t a fashion buff, I am sure you will find the fashions of Saint-Laurent imaginative and generally quite fun, and the art collected by an artist and his wealthy lover is also interesting to review. The director of the documentary added some staged moments which adds to the emotion of the moment shown. It is not a drab documentary, but a film about creativity and relationships. Although the film has already left the Des Moines theaters, it is definitely a film worth seeking out.

Gary Kaufman