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”.
It is hard for me to divorce reality from the glossy, heavily lacquered soap opera that I witnessed on-screen
Tom Ford,
designer
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.
Your rights as an employee
The government has taken an increasingly tough line against companies that fail to pay employees on time. Three years ago, the Cabinet passed a decree allowing the government to halt the granting of work permits to companies with wage backlogs.
The new measures passed by the Cabinet in 2016 were an update to the Wage Protection System, which is in place to track whether a company pays its employees on time or not.
If wages are 10 days late, the new measures kick in and the company is alerted it is in breach of labour rules. If wages remain unpaid for a total of 16 days, the authorities can cancel work permits, effectively shutting off operations. Fines of up to Dh5,000 per unpaid employee follow after 60 days.
Despite those measures, late payments remain an issue, particularly in the construction sector. Smaller contractors, such as electrical, plumbing and fit-out businesses, often blame the bigger companies that hire them for wages being late.
The authorities have urged employees to report their companies at the labour ministry or Tawafuq service centres — there are 15 in Abu Dhabi.
Moon Music
Artist: Coldplay
Label: Parlophone/Atlantic
Number of tracks: 10
Rating: 3/5
Teaching your child to save
Pre-school (three - five years)
You can’t yet talk about investing or borrowing, but introduce a “classic” money bank and start putting gifts and allowances away. When the child wants a specific toy, have them save for it and help them track their progress.
Early childhood (six - eight years)
Replace the money bank with three jars labelled ‘saving’, ‘spending’ and ‘sharing’. Have the child divide their allowance into the three jars each week and explain their choices in splitting their pocket money. A guide could be 25 per cent saving, 50 per cent spending, 25 per cent for charity and gift-giving.
Middle childhood (nine - 11 years)
Open a bank savings account and help your child establish a budget and set a savings goal. Introduce the notion of ‘paying yourself first’ by putting away savings as soon as your allowance is paid.
Young teens (12 - 14 years)
Change your child’s allowance from weekly to monthly and help them pinpoint long-range goals such as a trip, so they can start longer-term saving and find new ways to increase their saving.
Teenage (15 - 18 years)
Discuss mutual expectations about university costs and identify what they can help fund and set goals. Don’t pay for everything, so they can experience the pride of contributing.
Young adulthood (19 - 22 years)
Discuss post-graduation plans and future life goals, quantify expenses such as first apartment, work wardrobe, holidays and help them continue to save towards these goals.
* JP Morgan Private Bank
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
ESSENTIALS
The flights
Fly Etihad or Emirates from the UAE to Moscow from 2,763 return per person return including taxes.
Where to stay
Trips on the Golden Eagle Trans-Siberian cost from US$16,995 (Dh62,414) per person, based on two sharing.
